18. A friendly fire incident led to an all-out air battle between Americans and Soviets in 1944
In early November 1944, Soviet forces had advanced deeply into Serbia. On November 7, 1944, a flight of American P-38 Lightning fighter-bombers spotted a long column of military vehicles leaving the town of Nis in the direction of Belgrade. Believing the vehicles to be a German column retreating from the Soviets, the Americans attacked, strafing and bombing. The vehicles were Soviets advancing, not Germans in retreat. They suffered heavy casualties, among them Soviet Corps Commander Lieutenant General Grigory Kotov. Believing the attacking Americans were Germans flying Focke-Wulfe FW-189s, like the Lightning, a twin-tailed aircraft, the Soviets called for air support.
Yak-3 fighters responded, later supported by Yak-9s, and an air battle swirled over the town of Nis, gradually drifting westward, between the Americans and Soviets. A Serbian partisan who observed the dogfight wrote that he saw 7 Lightnings and 3 Yaks shot down in the battle. American sources claim conflicting totals, in part because the USAAF immediately took steps to keep the incident secret. A furious Stalin received a personal apology from Franklin Roosevelt, delivered to the Soviet Premier by Averill Harriman. George Marshall, Chief of Staff for the United States, also apologized. Officially the Soviets acknowledged 68 casualties and the loss of three aircraft. American casualties remain disputed.
