ACUFO-1944-09-20-FLORENCE-1
Ufology sources in the 2000's indicate that in his 2007 book “Strange Company - Military Encounters with UFOs in World War II”, author Keith Chester referred to the daily operations report of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron for October 20, 1944, for the following sighting:
On October 20, 1944, on the Northern Florence area, Italy, a Beaufighter crew of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron was patrolling when crew members observed “two orange balls diving into the hills”. They were unable to get close enough to clearly identify the object.
| Date: | September 20, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Probable night. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | September 20, 1944 |
| Reporting delay: | Hours. |
| Country: | Italy |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Tuscany |
| City or place: | Florence |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | Several. |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Reporting channel: | Military operations report. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Probable night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | ? |
| UFO action: | Dove into hills. |
| 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: Several.
[ ] Airborne radar: Not reported. [ ] Directional ground radar: Not reported. [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | NL |
| Armed / unarmed: | Armed, machine guns. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 1 |
| ACUFO: | No strangeness, possible flares. |
[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:
A Beaufighter crew of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron (NFS) was patrolling the area of northern Florence when crew members observed “two orange balls diving into the hills”. They were unable to get close enough to clearly identified the object.
Sources: Daily operations report, 416th NFS, October 20 1944 / Strange companies, Keith Chester, 2007
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
[1944] Oct. 20, 1944; N. Florence, Italy
Two orange balls diving into the hills. (Page 84 Ref.1)
The reference 1 is described at the end of the document as “Strange Company (2007), Keith Chester”.
[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:
Date: Oct. 20, 1944
Location: Florence, Italy
Time:
Summary: Two orange balls diving into the hills.
Source:
The ufology source speaks of British Beaufighters, but the squadron had then received American P-61's “Black Widow”; I am not sure what plane it was.
In both cases these are twin-engine aircraft adapted to night fighting and armed with several machine guns.
In both cases, the planes were equipped with on-board radar and had ground radar assistance.
|
The 416th Night Fighter Squadron was first established in February 1943, it was equipped was equipped with British Bristol Beaufighters, then, apparently from January 1944 and on, with Northrop P-61's “Black Widow” night fighters.
From September 1, 1944, to October 1, 1944, the squadron was stationed at Rosignano Airfield, Italy, with a detachment at Pomigliano Airfield, Italy from September 1 to 9, 1944.
The case has no strangeness about it. The “two orange balls diving into the hills” could have been flares. There is no sign that the crew thought they were looking at something strange. They were just “unable to get close enough to clearly identify the object”.
No strangeness, possible flares.
* = 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 28, 2023 | Creation, [dwn2], [nip1], [tai1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 28, 2023 | First published. |
