We Canadians might be friendly, but that doesn't mean we aren't deadly as well. Our forces had Afghanistan under control so that the Americans could go find the imaginary weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Then we gave it back to American forces who learned that the Taliban is like herpes as it just keeps coming back to remind you it's never going away.
It's an infamous blue on blue incident, before the days of long range air reconnaissance there really was no way to know the Japanese had vacated and so when patrols bumped into each other they both assumed the other was enemy. Classic case of fog of war that is taught in military colleges to this day.
yep as horrible as it was it was a lesson none the less and sometimes still talk about in Canada if anything to learn from the mistake not forget it and the people who suffered for it.
I guess it depends on where and when you went to school, I learned about this in my grade 9 history class in Ontario. It is very tragic, but friendly fire incidents are experienced in many battle situations.
I actually appreciate you taking my suggestion I made you a couple months ago and making it into a video. It seems that many Americans and Canadians like appreciate this subject
I can give some insight on WW2 communication systems. My Grandfather was in the Canadian Signals Core, and he had no issues talking about what he did in WW2. Wireless communication in WW2 were easy to intercept, and any call on a radio system had to be assumed the enemy was listening. This made it so sensitive communications were still ether delivered by hand, via secured telegraph lines, or a pre determined coad was set up to be used to speak on the radio or a wireless Morse Coad receiver. The portable radio transmitters were a whole heavy backpack by itself, and were often left at a base camp, and front line troops, if they were lucky, would have a much smaller short wave Morse Coad transmission pack that could communicate back to base camp. The only way a unit, at least in Canada, would be issued a mobile radio transmitter, is if the unit was on extended deployment away from an allied radio tower. A short deployment on USA soil likely did not warrant the issue of radio equipment. Fun fact: all radio waves in the northern hemisphere are pulled towards the North Poll. The Canadian Military Base at Alert Point, the most northern land mass in the world was constructed and operated by the Canadian Signals Core to intercept radio transmissions from anywhere north of the equator. Alert Point intercepted many radio transmissions of troop movements of the Germans and their allies, and were key to making many false flag opperations in WW2. FYI, This base is still in operation today, and is a major part of NORAD's signal intercept and early warning systems.
As for my opinion as a Canadian... it's obviously an extremely tragic and sad story!!! At the end of the day it was accidental on both sides the boys were just trying to survive who they thought were Japanese gun fire. It's a true testament to how strong our relationship is as allies!!! You're our family from the south that shit ain't gonna change!!! 🇨🇦🇺🇲
My uncle was a Canadian soldier involved in this. It was an embarrassment to him. Lack of leadership and communication was not on the same channels was a receipe for disaster. He would not talk about what happened.
Fun Fact - Canada declared war on Japan on december 7th as soon as the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced , which was before America declared war on them
this is actually false .......... 7 December--The Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. 8 December--The United States declared war on Japan. 8 December--The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada also declared war on Japan. 9 December--China declared war on Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Thanks Tyler. I knew about the battles in the Aleutians as a tactic to interrupt Midway. I didnt know about this tragic mistake. Very informative and educational piece of hidden history. Cheers
The US, of course, had a huge Navy by the end of WW 2, but a little known tidbit is that Canada had the 4th largest Navy in the world at the end of the war. It's fascinating how many of the British Commonwealth countries provided a disproportionate amount of materials and manpower to the Allies, despite their relatively small populations. If I recall correctly, Australia had 25% of it's population mobilized into their Armed Forces, while for New Zealand it was 33%. Of course, you cannot discount the importance of the US contribution, once they joined the War effort - they also geared their entire economy or War. An interesting quote by Churchill noted that (paraphrased) America always did the right thing - but it was only after they had tried all the wrong things first.
I’m a 68 year old Canadian. Every person in my parent’s generation was either military or a war worker. Our grandparents fought or were war workers in WW1. We still had one living Boer War veteran in our community when I was young.
Another good video by Mark Felton regarding Canadians is how Canadian Paratroopers saved Denmark from being behind the iron curtain after WWII. th-cam.com/video/OWcRl7Q7pGs/w-d-xo.html
Unfortunately, things like this still happen in modern warfare. On the night of April 17, 2002, near Kandahar, Afghanistan, a U.S. pilot dropped a 500lb bomb on a unit of the 3rd battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, killing 4 and wounding 8. The Canadians were conducting a live fire exercise on a firing range and the pilot mistook the flashes as anti aircraft fire and dropped a 500lb laser guided bomb on the Canadians.
And they barely slapped the wrists of the pilots that shoot our troops AFTER they had been told in their pre-mission briefing that the Canadian Troups were there. I had a relative who served in Afghanistan Base. Afterwards all Canadian Troops were told 'Unofficially' that they were to take aim at ANY aircraft that was flying overhead and to SHOOT IT DOWN if it makes a hostile action, NO MATTER what flag is on the aircraft. By the way, I live in Winnipeg where those troops are still based. It was not safe for any civilians from the US right afterwards either. There were a few cars with US license plates that had major damage done to them when they were found parked on the city streets. I can honestly say I didn't do anything, but I also never saw any US license plate around that time either. A crowbar opens a car door real good. The US Military is famous for killing their own troops with 'Friendly Fire' but if they do it to another country's military then those troops are going to shoot back until they are no longer taking Fire.
The reason they found out they were fighting each other was when an American found a Canadian casualty as they pushed, realizing they were fighting their own allies, he called out and got everyone to stop shooting.
It can still happen in todays wars. For example in the war on Terror in Afghanistan back in April 2002. The P.P.C.L.I was conducting nighttime training when 2 US pilots accidentally bombed them and 4 ended up dead and many more injured It happens
@@merlebarney Yeah. They did face somewhat appropriate consequences for their actions. They were disgraced by their command and were ultimately court-martialed, I believe. I have to give the Americans some credit for taking the deaths of their Canadian allies seriously. It was quite a big scandal at the time, I'm sure you remember.
