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Case of Bettendorf, on February 14, 1945:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1945-02-14-BETTTENDORF-1

Summary:

In his 2012 book on UFOs and other flying saucers sightings in Alsace, Christian Valentin recounts some observations of the famous "Foo-Fighters" in Alsace in 1944-1945, and found in addition to the "classic" Foo-fighters a tragic event perhaps in connection with the latter.

He says that Captain Pierre Schauffelberger, French pilot, was shot in flight during a reconnaissance mission at high altitude by flak in the afternoon of February 14, 1945. And he is quoted in a commemorative plaque by the AAHAA, Association of Friends of the History of Aviation in Alsace.

He had broken radio silence and had exclaimed: "I see a white ball coming toward me" - which will be his last words. His P-38 Lightning "273" disrupted by the fatal shots he had just received, fell at high speed. In a final effort he avoided the village of Bettendorf, skimming the rooftops. He lost one of the engines and crashed in a field outside the village.

Christian Valentin comments that the "white ball" is a curious description for flak, given the bullets speed. He should have expolicitely told about flak rather than of a "white ball coming toward me."

Moreover, the text refers to several "fatal blows" after the pilot announced that only one "white ball" came towards him.

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[Ref. cvn2:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:

Former journalist Christian Valentin published in 2012 a very interesting book telling the story of UFO sightings, flying saucers sightings, in Alsace, from the beginning to 1980.

In this book, he reports some of the observations of the famous "Foo-Fighters" in Alsace in 1944-1945, and indicates that in addition to these "classic" sightings, there has been a tragic event "probably not related to the phenomenon of foo fighters, but whose appearance prompts to brings the facts together."

He says that Captain Pierre Schauffelberger, French pilot, was shot in flight during a reconnaissance mission at high altitude by flak in the afternoon of February 14, 1945. And he is quoted in a commemorative plaque by the AAHAA, Association of Friends of the History of Aviation in Alsace.

He had broken radio silence and had exclaimed: "I see a white ball coming toward me" - which will be his last words. His P-38 Lightning "273" disrupted by the fatal shots he had just received, fell at high speed. In a final effort he avoided the village of Bettendorf, skimming the rooftops. He lost one of the engines and crashed in a field outside the village.

Christian Valentin comments that the "white ball" is a curious description for flak, given the bullets speed. He should have expolicitely told about flak rather than of a "white ball coming toward me."

Moreover, the text refers to several "fatal blows" after the pilot announced that only one "white ball" came towards him.

Discussion:

The memorial stone can be found like this: from the center of Bettendorf (Townhall - Church) 5 km southeast of Altkirch, go up the Captain Schaufelberger street, at the fork of the cross, turn right and go up the whole Bettendorf street. After the last houses continue on the asphalt road that narrows into a farming path. At the fork, take the right path marked with a red triangle, follow it, move past the lower pond on the right staying on the trail. The stone is 30 meters away, surrounded by two cypress trees.

Pierre Schauffelberger was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 5, 1915. He was killed with "Died for France" honor while on mission within the Belfort 1/33 Reconnaissance Group which had been reconstituted in January 1945. He had left Nancy-Azelot, flying a Lockheed Lightning P-38; while the GR 01/33 was just reformed.

(Sources: Jean-Loup Frommer; www.er133belfort.free.fr; www.memoiredeshommes.sga; C. Dannau www.memorial-genweb.org; http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=5434)

Francecrashes39-45.net lists all crashes of aircraft from 1939 to 1945 in France. We see no night fighter aircraft types has never been lost in the Upper Rhine and the Lower Rhine. In cases of "Foo-Fighters" in the Rhine Valley, there has never been one report mentioning "hostility" of these phenomena, rather, avoidance is sometimes indicated. All Alsatian Foo-Fighters the period 1939-1945 seem to have been nocturnal; the reconnaissance mission of Pierre Schauffelberger was necessarily by day. We see that this case does not "fit" with the others on these aspects.

The "white ball" cannot be an engine fire; it would never be described as advancing to the pilot that since the P-38 (picture below) has its two engines on the side beams, left and right of the central pilot pod.

Lockheed P-38 "Lightning".

Evaluation:

Unexplained.

Sources references:

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

• [cvn2] * "Mythes et Réalités des Phénomènes Aériens Non Identifiés - Histoire des soucoupes volantes en Alsace jusqu'en 1980", book by Christian Valentin, Grimoires d'Alsace publishers, France, page , 2012.

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