Wow, docbnj! You’re clearly “educated.” Too bad you’re also so uninformed.
To everyone else:
My grandfather was bombed twice in two days by those brave, Brit airmen because they weren’t very good at their jobs. (Grand dad was 743rd Tank Bn., Sherman driver; first saw action at Omaha on D-Day. Had 5 tanks shot out from under him in 30 days.)
He said that “the Limeys” actually asked if they could give it a third attempt to make up for the other two. No sh$#. The 743rd declined their request.
My grand dad, “Guy,” ended up losing his right leg to an 88 some miles past St. Lo.
He never spoke much of the war, but when he did, he always mentioned three things:
1. He would have turned his tank around and fought those stupid, f$%^ing Limey airmen if a German had lived long enough to ask him.
2. Sherman armor wouldn’t prevent a round from coming in, but it sure would prevent it from going out. Ricochet.
3. Direct quote: “I never did get used to driving over people.”
Still makes me shiver. God bless them all.
docbnj - bite me. Seriously. You’re an ignorant tool.
Sentiments such as your grandfather’s seem to have been pretty well reciprocal among the allies. A common saying among British ground troops in the later stages of the war went something like this (from memory):
When the Kraut planes come over we open fire
When our planes come over we cheer
When the Yank planes come over we take cover...
The RAF were good at their job. But they are only human.
The USAF bombed its own troops in WW2. In Normandy they dropped bombs short and killed the most senior American commander to be killed in NW Europe (Lesley McNair) and almost wiped out an entire division.
S*it happens.