But then the American pilots had orders to fire on any activity in that area there was was a misunderstanding in the cordance degree, where they were training by 3 kms, so the pilot did what he was ordered open fire on any activity in that area,
As a veteran of the Canadian Forces, it's very sad to see stories like this, and it's like you're fighting against a friend. But it's a reminder that we must never forget so that it never happens again. God bless. 🇨🇦💙
Perhaps, because im an army brat and went to DND schools, i did learn about th battle of Kiska. I googled it after watching this and went to a US oceanographic site. The author Andrew Pietruszka, gives a compelling story of what happened, but the only mention of Canada's involvement was that they could have been used elsewhere. Will the US ever acknowledge they've never fought a war alone?
I've been watching for awhile. Thank you for teaching me something new. I don't "hit the like button" often but you have fully earned my attention. well done.
So firing into fog in the Aleutians is basically all you can do. Fog does not dissipate for long up there. Planes had to fly just above the water because of the fog above. Very dangerous. Its like playing Russian Roulette (no pun intended). You got killed by the waves or crashed in the fog. Take your pick. Communication was very limited. My father was a Naval radio telegraphist on the West Coast. His stories of sailing without a radio signal or in radio silence were quite interesting.
In Aghanistan during Operation Medusa, an American A-10 killed several Canadians from the PPCLI battle group. It's not "friendly fire", its' Blue-on-blue'. Kiska was a debacle. It's in the Alaska chain, and only gets 5 days of sun/year. Canada and the US fought the Japanese there. The Alutian campaign was brutal. Biggest casulty was trenchfoot and frostbite. However, the Alaskan highway was the lasting ground line of communication still in use today. We studied this battle atr Royal Military College as a case study in vital need for effective communication in combined operations. Different freqs, voice procedure, terrain, it messes things up. And it can easily happen on the modern battlefield.
It's not a thing of the past; today it's called 'friendly fire'. Canadians have been volunteering in US military engagements for generations, starting with the US Civil War and later, Vietnam.
Mark Felton is very well researched in his presentations. I thought at first that this was about Operation Tiger A.K.A. The Battle of Slapton Sands, where during a D-Day training accident of miscommunication, friendly fire and Kriegsmarine Schnellboats resulted in over 700 hundred American casualties.
I'm sure it will come up when he does his Canadian News segment next. It might not be in the American News even though it is massive and devastating to us.
@@An__-I thought of it too, since I’d seen his Jasper video recently. But it’s also not finished and evolves by the hour. At first I saw Danielle Smith saying 30-50% was destroyed and they couldn’t do anything. Then they were going in to protect critical infrastructure. Then they announced they had successfully done so. It might make more sense to do a full “reaction” video on, after the fact. Idk. US news is likely still saturated with the situation with Trump.
Have you TOLD him about it? He's not going to know as an American if not told. Did you submit it as a topic in his suggestion program? (Even if so, it is possible that he may not have seen it yet if he has gotten a LOT of suggestions at this time.) It IS an important topic to tell him about. Will you?/Did you? He may not see it in the comments section here when he gets a lot of comments.
Hey, Tyler. I just watched this. I knew of this campaign from a young age.... Both my Grandfathers served in this action (Operation Cottage) on Kiska Island. Often referred to as the Aleutian Islands Campaign. They were both artillery gunners in the Canadian Army (13th Infantry). As my Grandfathers explained, Allied forces loaded up on ships on the West Coast (not sure which locations), met at a rally point and set sail for the Aleutian Islands. Yes, the First Special Service Force, (The Devil's Brigade) went along too and it was their first action. Under the cover of darkness, they landed on the Island first to assess enemy locations and strength but, found no one. After finding no Japanese to fight, the First Special Service Force were eventually sent back to Montana then they shipped out to Italy, where they made a name, for themselves..... According to one of my Grandfathers, a few of the destroyers took off ahead of the allied convoy and the night before they arrived at the island, all , on deck could clearly see gun flashes on the horizon. Apparently, there were a couple of Japanese ships still in the harbor. From the many pictures my Grandfather took, they seem to have been freighters...... What wasn't reported back then and kept secret, was that there was a Japanese soldier left behind on the island when Japanese forces 'bugged-out'. My one Grandfather was on sentry-duty, got lost in the fog, walked off a bit of a cliff or ledge and landed in front of the cave this Japanese soldier had hold up and hiding in. When my Grandfather woke up, he found himself a POW of the only Japanese soldier on Kiska Island with a samurai sword pointed against his chest. Eventually, This Japanese soldier was convinced, somehow of the futility of the situation and my Grandfather walked him back to his encampment. US Soldiers almost shot him on sight but because of the previous 'friendly-fire' incidents, they weren't quite sure, at first...... My Grandfather had to stand between the armed US soldiers and the kneeling Japanese soldier and declare he was a POW and was to be treated as such. My other grandfather, upon seeing this unfold, ran to inform US & Canadian officers. The stand-off continued. 2 officers arrived and ordered all to stand-down at which point the Japanese soldier was taken into custody and whisked away. My one grandfather told the other, he was missing for 3 days..... Mr. Takehashi eventually immigrated to southern Alberta (after the war, where he became a farmer) and he and his family became close to both sides of my family..... P.S. I was present as a 9 or 10 year old when, in a Japanese Tea Ceremony, my Grandfather returned the samurai sword to, Mr. Takehashi.
My Dad was with the First Special Service Force, and his first deployment was when they attacked the Aleutians. A great joint Canadian/American combat unit.
Then there was the incident twenty years ago. Afghanistan. Canadian troops on maneuvers. An American bomber bombed the troops on the ground, killing some. They had all the satetlite and computer gear and the Americans gloried in the destruction.
Hey Tyler, I love your channel! Great subject. Just 1 correction, I believe the island is not Kisker but Kiska. As far as the battle is concerned, I believe that this type of thing must have happened regularly in both world wars. Without proper communication, as you said, how could it be otherwise. A Canadian perspective.
Good stuff... never heard of this battle - tragic. My mom's dad was a homefront soldier/medic. He was stationed manning guns around our harbour during the war except for the one time he took a trip to the Aleutians. I think his unit (among many others) took trains, trucks and ships to get to Alaska from Eastern Canada. I'm spotty on the story, but pretty sure they were the mop-up and defend; the arse-end of the operation. One thing I remember being told was that guys were explicitly warned not to grab war souvenirs left behind because of them being booby-trapped. My grandfather did some medic work on one or two guys who didn't listen.
Wow..I never heard of this either.. Canadian here. Don't forget that they couldn't use walkie-talkies without signalling their locations to the enemy. That would be a problem today as well with ground fighting. What a tragedy.
