Secret Casualties of World War Two: Uncovering the Civilian Deaths from Friendly Fire

This study examines friendly fire casualties among civilians during the London Blitz and the attack on Pearl Harbor, two iconic World War II events. While Britain and America have constructed narratives of heroic resistance to aerial bombardment around these events, both conceal civilian deaths caused by the militaries meant to protect them. In Britain, thousands of civilians were killed when the army shelled London and other cities to prevent residents from fleeing German bombs. At Pearl Harbor, American warships fired heavy guns at Honolulu with severe consequences. Webb begins with an overview of bombing and anti-aircraft guns from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 through World War I, then documents the casualties inflicted on British and American civilians by friendly fire from heavy artillery during World War Two. For British civilians, these deaths resulted from a deliberate and cynical policy. During some periods of German bombing in London, more people were killed by British shells than by enemy bombs.