The Friendly Fire Nightmare: How Sicily’s Invasion Almost Became a Self-Inflicted Disaster

Ajouté : 2026-06-07

On July 11, 1943, during Operation Husky (the Allied invasion of Sicily), an entire regiment of American paratroopers from the 504th Parachute Infantry was nearly destroyed by friendly fire when exhausted and frayed Allied gunners, who had been subjected to intense German air raids earlier that day, opened fire on their own transport planes as they approached the coast, resulting in 23 planes shot down and over 300 paratroopers killed or wounded.