# When was the last time America and Russia were bombing the same country? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099 "2015-10-19T04:02:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darth\_Ayebaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darth_ayebaw/32/9870_2.png) [@Darth\_Ayebaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Ayebaw)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/1 "2015-10-19T04:02:54Z")
I can’t think of any for sure after WWII. Maybe Vietnam or Yugoslavia? Afghanistan? ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/2 "2015-10-19T05:29:16Z")
Officially not since WWII. Unofficially Soviet pilots were operating in Korea using planes marked with North Korean or Chinese markings. Does that count? > **[Air-to-air combat losses between the Soviet Union and the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-to-air_combat_losses_between_the_USSR_and_US)** > > After World War II, there were many instances of air-to-air combat between the Soviet Union and the United States. > During the Korean War formally the air forces did not meet, as the Soviet Union was not a combatant in the conflict. In August 1945 the USSR declared war on Japan and commenced their offensive campaigns against the Japanese Army. Moving into Japanese occupied Korea, the Soviets gained a foothold in that region, ultimately making it North Korea, and an ally to the Soviet Union. Nea... ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/3 "2015-10-19T20:49:18Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Officially not since WWII. Unofficially Soviet pilots were operating in Korea using planes marked with North Korean or Chinese markings. Does that count? > > [Air-to-air combat losses between the Soviet Union and the United States - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-to-air_combat_losses_between_the_USSR_and_US) I don’t see how Korea can count. Although the North’s view was they were expelling invaders and trying to ‘unify’ one country, the US and most of the rest of the world saw it as the communist DPRK invading the free ROK, two separate countries. Russia was helping the North bomb the South, and we were doing the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/4 "2015-10-20T01:48:30Z")
The front moved back and forward several times, at one point pushing almost to the border with China. However you slice Korea up, at certain points Soviet pilots and US pilots would have been both bombing what is now North Korea: the Soviets hitting ROK positions inside what is now North Korea and the US hitting North Korean positions. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/5 "2015-10-20T02:06:41Z")
The US and Russia are both bombing Syria right now, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/6 "2015-10-20T02:14:41Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I don’t see how Korea can count. Although the North’s view was they were expelling invaders and trying to ‘unify’ one country, the US and most of the rest of the world saw it as the communist DPRK invading the free ROK, two separate countries. Russia was helping the North bomb the South, and we were doing the opposite. One of the few things that the North and South Korean governments agree on is that Korea is one country. Both governments formally claim sovereignty over the entire country. So the US (officially) and the USSR (unofficially) were both bombing the same country; just different areas within it. And possibly, as the front line moved back and forth, some of the same areas, but at different times. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/7 "2015-10-20T13:13:10Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > The US and Russia are both bombing Syria right now, obviously. But the US and Russia do not appear to have the same goal there. The US is targeting ISIS but supporting other rebel groups, while Russia is targeting rebel groups generally. I think WW2 is going to be the answer - that’s the last time that the US and Russia were bombing the same country (Germany) with the same objective (to beat Hitler). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/8 "2015-10-20T13:32:04Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > The US and Russia are both bombing Syria right now, obviously. I think we can safely assume that is why the OP asked the question. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/9 "2015-10-20T14:45:06Z")
Is it too nitpicky to point out that it was the Soviet Union who were bombing in Korea, Viet-Nam and Afghanistan? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/10 "2015-10-20T15:06:20Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Is it too nitpicky to point out that it was the Soviet Union who were bombing in Korea, Viet-Nam and Afghanistan? Yes, because WWII was mentioned as an example of what the OP means. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/11 "2015-10-20T17:54:04Z")
Russie didn’t participate in the NATO air campaigns in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. They did send ground troops for the follow up NATO peacekeeping efforts. A Russian Brigade falling under the tactical control of a US led headquarters (Multi-national Division - North) less than 4 years after the fall of the Soviet Union was pretty surprising. It didn’t involve Russia bombs falling though. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Ayebaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darth_ayebaw/32/9870_2.png) [@Darth\_Ayebaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Ayebaw)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/12 "2015-10-20T20:33:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I think we can safely assume that is why the OP asked the question. Yes, it is thanks. > [@watchwolf49](#): > > Is it too nitpicky to point out that it was the Soviet Union who were bombing in Korea, Viet-Nam and Afghanistan? It was, but Russia was part of it, so Russia was doing the bombing under that umbrella. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > But the US and Russia do not appear to have the same goal there. The US is targeting ISIS but supporting other rebel groups, while Russia is targeting rebel groups generally. > > I think WW2 is going to be the answer - that’s the last time that the US and Russia were bombing the same country (Germany) with the same objective (to beat Hitler). I don’t care about the objective, just that they’re both bombing the same country. So far from the info posted ITT it looks like it was Korea. Thanks everyone! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/13 "2015-10-21T11:30:12Z")
Surely it would be Afghanistan. Just not at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![barath\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@barath\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barath_s)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/14 "2015-10-22T12:13:41Z")
Ref [List of wars involving Russia - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Russia) Assuming you ignore Syria now, The answer would be Vietnam. Afghanistan doesn’t count. The us and USSR bombed it at completely different times ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/15 "2015-10-22T12:57:04Z")
> [@barath\_s](#): > > Ref [List of wars involving Russia - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Russia) > > Assuming you ignore Syria now, > The answer would be Vietnam. Soviet Union had advisers in Vietnam, and they trained North Vietnamese pilots in the Soviet Union, but its not believed that Soviet pilots were actually involved in combat sorties. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-america-and-russia-were-bombing-the-same-country/735099/16 "2015-10-22T17:11:09Z")
It would _almost_ work with China in the late 60’s. There were lots of Chinese military personnel involved in the war effort in North Vietnam who undoubtedly got bombed from time to time, and the US efforts to bomb the supply lines stopped just shy of the Chinese border. At the same time, the Soviet Union fought a bunch of little border skirmishes with China, although I don’t know if any air power was ever involved with those.