Exactly. I think a lot of people do not realize that it's easy to pinpoint somebody's location with radio. I served in an Artillery regiment and we frequently looked for targets with radios. All we needed was the frequency and two receivers in two different locations to find the transmitter
Love this channel and i love it when you see videos like this and your surprised where as a Canadian we definitely learned about it in elementary and junior high
Friendly fire happens more than it should and unfortunately it happens in todays world, the war in Afghanistan an American pilot in an F16 lit up Canadian ground forces with a lazer guided 500lb bomb even after being ordered not to engage they are friendly. Technology was used to deny permission yet he dropped it anyway and it was technology used to kill friendly forces
@@EvilDaveCanada This brought up a memory of mine when I was in basic training another recruit came around a corner and shot me in the face during some training we did (using blanks thankfully) and the drill sergeants lit him up, he was almost crying by the end of it....
13:23 Keep in mind most of these soldiers back then were very young. So many 18-20 year olds that were barely men were shipped off to be in these insanely traumatic situations.
Each side thought they were fighting the Japanese. The Canadian armed forces were mostly volunteers. When the draft began the regulars wanted nothing too do with the draftees, thinking you couldn't trust them to have your back. So Canada put them to use in the Aleutians where it was reported that the Japanese army was established. On Kiska the Japanese had already gone when the Canadians, attacking from one direction, ran into the Americans coming at them.. The weather cause poor visibility and this was the result.
It isn't "Kisker", but "Kiska Island" part of the Rat Islands of Alaska (a group of volcanic islands in the Aleutian island chain). 52°00'00"N 177°32'00"E
If you want another case of friendly fire I can’t remember the exact name of the case but in Afghanistan plenty of friendly fire cases happened but one specific one I remember is an American plane dropping a bomb on Canadians at a range killed 4 of them I believe?
Never heard about this event and its something i think was worth telling in history class, very interesting video its always nice to learn about his own country
People do not realize the how small the population of Canada was at that time and still is. That was a big contribution. My grandmother had 4 sons in ww2 .
I thank them for their service and I hope they all made it back home safely. Canadians volunteered for service, my Dad was one of them in WW2. Brave young men.
I am a Canadian and never knew about this Tyler. Thank you for sharing. It's so sad. Waki talkies and a few timely signal shots in the air may have stopped this sooner.
That is tragic. I don’t remember ever hearing about this. But I do know that Canada and the US worked together to protect Alaska from invasion during WWII. The Alaska highway runs from BC through Yukon to Alaska and it was constructed in a hurry in like 10 months in 1942-1943 by the US military and Canadian and American civilians. It was a challenge to say the least through wilderness, icy temperatures, and laying road on permafrost. There are old abandoned army vehicles still in Yukon. A pipeline was constructed in the same effort to bring oil to Whitehorse to supply the work. There’s also a story in the Yukon about the first ‘broken arrow’ or a missing nuclear warhead that went missing while being carried by a small plane over the Yukon wilderness. But that would’ve been during the Cold War. 😳
In Afghanistan, an American fighter dropped a bomb on a Canadian position and killed four Canadians, and injured eight more. Even with modern communications, accidents happens. I'm sure even in the current war in Ukraine, both Ukrainians and Russians have accidentally killed their own. It happens.
Alaska has summer temperature and they have no snow and it's not cold all the time. Alaska is beside Yukon and Yukon and he rest of the territories have spring and summer
Canuck here...thanks for that Tyler. I didnt get taught that in History class as well. can understand why both sides did not tell this story. mark Felton is awesome!
You have to remember “orienteering(sp?)” was the way of moving in ww2 basically a map, a compass ,and a watch to “guess” were you are…no gps..no infared tags…just pure guess work.I am surprised more of this didn’t happen especially when all uniforms looked similar…
I learned Orienteering in Grade 6 (at 12 yrs. of age) - being given a map & a compass & was able to find my way to a NUMBER of very specific marks ie. a paper stamp hanging from a tree - across an entire forest & valley system - during our 1/2 week outdoor school training program. It wasn't as "guess work" as you make it appear, it is based a lot on topography of the land which does not appear uniform everywhere so it helps you identify things. If a 12 yr. old can do it...(& NONE of us, sent out on our own got lost...) It DOES make me wonder what they were thinking though as none of us had walkie talkies, whistles, (unless they made us wear our own bright clothing?)
@@Carrie-so3ro how accurate do you think the topographical maps was for a remote island that few people had a use for plus remember they where in fog….on a sunny day with an accurate map yes it gets easier and easier but you are on a island that other people have changed…I can’t find if they were even had 3D mapping cameras in planes in world war 2 to even render a accurate map…earliest I can find mentioning this type of camera 1958..
Using map and compass is not "guesswork". Military training is quite good in that regard. The Aleutian campaign was during a time when there were not many good maps, and the declination was quite challenging too.
Sadly Friendly Fire happens during war. Another more modern FF was the Tarnak Farm incident. A US F16 dropped a bomb on Canadian troops doing live ammo training (firing at ground targets). Sadly the pilot was a little to quick on the trigger and dropped the bomb killing and injuring many Canadians. Think it was like less then one minute after he dropped the bomb that he was informed they are "friendlies".
This is absolutely sad. It is sad enough that they fought each other by accident but the fact no Japanese were there…ugh, makes me sick to my stomach. I never knew about this and I think Americans and Canadians should learn about this in history classes or something. Had been pretty much any other country, it would still be tragic and sad but the fact it was a military ally and just a friendly neighbour…I’m speechless.
That is probably because not every vet was aware of every battle or campaign...those fighting in Italy would not be given much info about the Aleutians, for example.
This is definitely one of those lessons that need to be learned. I don;t remember when or where I had first heard about this incident, but I don't think anybody was happy about it. Now if we can just get lessons like this to schools. American ones too.
Just so people know, 90-92% of Canadians live within 100km of the mainland American states. All of our northern territories together are only 0.3% of our people but 30% of our land. Alaska is like a giant metropolitan area compared to Canadas North, where you can go for literally thousands of kilometers and find no one.
