ACUFO-1945-03-23-BERGAMO-1
In the 2000s, ufology sources indicated that according to the 2007 book “Strange Company - Military Encounters with UFOs in World War II” by Keith Chester, there had been a series of sightings on March 23, 1945 in Italy:
During the night, a crew from the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, Lieutenant Gravel, and Flight Officer Moore, carried out an intrusion mission above Bergamo, in the Ghedi region.
At 8:15 p.m., their P-61 B “Black Widow” was at an altitude of 1,500 feet when the two crewmen spotted “wo spurts of gun fire on the ground.” Seconds later, they witnessed “two balls of foo fire” which “appeared about 600 meters”, straight in front of them. These balls burned for approximately three to four minutes.
At 9:00 p.m., two more balls “appeared in their path and this time they also observed two solitary gun flashes prior to their appearance. This time, however, after approximately one minute of glowing, one of the two burst like a projectile”, while the other ball “continued to glow.”
This information is said to come from the 414th Night Fighter Squadron Daily Operations Report for the period March 19-23, 1945.
| Date: | March 23, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 08:15 p.m., 09:00 p.m. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | March 23, 1945 |
| Reporting delay: | Hours. |
| Country: | Italy |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Lumbardia |
| City or place: | Bergamo |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 2 |
| Reporting channel: | Military operations report, Keith Chester.? |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | Yes. |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes. |
| UFO action: | Uncertain. |
| Witnesses action: | |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | "Foo fires". |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: 2
[ ] 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, 4 Hispano 20 mm cannons, 4 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 2 |
| ACUFO: | Unidentified, insufficient information. |
[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:
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On the night, a 414th NFS crew, Lt. Gravel and Flight Officer Moore were conducting an Air Drome intruder mission over the Bergamo, Ghedi area. At 20h 15, the P-61 B Black Widow was at an altitude of 1,500 feet when both crewmen spotted “two spurts of gun fire on the ground.” Seconds later, they witnessed “two balls of foo fire” that “appeared about 600 yards. Dead ahead.” The balls burned for approximately three to four minutes. At 21h00, “two more appeared in their path and this time they also observed two solitary gun flashes prior to their appearance. This time, however, after approximately one minute of glowing, one of the two burst like a projectile. The other continued to glow.”
Sources: USAAF 414th Night Fighter Squadron Daily Operations Report 19/23 March 1945 / Company, Keith Chester, 2007
(Ref. nip1:) "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
March 23, 1945; Bergamo/Ghedi, Italy
2 balls of foo fire. (Page 150 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: Mar. 23, 1945
Location: Bergamo/Ghedi, Italy
Time:
Summary: 2 balls of foo fire.
Source:
The Northrop P-61 “Black Widow” was a high performance american night fighter plane used in WWII.
It was twin-engined, with a maximum speed of 589 km/h, 3,060 km range. The crew was of three men.
It was equipped with a radar and armed with 4 Hispano 20 mm cannons in the fuselage and 4 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns in the remotely controlled upper turret.
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It is specified in the report that the plane was a P-61. However, we are told of only two crew members while the P-61 crew consisted of three men. I therefore do not exclude that the aircraft could have been a Bristol Beaufighter, which had a two-man crew.
The British decided on January 1, 1944, to no longer build their Bristol Beaufighters. The 414th Night Fighter Squadron, which was then equipped with them, continued to use them, but received P-61s at the end of 1944, while continuing to use Beaufighters.
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The 414th Night Fighter Squadron of the US Army Air Forces deployed in England in late March 1943, using British-built Bristol Beaufighters. They moved to North Africa for combat in July 1943. In 1945, they operated in the Mediterranean theater, Italy, and then south of France. The 414th got P-61s in late 1944 but kept on using Beaufighters at the same time.
I found no information about Lt. Gravel. I found a Master Sergeant Eugene O. Moore (6932760) in the Air Force in 1943, but in the 417th Night Fighter Squadron, not the 414th. Also in the 417th, I found “Moore, Alvin G.”, and “Cpl. Moore, William R.”
I have a hard time understanding the events that occurred. For example, were the lights on the ground or in the air?
Unidentified, insufficient information.
* = 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 19, 2023 | Creation, [dwn2], [nip1], [tai1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 19, 2023 | First published. |
