Wow..this floors me. Were aircrews that worried by fake or captured
aircraft that they would shoot at anything not in their formation?

_Absolutely_. Go to one of the dozens of 8th AF sites on the net and ask the
assembled former crewmen if they would allow a "stranger" to join in with them
- that will provide all the confirmation that is required. At any meeting of
them, you'll hear about the day, "...a captured B-17 tried to join up with us,
but we drove him off...", with predictable results.

That said, there are hundreds of events when damaged aircraft WERE allowed to
tuck in with other formations, so it all came down to just how rattled the
following groups were at the time the 'stranger' showed up.

I
hope Art is
following this thread and comments because this sounds to incredible
to
believe.

Incredible or not... Good look in your search.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.