ACUFO-1945-01-10-IWOJIMA-1
Ufology sources in the 2000's catalogued a sighting report coming from the 2007 book “Strange Company - Military Encounters with UFOs in World War II” by Keith Chester:
On January 10, 1945, in the night, “eight B-24s of the 42nd Bomb Group and two with the 11th Bomb Group” were on a “snooper mission” to target Iwo Jima.
About ten miles south of the island, several crewmen observed an amber light which passed parallel and at the same altitude off the right and disappeared into clouds.
This is said to appear in the Mission Report n°11-140, from First Lieutenant Kinsey Jones, Assistant A-2, VII Bomber Command, to Headquarters of the VII Bomber Command, on January 17, 1945.
| Date: | January 10, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Night. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | January 17, 1945 |
| Reporting delay: | 1 week. |
| Country: | Japan |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Ogasawara |
| City or place: | Iwo Jima |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | Several. |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Reporting channel: | Military operations report. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes. |
| UFO action: | Flies. |
| 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: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | NL |
| Armed / unarmed: | Armed, 10 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns per 2 in 4 turrets, nose, tail, top, bottom, and 2 on the sides. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 1 |
| ACUFO: | Low strangeness, possible meteor. |
[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:
On the night of January 10, eight B-24s of the 42nd Bomb Group and two with the 11th Bomb Group were on a “snooper mission” to target Iwo Jima. About ten miles south of the island, several crewmen observed an amber light which passed parallel and at the same altitude off the right and disappeared into clouds.
Sources: Mission report n°11-140, from First Lt Kinsey Jones, Assistant A-2, VII Bomber Command, to Headquarters VII Bomber Command, 17 January 1945 / Strange Company, Keith Chester, 2007
[Ref. sua1:] WEBSITE "SATURDAY NIGHT UFORIA":
But like the 'foo fighters' it wasn't always balls of fire being reported, sometimes instead being described simply as a light. On a January, 10, 1945 mission over Iwo Jima, some 10 miles from the island one B-24 air crew “observed an amber light pass parallel and at the same altitude off the right wing and disappear into the clouds”.
[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:
Date: Jan. 10, 1945
Location: Iwo Jima, Japan
Time:
Summary: An amber light pass parallel and at same altitude.
Source:
(Ref. nip1:) "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
Jan. 10, 1945; Iwo Jima, Japan
An amber light pass parallel and at same altitude. (Page 125 Ref.1)
The reference 1 is described at the end of the document as “Strange Company (2007), Keith Chester”.
The Consolidated B-24 “Liberator” (photo below) was an American heavy bomber used during World War II by the Allied air and naval forces.
By April 1944, some B-24s had been equipped with H2X radars. Its long range of action had allowed it roles as maritime patrols, anti-submarine patrols, and reconnaissance, in the Atlantic and the Pacific.
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VII Bomber Command was a United States Air Forces unit last assigned with the Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa, inactivated on March 31, 1946. From August 1944 to July 1945, it was stationed at East Field, Saipan, in the Mariana Islands.
The 42nd Bomb Group, in August 1944, bombed airfields and installations on New Guinea, Celebes, and Halmahera, and flew photographic reconnaissance missions, while operating from bases in New Guinea and Morotai. It was moved to the Philippines in March 1945. So this unit seems to be the wrong one, the correct one was the 42nd Squadron of the 11th Bomb Group.
11th Bomb Group was in Hawaii on 8 April 1943, assigned to Seventh Air Force, and they received the Consolidated B-24 “Liberator” bombers, which it flew until the end of the war.
The 42nd Squadron of the 11th Bomb Group participated in the Allied offensive through the Gilbert, Marshall and Marianas Islands, while operating from Funafuti, Tarawa, and Kwajalein. They Moved to Guam on October 24, 1944 and attacked shipping and airfields in the Volcano and Bonin Islands. They moved to Okinawa on 2 July 1945.
I found no information about First Lt. Kinsey Jones; he was probably not among the witnesses but the Assistant A-2 (Intelligence) who debrifed the witnesses.
Of course there is very little strangeness in the meager report. It may have been a meteor, or a plane, for example.
Nothing says that any of the witnesses interpreted the amber light as something extraordinary.
Low strangeness, possible meteor.
* = 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 | December 5, 2023 | Creation, [dwn2], [nip1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 5, 2023 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | December 20, 2023 | Additions [tai1], [sua1]. |
