19. Several friendly fire incidents occurred during the Korean War
Early in the Korean War American intelligence informed their counterparts in the Royal Australian Air Force that the North Koreans controlled the region surrounding Suwon. Accordingly, when RAAF fighters spotted a troop train in the region they attacked. The train carried American and South Korean troops, and sustained over 700 casualties. In September, 1950, a British unit captured an elevated position and requested air support to help them hold off North Korean counterattacks. The responding American aircraft bombed the British position, using napalm. Their bombs expended, they continued to conduct strafing runs, forcing the British to withdraw, after sustaining heavy casualties. Communications were hampered by defective radios on the ground.
In several incidents over the course of the war, retreating South Korean troops were attacked by rear units, in the belief they were North Korean or Chinese. At the Battle of Wawon, in November, 1950, Turkish troops encountered South Korean units withdrawing and engaged them. The South Koreans fought back, and an extended firefight between the allies led to numerous casualties on both sides. The Turkish troops had been positioned to fight a delaying action against Chinese troops, and unable to understand the language, nor discern the difference between Korean and Chinese, they chose to shoot first, and confirm later. The Chinese scored a major tactical victory at the Battle of Wawon, and the long Allied retreat which followed Chinese intervention in Korea continued.
