ACUFO-1944-02-08-FRANKFURT-1
In 2011, the ufology Website Saturday Night UFOria indicated that a military report told of a sighting on February 8, 1944, of a “ball like object, appeared silvery, hung in air at 30,000 feet. No chute was observed to be attached to the object, and it remained under observation for approximately fifteen (15) minutes by the crew while in the target area. The crew did not see the object fired from the ground.”
Other sources apparently used this information, locating the incident on Frankfurt, Germany, probably because the Saturday Night UFOria had also reported on a similar previous incident of February 4, 1944, over Frankfurt.
I determined that in both cases the same unit, 303rd Bomb Group (Heavy) indeed raided Frankfurt, by day: so that this location is very plausible.
| Date: | February 8, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Day. |
| Duration: | 15 minutes. |
| First known report date: | 2007 |
| Reporting delay: | Hours, 6 decades. |
| Country: | Germany |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Hesse |
| City or place: | Frankfurt |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | ? |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Reporting channel: | Probable military report, UFO book by Keith Chester. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | ? |
| UFO action: | Stationary. |
| Witnesses action: | |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: 1 or more.
[ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | ? |
| Armed / unarmed: | Armed, 5 7.62 mm machine guns. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 1 |
| ACUFO: | Probable weather balloon. |
[Ref. snu1:] "SATURDAY NIGHT UFORIA" WEBSITE:
This Website indicates that in February 1944, four days after the report from Frankfurt, there was a report of “Ball like object, appeared silvery, hung in air at 30,000 feet. No chute was observed to be attached to the object, and it remained under observation for approximately fifteen (15) minutes by the crew while in the target area. The crew did not see the object fired from the ground.”
[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:
Date: Feb. 8, 1944
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Time:
Summary: Silver-colored ball-like object changing stationary.
Page 59 Ref.1
The US B-17 “Flying Fortress” was a heavy bomber fitted with five 7.62 machine guns for its defense against enemy fighter planes.
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It is historically verified that on February 4, 1944, the 303 Bomb Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces bombed the Frankfurt city, by day. This was the group's mission 107.
The bombers were Boeing B-17F and B-17G.
The mission encountered very heavy flak, and 9 enemy fighter planes, 8-Fw 190 and 1 Me-109.
We have a ball of “silver appearance, suspended in the air at 30,000 feet”, “remaining under observation for approximately fifteen (15) minutes.”
Weather balloons were used, obviously, to obtain weather information. Nothing in the report argues against this explanation; there were no maneuvers, chases, impossible effects or any other strange things.
There is no indication that the phenomenon was interpreted as unusual by the crew or any other military authority at the time.
Probable weather balloon.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | October 15, 2023 | Creation, [sua1], [tai1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 15, 2023 | First published. |
