Captured A/C Shootdown?

I have just heard of a story about a P-47 pilot named Fred Hillis who is
supposedly credited with 4 German built aircraft and one German flown
American
aircraft, another P-47. The enemy flown P-47 was unmarked and had just shot
down an American P-47.

It was very common for aviators to confuse the FW 190 with the P-47. P-61s
attacked Mosquitos ("Bad SHOW!" over the radio), P-51Bs = Bf 109s, the list
goes on and on. One of the most advanced radars was being flight tested with a
crew of engineers onboard and unfortunately, they were shot down by Allied
fighters, killing all onboard. Friendly fire is all to often completely
ignored in WWII histories, but it was a part of everyday life.

I had never heard of this incident before and so far Hillis is not mentioned
in
Olynyk's Stars and Bars or my copy of the American Fighter Aces Album from
1979.

Frank's got a brand new version - very well done too.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.

There's an online account of this supposed incident:

http://www.stormbirds.com/hillis/tboltkill.htm

On 31 Jan 2004 12:03:34 GMT, (JDupre5762) wrote:

Does anyone know of any captured aircraft from any war that while being test
flown by the capturing force was attacked and shotdown its previous owners
or
allies?

I have just heard of a story about a P-47 pilot named Fred Hillis who is
supposedly credited with 4 German built aircraft and one German flown American
aircraft, another P-47. The enemy flown P-47 was unmarked and had just shot
down an American P-47.

I had never heard of this incident before and so far Hillis is not mentioned in
Olynyk's Stars and Bars or my copy of the American Fighter Aces Album from
1979.

I suppose it could be another example of fratricide?

John Dupre'

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

It was very common for aviators to confuse the FW 190 with the P-47. P-61s
attacked Mosquitos ("Bad SHOW!" over the radio), P-51Bs = Bf 109s, the list
goes on and on.

In Burma, an RAF Hurricane shot down a "Zero" that proved to be a PR
Hurricane painted dark blue.

In China, an AVG pilot in a P-40 shot down a B-25 Mitchell thinking it
was a Japanese bomber. Happily the crew was able to bail out safely.
They reported that they had been attacked by "Zeros".


all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

"JDupre5762" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know of any captured aircraft from any war that while being
test
flown by the capturing force was attacked and shotdown its previous
owners
or
allies?

I have just heard of a story about a P-47 pilot named Fred Hillis who is
supposedly credited with 4 German built aircraft and one German flown
American
aircraft, another P-47. The enemy flown P-47 was unmarked and had just
shot
down an American P-47.
I had never heard of this incident before and so far Hillis is not
mentioned in
Olynyk's Stars and Bars or my copy of the American Fighter Aces Album from
1979.
I suppose it could be another example of fratricide?
John Dupre'

See:
http://www.stormbirds.com/hillis/tboltkill.htm

Cheers.

In China, an AVG pilot in a P-40 shot down a B-25 Mitchell thinking it
was a Japanese bomber. Happily the crew was able to bail out safely.
They reported that they had been attacked by "Zeros".


Par for the course...

On the Stormbirds website, the author of the Hillis piece goes into some detail
about how captured Allied fighters 'infiltrated' US formations: yet another
example of the confusion of aerial combat.
No German unit operating captured Allied aircraft tried this - instead, just
as we had done with theirs, the incredibly rare turncoats that were in good
enough condition to be returned to flying status (propellers were nearly always
dinged, engines damaged in crashes, etc.) were used to train LW pilots on the
capabilities and characteristics of the enemy aircraft and as such, they were
priceless. It should be noted that when turncoat aircraft were actually used
operationally in battle areas (B-17s primarily), it was done so at night, to
minimize their exposure to enemy fighters. Sending them up to tag along with
Allied formations would be literal suicide. As for the report of a "German
P-47" attacking other US fighters without markings, the "Luftwaffe pilot"
would be a target for absolutely everyone else in the sky - there would be no
"friends or foes", just a sky filled with foes and every flak gun on either
side of the lines would be shooting at it. Imagine us sending a captured MiG
15 up to battle other MiG 15s over the Yalu. Stripping such an event down to
its most basic likely explanation, this is either a tragic friendly fire
episode, or (every bit as likely) just plain poor recognition of an e/a in the
middle of a cloudy day. Its happened before and since.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.