"Friend or Foe? Aircraft Identification 1940." Topic

"MOST people had few opportunities before the War to become acquainted with the appearance of foreign military aeroplanes. They were to be seen at rare intervals on the films. Regular readers of aeronautical literature saw pictures of most of them from time to time. If their memories were such as can retain photographic impressions, these people started the War with the advantage of being able to distinguish between enemy and ally. Most other people stood a small chance of recognising a raider and no chance at all of distinguishing between British fighters and such fighters as might be detailed for escort duly with an enemy bomber force.

Many people who might be classed among these innocents have since been embodied in His Majesty's Forces. Those who belong to the anti-aircraft batteries of the Royal Artillery have at their service official publications which assist them in recognising enemy aircraft. At the beginning of the War those publications were either scarce or insufficiently digested, for there was at least one famous occasion on which our own fighters were mistaken for enemy reconnaissance machines, and the anti-aircraft gunners allowed themselves a little target practice to which they were not entitled. However much the fighter pilots may have resented that licence, they were bound to agree that it was all in the usual tradition.

Quite late in the last war, British aeroplanes were "archied" by the French gunners when they were suddenly transferred from the British to the French part of the Front. Occasionally our own guns made things unpleasant in those days for our own aircraft. Unless the gunners are soaked in the characteristic details of different types of aeroplane, they are always liable to mistake one for the other at any height above that at which the Service markings can be seen. When aeroplanes are all of one style—all biplanes or all monoplanes —the smaller points of difference must be known if the types are to be surely identified…"
Full article here
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Amicalement
Armand

Nice !

The Fields of Fire illustrations very useful.

Glad you enjoyed it my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Ah… the famous Fw 198… the Luftwaffe's fastest fighter in 1940