Near Tragedy of Errors

The British Navy, which has occasionally fired on its own planes, claims: "It's an aircraft's job to identify itself." Last week an R.A.F. squadron in the Middle East reported a case of multiple mistaken identity:

During the present campaign a British tanker was making its nervous way through the Mediterranean. A Messerschmitt appeared. No fire was exchanged. The ship's skipper thought the plane must be British. The pilot of the Messerschmitt thought the tanker was Italian, hovered protectively above it for four hours. Then an R.A.F. Blenheim appeared. The puzzled Blenheim pilot swooped low to double-check the tanker's identity, was chased off by the devoted Messerschmitt. A second Blenheim, assuming the ship was an Axis vessel, made a low level attack and claimed a near miss. The tanker, thinking the Blenheim was an Axis plane, opened fire on the Blenheim, scoring two hits. A squadron of R.A.F. Marylands arrived, prepared to finish off the tanker. The Marylands' squadron leader, spotting the British flag on the tanker as he was releasing the bombs, managed to swerve the plane and the bombs missed the tanker.

Everybody knew everybody else by now. The British looked around for the Messerschmitt. By that time it had disappeared, apparently still pleased with a very good day's work.

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