Holy Crap!!! I was in the Canadian Armed Forces for 11 1/2 years, and even took some Officer training courses. Military history being one of them. And this was never mentioned in them. I admit I only took the first few courses in military history but youd think they would have mentioned this in the WW2 section. Im sure this little blurb just scratches the surface of what really happened but it is truly horrendous that we killed each other like that because of lack of communications. During my time in the forces I did many training exercises with our American friends and was on more than a few deployments with US forces, I even have 2 American Medals ( Really UN medals issued by The US, Im not really sure of the politics side of it, I just know they were presented by an American General. Maybe because he was the Base Comander at the time???? ) and I count my times serving with our American friend as some of the best times of my carreer.
@Gryndar1 it happened during the time that Canada was operating Afghanistan Base. It was covered by all the major Canadian papers and TV networks. There are other much more detailed postings here as I'm out & about and don't have access to a PC to Google it in more detail.
I'm somewhat of a history buff (though especially 1485-1715), and yet this unfortunate incident is one of which I had not previously heard. The old saw is so true....one learns something every minute one lives.
Absolutely correct. There were several instances during WWII where “allies” fought each other. Sometimes by accident, sometimes not. The axis were not always the bad guys in that conflict.
There was a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2002 where The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was bombed by a US pilot. These were the first Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan.
I remember getting let out of history class for asking about it. Always got taught more american related history. Always told my kids to ask about it, find out how smart your history teacher is. Also check when the Whitehouse first burnt
Kiska. Put on your listening ears, Tyler. As far as it never happening in modern times, American bombers dropped bombs on a Canadian unit in Afghanistan, killing many.
I never knew of this, but it’s not hard to believe. There was something that happened in an all out attack on Iraq war, where an American plane shot up Canadian troops on the ground.. It happens, there’s a term called friendly fire.
Even at the beginning of the Afgan conflict the first Canadian casualties were from friendly firewhan a US aircraft bombed a Canadian unit conducting excercises.
If you want to learn about some really crazy deep things about Canada that a lot of canadians do not even know for instance the Paris of the prairies and America had a city known as the Paris of the prairies , respond to this ,I can give you the details you won't regret it .
@thegreypath1777 this offer is intended for the creator of this channel , sorry 😞 however if you like I could send you a link to begin With, if we can set up a correspondence , perhaps ill think about it ,and get back to
Never knew about this either, and I don’t think anyone would be taught this unless it’s a military class or something very specific tbh. But TIL. Very unfortunate tragedy.
wow, Alaska has 2670 islands named within its rule apparently. Kiska is one with a volcano on it. I think i might have to learn more about them for a while.
In a few words. It was a confusion between each other thinking it was the enemy...In the Vietnam war it was common to get killed or wounded by what they called "friendly fire"...
4 Canadians killed, 28 Americans.
Watch out Uncle Sam! Those guys are tough
they unleashed the kraken for sure
Nothing to be proud of, we just probably had more guys.
@@trevorprange4315 30,000 americans and 5300 canadians
We Canadians might be friendly, but that doesn't mean we aren't deadly as well. Our forces had Afghanistan under control so that the Americans could go find the imaginary weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Then we gave it back to American forces who learned that the Taliban is like herpes as it just keeps coming back to remind you it's never going away.
It's all the practice young ones in the country had when offered $1-$2/pocket gopher tails. Deadly aim, our military holds sharp shooter records.
It's an infamous blue on blue incident, before the days of long range air reconnaissance there really was no way to know the Japanese had vacated and so when patrols bumped into each other they both assumed the other was enemy. Classic case of fog of war that is taught in military colleges to this day.
yep as horrible as it was it was a lesson none the less and sometimes still talk about in Canada if anything to learn from the mistake not forget it and the people who suffered for it.
Is this not the battle where the term "fog of war" actually came from? That's what I was taught in junior high (I'm a Canadian) Is that true?
@@liveandwrite No, fog of war as far as I know was something that was coined during Napoleonic times in the early 1800s.
@@robertsmith4681 Thank you.
Ahhh. That's tragic
As a Canadian, I had no idea about this battle. It should be taught to try and avoid something like this from happening again.
I guess it depends on where and when you went to school, I learned about this in my grade 9 history class in Ontario. It is very tragic, but friendly fire incidents are experienced in many battle situations.
@@gordstart1773 When did you go to school? I was in grade 9 in 69 in Ontario and don't remember learning it. Or maybe I just don't remember it.
Yeah I went to school in ontario .too But we didn't take history until gr 10 (though it WAS 24yrs ago!) And I don't remember learning this either
I learned about this in history in British Columbia in 80s.
It would be nice if the school curriculum was the same across the country.
I actually appreciate you taking my suggestion I made you a couple months ago and making it into a video. It seems that many Americans and Canadians like appreciate this subject
I can give some insight on WW2 communication systems. My Grandfather was in the Canadian Signals Core, and he had no issues talking about what he did in WW2.
Wireless communication in WW2 were easy to intercept, and any call on a radio system had to be assumed the enemy was listening. This made it so sensitive communications were still ether delivered by hand, via secured telegraph lines, or a pre determined coad was set up to be used to speak on the radio or a wireless Morse Coad receiver.
The portable radio transmitters were a whole heavy backpack by itself, and were often left at a base camp, and front line troops, if they were lucky, would have a much smaller short wave Morse Coad transmission pack that could communicate back to base camp. The only way a unit, at least in Canada, would be issued a mobile radio transmitter, is if the unit was on extended deployment away from an allied radio tower.
A short deployment on USA soil likely did not warrant the issue of radio equipment.
Fun fact: all radio waves in the northern hemisphere are pulled towards the North Poll. The Canadian Military Base at Alert Point, the most northern land mass in the world was constructed and operated by the Canadian Signals Core to intercept radio transmissions from anywhere north of the equator. Alert Point intercepted many radio transmissions of troop movements of the Germans and their allies, and were key to making many false flag opperations in WW2.
FYI, This base is still in operation today, and is a major part of NORAD's signal intercept and early warning systems.
Thank you for your insights. Explains the difficulties. 🇨🇦😊
As for my opinion as a Canadian... it's obviously an extremely tragic and sad story!!! At the end of the day it was accidental on both sides the boys were just trying to survive who they thought were Japanese gun fire. It's a true testament to how strong our relationship is as allies!!! You're our family from the south that shit ain't gonna change!!! 🇨🇦🇺🇲
I can't even imagine how their hearts must've sank when they finally realized what they were doing.
