Us Attacks Uk Forces Yet Again

[bluemonday]

A letter in todays Times.

The Times September 5, 2007

 

Tragedies of war

 

Sir, The “friendly-fire” incident during the Second World War (letters, August 31 ) that virtually annihilated the Royal Navy’s 1st Minesweeping Flotilla, as it sailed from the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches towards an enemy minefield in August 1944, was not the fault of the RAF Typhoon pilots concerned.

 

I spoke to Commander Trevor Crick RN (1902-97) for my book, Dorset’s War Diary (2004). Until a month before the disaster, on August 27, 1944, his attackers had been based at RAF Hurn. It emerged, however, that the Navy had not told the RAF of its intention to extend minesweeping operations off Cap d’Antifer for an extra day. Despite this, Wing Commander Baldwin held back his pilots of 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron because of doubts about whose boats they had spotted, while he checked by radio with a liaison officer at naval command headquarters.

 

“Are you quite sure they can’t be ours,” Baldwin asked.

 

“Why, are you frightened?” came the reply. “We’ve no ships in the area today.”

 

Three Navy officers were court-martialled for the debacle. The senior two were acquitted and the third received only a token punishment. Amended orders had been wrongly annotated.

 

Commander Crick did tell me with pride, however, that even though his four ships and two trawlers were facing an obvious onslaught, none of the gunners returned fire. All realised the planes were RAF Typhoons.

 

RODNEY LEGG

Wincanton, Somerset