Backfire: A History of Friendly Fire from Ancient Warfare to the Present Day (Paperback, Paperback ed)

'Friendly fire' is the term usually coined for being killed by one's own colleagues or allies during a conflict. It has been estimated that during the First World War alone 75,000 French soldiers were killed by friendly fire. As recently as the Gulf War, the heaviest British casualties suffered in a single engagement were caused when US forces fired at British armoured vehicles, killing nine of the men inside. A quarter of all American casualties in Iraq in 1991 were caused by other American soldiers.

In Backfire, military historian Geoffrey Regan asks: how can this happen? How widespread is it? To what extent is it covered up? In this startling and revelatory study covering an impressive sweep of history from the days of Alexander the Great up to the 21st century (including Korea, Vietnam, the Falklands, the Gulf War and Afghanistan), Geoffrey Regan describes the incidents in detail and examines the causes behind them. This harrowing and engrossing study examines the truth behind the most tragic examples of military incompetence and sheds explosive new light on a sadly ancient problem.