I agree 🇨🇦💙🇺🇸
And look how that family relationship is deteriorating right now.
It has changed already with Trump taking office and threatening Canada. I don't regard the USA as a friend.
My uncle was a Canadian soldier involved in this. It was an embarrassment to him. Lack of leadership and communication was not on the same channels was a receipe for disaster. He would not talk about what happened.
Both governments made sure the incident didn't become publicly known at the time.
Fun Fact - Canada declared war on Japan on december 7th as soon as the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced , which was before America declared war on them
Canada had troops on Hong Kong, Japan invaded Hong Kong on December 7th. When we declared war on Japan we already had troops in contact.
this is actually false .......... 7 December--The Japanese attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. 8 December--The United States declared war on Japan. 8 December--The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada also declared war on Japan. 9 December--China declared war on Germany, Italy, and Japan.
The only explanation is Canada's endless love of America. Amazing.
Thanks Tyler. I knew about the battles in the Aleutians as a tactic to interrupt Midway. I didnt know about this tragic mistake.
Very informative and educational piece of hidden history.
Cheers
The US, of course, had a huge Navy by the end of WW 2, but a little known tidbit is that Canada had the 4th largest Navy in the world at the end of the war. It's fascinating how many of the British Commonwealth countries provided a disproportionate amount of materials and manpower to the Allies, despite their relatively small populations. If I recall correctly, Australia had 25% of it's population mobilized into their Armed Forces, while for New Zealand it was 33%. Of course, you cannot discount the importance of the US contribution, once they joined the War effort - they also geared their entire economy or War. An interesting quote by Churchill noted that (paraphrased) America always did the right thing - but it was only after they had tried all the wrong things first.
3RD LARGEST !
3rd largest, greatly in part due to the mass production of little Corvette class ships, the Flower.
I’m a 68 year old Canadian. Every person in my parent’s generation was either military or a war worker.
Our grandparents fought or were war workers in WW1.
We still had one living Boer War veteran in our community when I was young.
Mark Felton is a great channel. Very well researched and factual presentations. Glad you have got some reactions to his presentations.
Another good video by Mark Felton regarding Canadians is how Canadian Paratroopers saved Denmark from being behind the iron curtain after WWII.
th-cam.com/video/OWcRl7Q7pGs/w-d-xo.html
Unfortunately, things like this still happen in modern warfare. On the night of April 17, 2002, near Kandahar, Afghanistan, a U.S. pilot dropped a 500lb bomb on a unit of the 3rd battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, killing 4 and wounding 8. The Canadians were conducting a live fire exercise on a firing range and the pilot mistook the flashes as anti aircraft fire and dropped a 500lb laser guided bomb on the Canadians.
And they barely slapped the wrists of the pilots that shoot our troops AFTER they had been told in their pre-mission briefing that the Canadian Troups were there.
I had a relative who served in Afghanistan Base.
Afterwards all Canadian Troops were told 'Unofficially' that they were to take aim at ANY aircraft that was flying overhead and to SHOOT IT DOWN if it makes a hostile action, NO MATTER what flag is on the aircraft.
By the way, I live in Winnipeg where those troops are still based. It was not safe for any civilians from the US right afterwards either. There were a few cars with US license plates that had major damage done to them when they were found parked on the city streets. I can honestly say I didn't do anything, but I also never saw any US license plate around that time either. A crowbar opens a car door real good.
The US Military is famous for killing their own troops with 'Friendly Fire' but if they do it to another country's military then those troops are going to shoot back until they are no longer taking Fire.
Where the pilot messed up was going where he was specifically ordered not to.
They probably thought it was innocent civilians instead, such a tragedy😢😢
@amankhehra8718
No he was told to avoid that area. But he went there anyway and thought he was being fired on.
@@stephenolan5539 i get it, just pulling his leg cause i know the american military can never kill enough civilians
The reason they found out they were fighting each other was when an American found a Canadian casualty as they pushed, realizing they were fighting their own allies, he called out and got everyone to stop shooting.
As a Cdn i had no idea. Thank goodness you are examining Canadian culture.
WOW 😮 I had no idea! What a sad sad story 💔❤️🩹 R. I. P. Both to the USA & Canadian warriors ❤ what a tragedy 😢
It can still happen in todays wars. For example in the war on Terror in Afghanistan back in April 2002. The P.P.C.L.I was conducting nighttime training when 2 US pilots accidentally bombed them and 4 ended up dead and many more injured It happens
They were the first casualties that we suffered because of a couple of American hot dogs.
@@merlebarney Yeah. They did face somewhat appropriate consequences for their actions. They were disgraced by their command and were ultimately court-martialed, I believe. I have to give the Americans some credit for taking the deaths of their Canadian allies seriously. It was quite a big scandal at the time, I'm sure you remember.
@@merlebarney juiced up reserve hot dogs who were poorly trained in friend and foe identification...
Or The Tarnak Farm incident
But then the American pilots had orders to fire on any activity in that area there was was a misunderstanding in the cordance degree, where they were training by 3 kms, so the pilot did what he was ordered open fire on any activity in that area,
Literally the fog of war.
As a veteran of the Canadian Forces, it's very sad to see stories like this, and it's like you're fighting against a friend. But it's a reminder that we must never forget so that it never happens again. God bless. 🇨🇦💙
I don't think there's any realistic way to prevent friendly fire, but there certainly is ways to mitigate its intensity.
Perhaps, because im an army brat and went to DND schools, i did learn about th battle of Kiska.
I googled it after watching this and went to a US oceanographic site. The author Andrew Pietruszka, gives a compelling story of what happened, but the only mention of Canada's involvement was that they could have been used elsewhere.
Will the US ever acknowledge they've never fought a war alone?
no.
I've been watching for awhile. Thank you for teaching me something new. I don't "hit the like button" often but you have fully earned my attention. well done.
now its time for Tyler to find out why the white house is painted white
I can't imagine how horrible both sides must've felt once they realized what they were doing. My heart goes out to all involved.
