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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Germany, on January 1, 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1945-01-01-GERMANY-1

Summary:

In 1945, Jo Chamberlin was a US Lieutenant-Colonel and War correspondent. Having visited the airmen of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron of the US Army Air Forces in their base in eastern France, he had heard them talk of mysterious lights following their planes, despite evasive maneuvers and never attacking them. The airmen had called theses lights "Foo-fighters". In December 1945, Chamberlin published his famous article "The Foo Fighter Mystery" in the European issue of The American Legion Magazine.

One of the cases he described took place in January 1945. One pilot said that three formations of these lights, red and white in color, followed his plane. He suddenly reduced speed and apparently took them off guard. They came on with undiminished speed and then, to avoid any collision, also reduced speed and fell back, though still dogging him.

From the ground radar station came the usual reply: "Nothing up there but your own plane!"

Later sources dated the case January 1, 1945; but the precise day did not appear in Chamberlin's original report.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	January 1, 1945
Time:	Probable night.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	December 1945
Reporting delay:	Hours, weeks.

Geographical data:

Country:	Germany
State/Department:
City or place:

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	1 or 2
Number of known witnesses:	1
Number of named witnesses:	0

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Jo Chamberlain article.
Visibility conditions:	Probable night.
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:	Follow, follow through maneuvers.
Witnesses action:	Maneuvers.
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Sensors:	[X] Visual: 1 or 2 [ ] Airborne radar: ? [ ] Directional ground radar: Negative. [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	?
Armed / unarmed:	Armed, four 20 mm cannons and 6 7.62 mm machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	2
Strangeness 1-3:	2
ACUFO:	Possible extraterrestrial craft, possible double-entry.

Sources:

[Ref. jcn1:] JO CHAMBERLIN:

On another occasion [in early 1945], three sets of lights, this time red and white in color, followed a plane [of the 415th NFS], and when the plane suddenly pulled up, the lights continued on in the same direction, as though caught napping, and then sheepishly pulled up to follow.

The pilot checked with ground radar - he was alone in the sky.

>[Ref. hws1:] HAROLD T. WILKINS:

The Strange Mystery Of The FOO FIGHTERS

During the closing months of the war our fighters chased weird colored balls of fire that suddenly disappeared.

By Harold T. Wilkins

[...]

Now while the foo fighters were making their appearance in the Far Eastern theater, they were, at about the same time in January, 1945, again sighted by pilots of the U.S. 415th Night Fighter squadron. These pilots reported to U.S. intelligence at the Dijon base, that over Western Germany they had met the blazing balls alone, in pairs, and in formations. One pilot said that three formations of these lights, red and white in color, followed his plane. He suddenly reduced speed and apparently took them off guard. They came on with undiminished speed and then, to avoid any collision, also reduced speed and fell back, though still dogging him.

From ground radar came the usual reply: "Nothing up there but your own plane!”

[...]

[Ref. kap1:] KENNETH ARNOLD AND RAY PALMER:

From ground radar came the usual reply: "Nothing up there but your own plane!"

(Ref. nip1:) RICHARD HALL - NICAP:

1/1/1945 Germany

415th Night Fighter Squadron pilot

Plane followed by three red and white lighted objects; UFOs followed plane's evasive maneuvers.

January 1945 - Germany. Another 415th Night Fighter Squadron pilot was followed by three red and white lighted objects over Germany.

[Ref. gld1:] GORDON LORE AND HAROLD DENEAULT:

Another crew reported that "three sets of red and white lights" followed their plane for some distance during January, 1945. When the pilot, in an effort to outmaneuver them, suddenly pulled into a steep climb, the objects overshot. Seconds later, the UFOs pulled up to follow the plane. The pilot radioed ground radar, only to be told that he was alone.

[Ref. mbd1:] MICHEL BOUGARD:

The author indicates that in January 1945, other pilots from the same 415th squadron saw three of these balls, red and white this time, also following their aircraft. The New York Times of January 2, 1945 also reported numerous cases of foo-fighters seen over France for several months.

[Ref. lwr1:] DR. LOUIS WINKLER:

1945 Jan/Germany/Lore-Deneault, Arnold-Palmer

Three formations of red and white objects followed and overshot an airplane as the airplane made a steep climb.

