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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Ruhr valley, Germany, on March 26, 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1945-03-26-RUHRVALLEY-1

Summary:

In the end of the 1990's, US ufologist Jan Aldrich noted in his catalogue of UFO encounters made from aircraft during World War II a case of March 26, 1945, that occurred about 11:00 hours, over “Happy Valley” in the Ruhr, Germany:

The pilot of a Spitfire XI, #PL 966, No 541 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, saw a pink sphere, about 3 feet in diameter, first seen ahead, then he slowly passed the object on the starboard side. The aircraft speed was 360 mph, the object speed appeared to be 340 mph.

Jan Aldrich indicated that the report came from a letter and logbook extract from Andy Roberts' collection - Andy Roberts being a British ufologist who among other ufology activities, had collected a good number of WWII testimonies from Royal Air Force airmen.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	March 26, 1945
Time:	11:00 a.m.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1990's
Reporting delay:	Hours, 5 decades.

Geographical data:

Country:	Germany
State/Department:	North Rhine-Westphalia
City or place:	Ruhr valley.

Witnesses data:

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

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Flight logbook, letter to ufologist Andy Roberts.
Visibility conditions:	Night.
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:	Flies, lets aircraft pass by.
Witnesses action:	Flies faster that UFO.
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 [ ] Airborne radar: N/A [ ] Directional ground radar: N/A [ ] Height finder ground radar: N/A [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	DD
Armed / unarmed:	2 Hispano-Suiza HS-404 Mk II 20 mm cannons, 4 Vickers 7.62 mm machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	2
Strangeness 1-3:	2
ACUFO:	Insufficient information.

Sources:

[Ref. prt4:] JAN ALDRICH - "PROJECT 1947":

N - 1945.03.26 - About 1100 hours, Germany, over “Happy Valley” in the Ruhr.

RAF Spitfire XI, # PL 966, 541 Squadron, pilot, Pink sphere about 3 feet in diameter first seen ahead, then slow passed object on the starboard side. Aircraft speed was 360mph. Object appeared to be doing 340 mph. (Letter, Logbook extract, Andy Roberts Collection.)

[Ref. gvo1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

1945, March 26

Germany, Ruhr valley

At 11 a.m. a pink sphere with a diameter of 3 feet passed the Spitfire XI aircraft (541st squadron) at a speed of approximately 340 mph. (PROJECT ACUFOE, Catalog 1999, Dominique Weinstein)

[Ref. dwn1:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

March 26, 1945

Ruhr Valley, Germany

At about 1100, the pilot of a RAF Spitfire XI (#PL966) from the 541 st Squadron sighted one pink sphere about 3 ft in diameter first seen ahead, then slow passed object on the starboard side. Aircraft speed was 360 mph and object speed about 340 mph.

Sources: Project 1947, Jan Aldrich / Letter logbook abstract, Andy Roberts' Colllection

[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

Case 111

March 26, 1945

Ruhr Valley, Germany

Sources: Project 1947, Jan Aldrich / Letter logbook abstract, Andy Roberts' Collection

Aircraft information:

The Supermarine Spitfire (Photo below) is the most successful and most widely used single-seat fighter by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It was built in many versions, which allowed him to stay “up to date.”

The “Spitfire XI” indicated in the report would correspond to the Spitfire PR.XI, a photographic reconnaissance version of this aircraft, specially designed for high altitude and long distance flying.

Discussion:

The database 68.183.200.97/aircraft/PL966 confirms that the Spitfire PL966 was a PR.XI, and indicates that on March 26, 1945, it was flown by Flight Lieutenant James Taylor ROBSON of No 541 Squadron.

The report is so thin that I cannot give a really well-founded assessment of it. The question would be to be sure that the object was close enough or large enough so that its description as a “sphere” really meant that the pilot saw a flying sphere. For me the fact that the pilot reported this to a ufologist tends to confirm this, but this may not convince any “skeptics”.

Evaluation:

Insufficient information.

Sources references:

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

[ars1] ? Letter, logbook extract, from ufologist Andy Roberts' collection, U-K.
[prt4] * "ACUFOE in World War II", catalogue by Jan Aldrich, Project 1947, USA, October 9, 1999, at http://www.project1947.com/47cats/acupdt.htm
[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 by Dominique F. Weinstein, France, June 20, 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.

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 11, 2023	Creation, [prt4], [gvo1], [dwn1], [dwn2].
1.0	Patrick Gross	December 11, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on December 11, 2023.