So firing into fog in the Aleutians is basically all you can do. Fog does not dissipate for long up there. Planes had to fly just above the water because of the fog above. Very dangerous. Its like playing Russian Roulette (no pun intended). You got killed by the waves or crashed in the fog. Take your pick. Communication was very limited. My father was a Naval radio telegraphist on the West Coast. His stories of sailing without a radio signal or in radio silence were quite interesting.
In Aghanistan during Operation Medusa, an American A-10 killed several Canadians from the PPCLI battle group. It's not "friendly fire", its' Blue-on-blue'. Kiska was a debacle. It's in the Alaska chain, and only gets 5 days of sun/year. Canada and the US fought the Japanese there. The Alutian campaign was brutal. Biggest casulty was trenchfoot and frostbite. However, the Alaskan highway was the lasting ground line of communication still in use today. We studied this battle atr Royal Military College as a case study in vital need for effective communication in combined operations. Different freqs, voice procedure, terrain, it messes things up. And it can easily happen on the modern battlefield.
It's not a thing of the past; today it's called 'friendly fire'.
Canadians have been volunteering in US military engagements for generations, starting with the US Civil War and later, Vietnam.
Tyler I'm totally amazed about thus battle. I have never heard of ut before. Thank you for posting this. I learned a lot by watching this.
Mark Felton is very well researched in his presentations. I thought at first that this was about Operation Tiger A.K.A. The Battle of Slapton Sands, where during a D-Day training accident of miscommunication, friendly fire and Kriegsmarine Schnellboats resulted in over 700 hundred American casualties.
Friendly fire in war is common. I don't know the numbers but the US casualties in friendly fire incidents in Afghanistan was in the hundreds.
And the people who did this started Spartan Blades... 😂
I was honestly expecting he would do a video about Jasper burning to the ground this week
I'm sure it will come up when he does his Canadian News segment next. It might not be in the American News even though it is massive and devastating to us.
@@An__-I thought of it too, since I’d seen his Jasper video recently. But it’s also not finished and evolves by the hour. At first I saw Danielle Smith saying 30-50% was destroyed and they couldn’t do anything. Then they were going in to protect critical infrastructure. Then they announced they had successfully done so. It might make more sense to do a full “reaction” video on, after the fact. Idk. US news is likely still saturated with the situation with Trump.
Have you TOLD him about it? He's not going to know as an American if not told. Did you submit it as a topic in his suggestion program? (Even if so, it is possible that he may not have seen it yet if he has gotten a LOT of suggestions at this time.) It IS an important topic to tell him about. Will you?/Did you? He may not see it in the comments section here when he gets a lot of comments.
In 1943, it took an entire backpack just to get a crappy signal that is half the time unintelligent.
Hey, Tyler. I just watched this. I knew of this campaign from a young age....
Both my Grandfathers served in this action (Operation Cottage) on Kiska Island. Often referred to as the Aleutian Islands Campaign. They were both artillery gunners in the Canadian Army (13th Infantry).
As my Grandfathers explained, Allied forces loaded up on ships on the West Coast (not sure which locations), met at a rally point and set sail for the Aleutian Islands. Yes, the First Special Service Force, (The Devil's Brigade) went along too and it was their first action. Under the cover of darkness, they landed on the Island first to assess enemy locations and strength but, found no one. After finding no Japanese to fight, the First Special Service Force were eventually sent back to Montana then they shipped out to Italy, where they made a name, for themselves.....
According to one of my Grandfathers, a few of the destroyers took off ahead of the allied convoy and the night before they arrived at the island, all , on deck could clearly see gun flashes on the horizon. Apparently, there were a couple of Japanese ships still in the harbor. From the many pictures my Grandfather took, they seem to have been freighters......
What wasn't reported back then and kept secret, was that there was a Japanese soldier left behind on the island when Japanese forces 'bugged-out'. My one Grandfather was on sentry-duty, got lost in the fog, walked off a bit of a cliff or ledge and landed in front of the cave this Japanese soldier had hold up and hiding in. When my Grandfather woke up, he found himself a POW of the only Japanese soldier on Kiska Island with a samurai sword pointed against his chest.
Eventually, This Japanese soldier was convinced, somehow of the futility of the situation and my Grandfather walked him back to his encampment. US Soldiers almost shot him on sight but because of the previous 'friendly-fire' incidents, they weren't quite sure, at first...... My Grandfather had to stand between the armed US soldiers and the kneeling Japanese soldier and declare he was a POW and was to be treated as such.
My other grandfather, upon seeing this unfold, ran to inform US & Canadian officers. The stand-off continued. 2 officers arrived and ordered all to stand-down at which point the Japanese soldier was taken into custody and whisked away. My one grandfather told the other, he was missing for 3 days.....
Mr. Takehashi eventually immigrated to southern Alberta (after the war, where he became a farmer) and he and his family became close to both sides of my family.....
P.S. I was present as a 9 or 10 year old when, in a Japanese Tea Ceremony, my Grandfather returned the samurai sword to, Mr. Takehashi.
That's amazing, thank you for sharing that bit of history.
My Dad was with the First Special Service Force, and his first deployment was when they attacked the Aleutians. A great joint Canadian/American combat unit.
Wow that's amazing. As a Canadian born into a military family , I had no idea . Thanks for sharing.
Then there was the incident twenty years ago. Afghanistan. Canadian troops on maneuvers. An American bomber bombed the troops on the ground, killing some. They had all the satetlite and computer gear and the Americans gloried in the destruction.
That incident and the death of Canadian Olympian Mark Graham after US pilots fired on his platoon sprang to mind immediately.
The Tarnak Farm incident
Hey Tyler, I love your channel! Great subject. Just 1 correction, I believe the island is not Kisker but Kiska. As far as the battle is concerned, I believe that this type of thing must have happened regularly in both world wars. Without proper communication, as you said, how could it be otherwise. A Canadian perspective.
Basis for NORAD too. It was seen as vital to Canada's strategic intrests as well.
Good stuff... never heard of this battle - tragic. My mom's dad was a homefront soldier/medic. He was stationed manning guns around our harbour during the war except for the one time he took a trip to the Aleutians. I think his unit (among many others) took trains, trucks and ships to get to Alaska from Eastern Canada.
I'm spotty on the story, but pretty sure they were the mop-up and defend; the arse-end of the operation.
One thing I remember being told was that guys were explicitly warned not to grab war souvenirs left behind because of them being booby-trapped. My grandfather did some medic work on one or two guys who didn't listen.