[Ref. gvo1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

1945, January

Germany

At night the pilot of a USAAF night fighter plane (415th NFS) sees three luminous red and white objects following the plane. (PROJECT ACUFOE, Catalog 1999, Dominique Weinstein)

[Ref. dwn1:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

Janvier 1945

Allemagne

Un pilote du 415th NFS a été suivi par trois objets lumineux blancs et rouges.

Source: The UFO Evidence, Richard Hall, NICAP, 1964 / Lumieres dans la Nuit N° 330

[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

Case 80

January 1, 1945

Germany

A pilot of the 415th NFS was followed by three luminous white and red objects.

Source: The UFO Evidence, Richard Hall, NICAP, 1964 / Lumieres dans la Nuit #330

(Ref. nip2:) "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

Jan. 1945; Germany

Another 415th Night Fighter Squadron pilot was followed by three red and white lighted objects over Germany. (NICAP UFO Evidence, 1964, Hall, III)

[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:

Date: Jan. 1945

Location: Germany

Time:

Summary: Another 415th Night Fighter Squadron pilot was followed by three red and white lighted objects over Germany.

Source: NICAP UFO Evidence, 1964, Hall, III

Aircraft information:

The Bristol Type 156 "Beaufighter", nicknamed "Beau", was a British multi-role aircraft developed during WWII. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber; it proved to be an effective night fighter, which came into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain.

Originally, armament consisted of four 20mm cannons and six 0.303-in machine-guns but many variants were built; for example, versions had the ability to additionally carry eight rocket projectiles, some had a Vickers 'K' gun, Beaufighter TF.Mk X was used for anti-shipping operations.

The Beaufighter Mk VIF was fitted with the Mark VIII radar.

Below: Beaufighter Mk VIF of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron.

The Beaufighters served with the US Army Air Force until the end of the war, but most were replaced by the P-61 "Black Widow" beginning in December 1944.

Discussion:

Beween November 30, 1944 and March 18, 1945, the 415th Night Fighter Squadron was based on the Ochey airfield in france.

This case reported by Chamberlain is quite similar to the one located in Lunéville, on December 27, 1944. I do not exclude that it is the same one, misdated. Many of these cases of the 415th NFS took place over France whereas sources placed them in Germany.

Evaluation:

Possible extraterrestrial craft, possible double-entry.

Sources references:

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

[jcn1] * "The Foo Fighter Mystery", article by Jo Chamberlin, in The American Legion Magazine, USA, December 1945.
[hws1] * "The Strange Mystery Of The Foo Fighters", article by Harold T. Wilkins, in FATE Magazine, USA, Volume 4, No. 6, August - September 1951.
[kap1] * "The Coming of the Saucers", book by Kenneth Arnold and Ray Palmer, Amherst publishers, USA, pp 128-129, 1952.
[nip1] * "The UFO Evidence", book edited by Richard H. Hall, for the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), USA, 1964.
[gld1] * "Mysteries of the Skies - UFOs in Perspective", book by Gordon I. R. Lore, Jr. and Harold H. Deneault, Jr., Prentice-Hall publishers, USA, page 117, 1968.
[mbd1] * "La Chronique des O.V.N.I.", book by Michel Bougard, Jean-Pierre Delarge - Fance Loisirs publishers France, pp 271-272, 1977.
[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.
[ldl1] ? Ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, No 330, December 1994.
[gvo1] * "Chronologie OVNI", electronic catalogue compiled by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 1999.
[dwn1] * "Appendix 1 - Catalog of Unconventional Aerial Phenomena - reported by Allied pilots (1942-1945)", catalogue par Dominique F. Weinstein, France, 20 juin 2005.
[dwn2] * "The Foofighters Files (1) - Catalogue of Unconventional Aerial Phenomena Reported by Allied pilots during WW II (1943-1945)", catalogue by Dominique F. Weinstein, France, October 2009.
[nip2] * "UFO Sighting Chronology - 1939-1945; The WWII Years & 'Foo-Fighters'", sur le site web d'ufologie The NICAP Website, USA, créé 18 décembre 2006, mis à jour 5 décembre 2017, à http://www.nicap.org/chronos/1939-1945.htm
[tai1] * "1945: January UFO & Alien Sightings", web page on the Think About It Website, USA, June 22, 2016, at https://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/1945-january-ufo-alien-sightings

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	April 27, 2024	Creation, [jcn1], [kap1], [nip1], [gld1], [mbd1], [lwr1], [gvo1], [dwn1], [dwn2], [nip2], [tai1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	April 27, 2024	First published.

This page was last updated on April 27, 2024.