ACUFO:

ACUFO is my comprehensive catalog of cases of encounters between aircraft and UFOs, whether they are “explained” or “unexplained”.

The ACUFO catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file.

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Bremen, Germany, in the end of 1943, 1943:

Case number:

ACUFO-1943-00-00-BREMEN-1

Summary:

In their 2002 book “Out of the Shadows”, Dr. David Clarke and Andy Roberts indicated that their research in the archive of the British Public Records Office let them find that the December 31, 1943, issue of Bang On, the newsletter of No. 115 Squadron, ran a short piece simply titled 'Phenomena'; which said:

“Under this heading there occur from time to time reports of weird and wonderful apparitions seen during our (and the American) attacks on Germany. We have asked our local Inner Circle bloke to comment on the latest species of wizardry. Here is his story... believe it or not...”

This 115 Squadron newsletter mentioned two sightings, one of them was:

“In another attack, this time on Bremen, there were many reports of “silver and red discs above the formations”. These have been seen before but up to now no-one has been able to decide their purpose. Suggestions please!”

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	End 1943
Time:	?
Duration:	?
First known report date:	December 31, 1943
Reporting delay:	Days, months.

Geographical data:

Pays:	Germany
D partement/ tat:	Bremen
Commune ou lieu:	Bremen

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	?
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	?

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Squadron newsletter.
Visibility conditions:	?
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:
Witnesses action:
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	Puzzled.
Witnesses interpretation:	Unidentified.

Classifications:

Sensors:	[X] Visual: ? [ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	?
Armed / unarmed:	Armed, 8 7.62 mm machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	3
Strangeness 1-3:	3
ACUFO:	Possible extraterrestrial craft.

Sources:

[Ref. prt4:] JAN ALDRICH - "PROJECT 1947":

*N - 1943 Late - Bremen, Germany

Many reports of “silver and red discs above the formations”. (115 RAF Squadron newsletter, issue no. 1, dated Dec 31, 1943). See report below which may be related.

[Ref. dcr1:] DR. DAVID CLARKE AND ANDY ROBERTS:

The authors indicate that the December 31, 1943, issue of Bang On, the newsletter of 115 Squadron, ran a short piece simply titled 'Phenomena'; which said:

“Under this heading there occur from time to time reports of weird and wonderful apparitions seen during our (and the American) attacks on Germany. We have asked our local Inner Circle bloke to comment on the latest species of wizardry. Here is his story... believe it or not...”

“In another attack, this time on Bremen, there were many reports of “silver and red discs above the formations”. These have been seen before but up to now no-one has been able to decide their purpose. Suggestions please!”

[Ref. part5:] JAN ALDRICH - "PROJECT 1947":

R.A.F. 115 Squadron Newsletter, Issue no. 1, dated Dec 31, 1943.

PHENOMENA

[...other case...]

A couple of paragraphs later, after some general comments about the raid, the article continues:

“In another attack... this time on Bremen... there were many reports of “silver and red discs above the formations”. These have been seen before but up to now no-one has been able to decide their purpose. Suggestions please.”

Source: Andy Robert's research at PRO - UK Public Record Office

Aircraft information:

The Avro 683 Lancaster was a four-engine night bomber built in more than 7,000 units and it became, with the Handley Page Halifax, the main bomber of the Royal Air Force from 1942 on.

Its defense against German fighter planes was 8 7.62 mm machine guns.

Discussion:

In the Second World War, Squadron No 155 of the Royal Air Force took part in scores of raids over Europe. Their Wellingtons were replaced by Hercules-engined Avro Lancaster B.IIs in March 1943.

In their 2002 book [dcr1], Dr. David Clarke and Andy Roberts made some points about such kind of sightings:

The pilots did not interpret them as anti-aircraft devices, radar chaff or German planes.
The debriefing officers and the military Intelligence almost never interpret them as anti-aircraft devices, radar chaff or German planes, though sometimes rejecting such reports, from their offices chairs, as “imagination” or caused by war stress.
Radar chaff or flak did not resemble “silver and red discs above the formation.”
The “objects” did not attack the bombers in any manner; intelligence officer Bentine is quoted with his remark that if they were German weapons, they were pretty ineffective.
Such reports were numerous amidst the RAF and the USAAF in the 1943-1945 period.

I would add that in this case, radar chaff can be ruled out because they were “above” the bombers; the British aviators would have noticed the German planes dropping them because they would not have been able to fly very high above theirs.

Also, such a drop would have been totally absurd in these circumstances. Radar chaff are used for diversion, i.e. to make the enemy believe that planes are arriving at a location where in reality there are no planes. For example, when landing in Normandy, the allies dropped radar decoys on the Pas-de-Calais. Here, whether for the Germans or for the British, dropping radar chaff on a British bomber formation would be perfectly absurd.

Evaluation:

Possible extraterrestrial craft.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

[bon1] ? Article in Bang On, No. 115 Squadron newsletter, U-K., No. 1, December 31, 1943.
[prt4] * "ACUFOE in World War II", catalogue by Jan Aldrich, Project 1947, USA, October 9, 1999, at http://www.project1947.com/47cats/acupdt.htm
[dcr1] * "Out of the Shadows", book by Dr. David Clarke and Andy Roberts, Piatkus publishers, U-K., pp 15-16, 2002.
[prt5] * "PROJECT 1947 UFO REPORTS - 1943", on the Project 1947 ufology Website, Jan Aldrich, USA, not dated, as of 2023, at https://www.project1947.com/fig/1943a.htm

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	October 1, 2023	Creation, [prt4], [dcr1], [prt5].
1.0	Patrick Gross	October 1, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on October 1, 2023.