Wow..I never heard of this either.. Canadian here. Don't forget that they couldn't use walkie-talkies without signalling their locations to the enemy. That would be a problem today as well with ground fighting. What a tragedy.
Exactly. I think a lot of people do not realize that it's easy to pinpoint somebody's location with radio.
I served in an Artillery regiment and we frequently looked for targets with radios. All we needed was the frequency and two receivers in two different locations to find the transmitter
Love this channel and i love it when you see videos like this and your surprised where as a Canadian we definitely learned about it in elementary and junior high
KisKA KisKA....KA....KA. It was really gratting hearing the video say Kiska and you keep saying Kiskr
I had no idea about that, thanx
fact about Alaska - it is the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the USA
No it isn't.
how could it possibly be the easternmost state?
@@Wishes890 yes it is.
@@CJH-zx3cp The Aleutian Islands cross the 180th meridian into the eastern hemisphere.
@@CJH-zx3cp because of how we internationally cut the map for the new day. Alaska islands crosses that line.
There is an old saying….”The Fog of War”. It certainly applies in this situation.
Friendly fire happens more than it should and unfortunately it happens in todays world, the war in Afghanistan an American pilot in an F16 lit up Canadian ground forces with a lazer guided 500lb bomb even after being ordered not to engage they are friendly. Technology was used to deny permission yet he dropped it anyway and it was technology used to kill friendly forces
This whole description is unbelievable!
This is why we are taught in the military to not engage until you identify your target.
Those pilots must have been out sick the day that class was taught.
@@EvilDaveCanada This brought up a memory of mine when I was in basic training another recruit came around a corner and shot me in the face during some training we did (using blanks thankfully) and the drill sergeants lit him up, he was almost crying by the end of it....
13:23 Keep in mind most of these soldiers back then were very young. So many 18-20 year olds that were barely men were shipped off to be in these insanely traumatic situations.
Each side thought they were fighting the Japanese. The Canadian armed forces were mostly volunteers. When the draft began the regulars wanted nothing too do with the draftees, thinking you couldn't trust them to have your back. So Canada put them to use in the Aleutians where it was reported that the Japanese army was established. On Kiska the Japanese had already gone when the Canadians, attacking from one direction, ran into the Americans coming at them.. The weather cause poor visibility and this was the result.
It isn't "Kisker", but "Kiska Island" part of the Rat Islands of Alaska (a group of volcanic islands in the Aleutian island chain). 52°00'00"N 177°32'00"E
Apparently the shooting all started, when an American soldier told a Canadian soldier maple syrup was overrated. Then all hell broke loose!
I see your pain. We all feel that.
If you want another case of friendly fire I can’t remember the exact name of the case but in Afghanistan plenty of friendly fire cases happened but one specific one I remember is an American plane dropping a bomb on Canadians at a range killed 4 of them I believe?
You do realize we all live in North America right? You are the United States, we are Canada but we all live in North America.
Never heard about this event and its something i think was worth telling in history class, very interesting video its always nice to learn about his own country
It was a friendly fire battle of mistaken identity
People do not realize the how small the population of Canada was at that time and still is. That was a big contribution. My grandmother had 4 sons in ww2 .
I thank them for their service and I hope they all made it back home safely. Canadians volunteered for service, my Dad was one of them in WW2. Brave young men.
Very common, especially in small towns. So many families and communities gutted. Hope they beat the odds and all made it back.
As a Canadian.. thank You.
I didn't learn about this in school either. That was in the 70s.
I am a Canadian and never knew about this Tyler. Thank you for sharing. It's so sad. Waki talkies and a few timely signal shots in the air may have stopped this sooner.
12:12 when people say "fog of war" this is just the most literal interpretation.
Yep. Wellington mentioned it as a real fog, from all the black powder smoke.
That is tragic. I don’t remember ever hearing about this. But I do know that Canada and the US worked together to protect Alaska from invasion during WWII. The Alaska highway runs from BC through Yukon to Alaska and it was constructed in a hurry in like 10 months in 1942-1943 by the US military and Canadian and American civilians. It was a challenge to say the least through wilderness, icy temperatures, and laying road on permafrost. There are old abandoned army vehicles still in Yukon. A pipeline was constructed in the same effort to bring oil to Whitehorse to supply the work. There’s also a story in the Yukon about the first ‘broken arrow’ or a missing nuclear warhead that went missing while being carried by a small plane over the Yukon wilderness. But that would’ve been during the Cold War. 😳
That's scary!
@@Carrie-so3roA B36 bomber is massive. Its crash site was considered secret , the weapons jettisoned likely. Mystery surrounds the actual incident.
In Afghanistan, an American fighter dropped a bomb on a Canadian position and killed four Canadians, and injured eight more. Even with modern communications, accidents happens. I'm sure even in the current war in Ukraine, both Ukrainians and Russians have accidentally killed their own. It happens.
I'm glad that you're watching Mark Felton Productions. His videos are fascinating.
Alaska has summer temperature and they have no snow and it's not cold all the time. Alaska is beside Yukon and Yukon and he rest of the territories have spring and summer
Just goes to prove that communication is needed with all units who are on your side.
Canuck here...thanks for that Tyler. I didnt get taught that in History class as well. can understand why both sides did not tell this story. mark Felton is awesome!
You have to remember “orienteering(sp?)” was the way of moving in ww2 basically a map, a compass ,and a watch to “guess” were you are…no gps..no infared tags…just pure guess work.I am surprised more of this didn’t happen especially when all uniforms looked similar…
I learned Orienteering in Grade 6 (at 12 yrs. of age) - being given a map & a compass & was able to find my way to a NUMBER of very specific marks ie. a paper stamp hanging from a tree - across an entire forest & valley system - during our 1/2 week outdoor school training program. It wasn't as "guess work" as you make it appear, it is based a lot on topography of the land which does not appear uniform everywhere so it helps you identify things. If a 12 yr. old can do it...(& NONE of us, sent out on our own got lost...)
It DOES make me wonder what they were thinking though as none of us had walkie talkies, whistles, (unless they made us wear our own bright clothing?)
