What is Friendly Fire?

[mendhak]

I've heard the phrase a lot, and after reading today's news story, I just had to ask: Is it an official way of saying "D'oh! We screwed up!"?

[MartinLiss]

Enemies fire bullets at you. Friendly fire is when someone on your side accidently fires at you.

[mendhak]

Originally posted by MartinLiss
Enemies fire bullets at you. Friendly fire is when someone on your side accidently fires at you.

Hmm... so I'm right.

And why does such a thing happen?

[MartinLiss]

In the heat of battle you often don't have time to ask "who are you".

[kedaman]

all fire is ultimately friendly fire

[mendhak]

I see your point.

[DiGiTaIErRoR]

Originally posted by kedaman
all fire is ultimately friendly fire

Tell that to Bush!

[Foxer]

Originally posted by mendhak

And why does such a thing happen?

In a tense and hostile situation where one is engaging potential threats at speed (in a jet fighter) or at distance (ground infantry), the need for self-preservation often overrides the need to identify who you are shooting at.

I might be talking through my hat, but I think the 1991 war had a high incidence of Friendly Fire. Maybe it was a media thing back then but there seemed to be a lot fewer cases during round #2.

Perhaps technology has improved. Perhaps the Army really can learn from it's mistakes.

[Wally Pipp]

Friendly Fire are bullets that ask you nicely if they could penetrate your body and then afterwards profusely apologise for any damage done.

[Acidic]

Originally posted by Gary Campbell

I might be talking through my hat, but I think the 1991 war had a high incidence of Friendly Fire. Maybe it was a media thing back then but there seemed to be a lot fewer cases during round #2.

Perhaps technology has improved. Perhaps the Army really can learn from it's mistakes.

Actually I heard that UK soldiers had more losses to friendly fire than to the baddiest. Then again, I'm probably talking out my arse too.

[si_the_geek]

Originally posted by Acidic
Actually I heard that UK soldiers had more losses to friendly fire than to the baddiest. Then again, I'm probably talking out my arse too.

The various UK news channels & MOD agreed with you. What they basically said:

In the actual "war" itself we lost more troops to the Americans than we did to the enemy, which is more than we lost thru accidents.

Admittedly it's changed a lot since dubya pronounced it over.

Ah, I just love being allies with the "boys with toys".

[DeadEyes]

From all of the news reports of Friendly Fire incidents, it would appear that most of them are as a result of air support dropping bombs in the wrong place. Now these pilots are surely under less stress and pressure than the guys on the ground, given the lack of credible threat to them. So it could be suggested that this is more incompetance than "fog of war".

[Cander]

Originally posted by DiGiTaIErRoR
Tell that to Bush!

So Bush is the only president to declare military action?

Man STFU!

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by Gary Campbell

I might be talking through my hat, but I think the 1991 war had a high incidence of Friendly Fire. Maybe it was a media thing back then but there seemed to be a lot fewer cases during round #2.

Most of that was tanks artillary blowing up allied vehicles because they could not identify them. Night vision & infrared weren't near as well developed as they are now. Most of the ground fighting was done at night and in sand storms so Night vision & infrared scopes\goggles were the only methods they could use to see. To solve the problem all Coallition vehicles put reflective tape in the shape of a triangle on their sides and back so that they could be identified through night vision scopes and infrared. The friendly fire casualties dropped down after that.

[Foxer]

It's amazing how many problems can be solved with duc (sp?) tape.

[baby]

Um.. Doesnt that mean the enemy can disguise as one of the allies too just by pasting some duck tapes on their vehicle

[ballbuster]

Turned eighteen, seeking dignity
Wanting to be all I can be
Looked for a job, finding none for me
Left to fight for the land of the free

She keeps telling me to retire
Doesn't want me to die by friendly fire

Different army now, extolls efficiency
Strives to reduce our casualties
What our numbers lack in quantity
Is made up with high impact weaponry

She keeps telling me to retire
Doesn't want me to die by friendly fire

War's not quite as it used to be
Sit back and watch the enemy flee
That flyboy above circling aimlessly
His bombs went off by just one degree

She kept telling me to retire
Didn't want to die by friendly fire.

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by baby
Um.. Doesnt that mean the enemy can disguise as one of the allies too just by pasting some duck tapes on their vehicle

I suppose so. For some reason they didn't though.

Good thing for the coallition you weren't an Iraqi General in the early 90's

[Ex-FB]

Originally posted by Spetnik

Mmmm. Interesting.

I could have sworn that it was economy that destroyed communism in Russia.

Facism, er, it's not really been wiped out.

Nazism, no arguments there, except that a number of people on this board do appear to support a Nationalist agenda..... so, again, not realy solved is it.

Slavery, er, again, maybe it was ended in America by war, but certainly other parts of the world ended it quite peacefully before this......


Mind you, I do think you're being selective in what you read. I for one, am all for a good war for a good cause, and I think a lot of people are. it was just that going into Iraq was a pretty stupid move, as anyone could see.

Now, if we're going to have a real war, lets do it for the right reasons. Let's get the UN together and go storming into Zimbabwe and sort that mess out. Thats the sort of war I'd back at the drop of a hat.

If you want to go it alone for righteous reasons, who's up for a barny with China? That'll be a laugh! After all massive human rights abusives still going on, they've got shed loads of nuclear missiles pointed at us, let's go get 'em!

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by Spetnik

That is good advice. Those little basterd Iraqis don't deserve freedom. if they wanted it so bad they would have taken it for themselvs and would not be pulling sheit like this

We should pull all our troops out now and fire up the ICBMs

[davebat]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
That is good advice. Those little basterd Iraqis don't deserve freedom. if they wanted it so bad they would have taken it for themselvs and would not be pulling sheit like this

We should pull all our troops out now and fire up the ICBMs

Everyone deserves freedom.

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by davebat
Everyone deserves freedom.

Bullsheit. Nobody deserves anything just for existing. Freedom is something some one has to earn and use with responsibility. the only thing every one on this planet Deserves is to be born, live their life and die. Those Fooking arsehole Iraqis are goddamn nutts. No wonder Saddam had to keep killing and imprisoning them. That's the only way those crazy basters could be kept in line. Screw Iraq and screw GW for wasting my tax dollars and American lives on those trolls.

[PineyWoodsJimbo]

Spetnik, you're a pus.

Ballbuster, quit crying.

[NotLKH]

Hardcode,

Please use the appropriate smiley when you're just having fun, if its not apparently so.

Otherwise, we must assume you're a troll.

[PineyWoodsJimbo]

Sorry.

I get tired of the peace-at-any-cost advertising. Also, I think Hardcore had a little canoe trip adventure.

[HardCode]

Originally posted by PineyWoodsJimbo
Sorry.

I get tired of the peace-at-any-cost advertising. Also, I think Hardcore had a little canoe trip adventure.

I insulted you, but now I see that you mis-understood Spetnick. He posted all of that as irony and sarcasm to the peace-at-any-cost people. We really see things the same way. I apologize.

[PineyWoodsJimbo]

Hey, them's not the fightin' words I expected.

Seriously, no problem at all.

[greatwhite]

So who want's a fight then?......Burn Um....