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.

◀ Previous case Next case ▶

Honshu, Japan, in 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1945-00-00-HONSHU-1

Summary:

In the 1980's, Dr. Louis Winkler, an astronomer at the Pennsylvania State University, compiled for the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), USA, a catalog of pre-1947 “UFO-like phenomena”.

One of the cases he noted was that in 1945, on the main island of Honshu, Japan, “... Some airplanes were approached from behind and then paced by six round, silver objects. The objects were obviously under intelligent control and sensitive to every move of the airplanes.”

Winkler gave as source “IUFOM (1978 n.2)”, a publication I never found.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	1945
Time:	?
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1978
Reporting delay:	3 decades.

Geographical data:

Country:	Japan
State/Department:	Honshu
City or place:

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	Several.
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	0

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	IUFOM, Louis Winkler.
Visibility conditions:	?
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:	Follow planes maneuvers.
Witnesses action:	Evasive actions.
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Sensors:	[X] Visual: Several. [ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	?
Armed / unarmed:	Armed, probably 12 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	1
Strangeness 1-3:	3
ACUFO:	Unknown credibility.

Sources:

[Ref. lwr1:] DR. LOUIS WINKLER:

1945/Honshu, Japan/IUFOM (1978 n.2)

Some airplanes were approached from behind and then paced by six round, silver objects. The objects were obviously under intelligent control and sensitive to every move of the airplanes.

Aircraft information:

There is no information on the aircraft. But they were very likely B-29's.

The Boeing B-29 “Superfortress” was the heaviest bomber of the U.S. Army Air Forces, used in operations from May 8, 1944 and on. Its maximum speed was 574 km/h.

Its defensive armament was 12 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns.

Discussion:

Honshu is the largest island of Japan, formerly known in the West as “Hondo”.

So far, I found no information at all about “IUFOM” No. 2 of 1978, the source indicated by Dr. Louis Winkler. It must obviously be a bulletin about UFOs, probably from the USA.

The credibility of this source, and therefore of the report, is in question.

Evaluation:

Unknown credibility.

Sources references:

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

[ium1] ? IUFOM, No 2, 1978.
[lwr1] * "Catalog/database, and analysis, of pre-1947 'UFO-like phenomena'", report by Dr Louis Winkler, astronomer, Pennsylvania State University, for the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), USA, 1982-1984.

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	December 29, 2023	Creation, [lwr1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	December 29, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on December 29, 2023.