@@Carrie-so3ro how accurate do you think the topographical maps was for a remote island that few people had a use for plus remember they where in fog….on a sunny day with an accurate map yes it gets easier and easier but you are on a island that other people have changed…I can’t find if they were even had 3D mapping cameras in planes in world war 2 to even render a accurate map…earliest I can find mentioning this type of camera 1958..
I have done “Orienteering” in Scouts.
Using map and compass is not "guesswork". Military training is quite good in that regard. The Aleutian campaign was during a time when there were not many good maps, and the declination was quite challenging too.
@@brianphaneuf6875 reread your answer and tell me again that it wasn't best guess .....
Sadly Friendly Fire happens during war. Another more modern FF was the Tarnak Farm incident. A US F16 dropped a bomb on Canadian troops doing live ammo training (firing at ground targets). Sadly the pilot was a little to quick on the trigger and dropped the bomb killing and injuring many Canadians. Think it was like less then one minute after he dropped the bomb that he was informed they are "friendlies".
He was slow on following orders, not to overfly that area.
This is absolutely sad. It is sad enough that they fought each other by accident but the fact no Japanese were there…ugh, makes me sick to my stomach. I never knew about this and I think Americans and Canadians should learn about this in history classes or something. Had been pretty much any other country, it would still be tragic and sad but the fact it was a military ally and just a friendly neighbour…I’m speechless.
There's a reason they call 'military intelligence' an oxymoron.
This sounds vaguely familiar. But it's not something well known, that's for certain. Thanks for sharing that!
Now we know why Canadians didn't wear M1 helmets in WW2
I love watching you"wake up" to a much larger world and its history....the ones you were not taught.
Tyler wondering if he has chosen the right field of work after all.
My father was a WW11 veteran and I didn’t know this. It was never mentioned.
That is probably because not every vet was aware of every battle or campaign...those fighting in Italy would not be given much info about the Aleutians, for example.
This is definitely one of those lessons that need to be learned. I don;t remember when or where I had first heard about this incident, but I don't think anybody was happy about it. Now if we can just get lessons like this to schools. American ones too.
Just so people know, 90-92% of Canadians live within 100km of the mainland American states. All of our northern territories together are only 0.3% of our people but 30% of our land. Alaska is like a giant metropolitan area compared to Canadas North, where you can go for literally thousands of kilometers and find no one.
Holy Crap!!! I was in the Canadian Armed Forces for 11 1/2 years, and even took some Officer training courses. Military history being one of them. And this was never mentioned in them. I admit I only took the first few courses in military history but youd think they would have mentioned this in the WW2 section. Im sure this little blurb just scratches the surface of what really happened but it is truly horrendous that we killed each other like that because of lack of communications. During my time in the forces I did many training exercises with our American friends and was on more than a few deployments with US forces, I even have 2 American Medals ( Really UN medals issued by The US, Im not really sure of the politics side of it, I just know they were presented by an American General. Maybe because he was the Base Comander at the time???? ) and I count my times serving with our American friend as some of the best times of my carreer.
It was on CBC, CTV & Global for weeks.
@@EvilDaveCanada how long ago? I was in the forces from early 80's to early 90's
@Gryndar1 it happened during the time that Canada was operating Afghanistan Base. It was covered by all the major Canadian papers and TV networks. There are other much more detailed postings here as I'm out & about and don't have access to a PC to Google it in more detail.
I'm somewhat of a history buff (though especially 1485-1715), and yet this unfortunate incident is one of which I had not previously heard. The old saw is so true....one learns something every minute one lives.
Absolutely correct. There were several instances during WWII where “allies” fought each other. Sometimes by accident, sometimes not. The axis were not always the bad guys in that conflict.
There was a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2002 where The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was bombed by a US pilot. These were the first Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan.
Operation Medusa
Wow! I have never heard of this battle. It’s amazing that we weren’t taught this in history class.
I remember getting let out of history class for asking about it. Always got taught more american related history. Always told my kids to ask about it, find out how smart your history teacher is. Also check when the Whitehouse first burnt
Alaska and the BC coast are so beautiful! Highly recommend crising up there.
Cruising those waters can be trickly, but, yes, beautiful.
I'm Canadian and know we had a few conflicts, but never heard of this one.
As a Canadian, we never heard of this in schools. This is my first exposure to these events.
Kiska. Put on your listening ears, Tyler. As far as it never happening in modern times, American bombers dropped bombs on a Canadian unit in Afghanistan, killing many.
I never knew of this, but it’s not hard to believe. There was something that happened in an all out attack on Iraq war, where an American plane shot up Canadian troops on the ground.. It happens, there’s a term called friendly fire.
As a Canadian We never heard or Taught in school.You are Right A TRADEDY Story. Be SAFE
As a Canadian your intro to your videos sound incresibly American lol
Even at the beginning of the Afgan conflict the first Canadian casualties were from friendly firewhan a US aircraft bombed a Canadian unit conducting excercises.
I’ve never heard of this. I’m sure most of us don’t know about it. That is very Tragic 😮
I've heard about it, but we definitely were not taught this in school.
I had no idea about this either. I guess we don’t like to talk about it as it’s horrible
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Kris
@thegreypath1777 this offer is intended for the creator of this channel , sorry 😞 however if you like I could send you a link to begin With, if we can set up a correspondence , perhaps ill think about it ,and get back to
As a Canadian I had never heard about this either!
I had no idea either. Sad for the casualties on both sides. Basically you would call it friendly fire. 😢
I'm Canadian and I had no idea about this either but it's a pretty crazy story for sure, no more war in fog lol
Your use of "LOL" shows how vapid you are...
@brianphaneuf6875 lol
Never knew about this either, and I don’t think anyone would be taught this unless it’s a military class or something very specific tbh. But TIL. Very unfortunate tragedy.
My Dad also trained to Aleutian Island as a commando with american commandos. He nerver talked about a conflict USA-Canada. Strange.
wow, Alaska has 2670 islands named within its rule apparently. Kiska is one with a volcano on it. I think i might have to learn more about them for a while.
In a few words. It was a confusion between each other thinking it was the enemy...In the Vietnam war it was common to get killed or wounded by what they called "friendly fire"...
1943 randomly shout out the line of a iconic commercial and wait for a reply.
The sad joke for the Brit’s and Canadians during the gulf war was often Americans targeted them
It figures that they would cover up such a huge episode of death by freindly fire.