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.

< Previous case Next case >

Germany, in 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1945-00-00-GERMANY-1

Summary:

In the end of the 1990's, US ufologist Jan Aldrich indicated on his historical ufology website Project 1947 that near the end of World War II, by day, in Germany, a fighter pilot preparing to land saw a rectangular light, with its short base parallel to the ground, hanging in the sky.

The pilot changed his position to make sure it was not some kind of reflection and informed his Squadron Commander, who told him to ignore it.

Aldrich says this report of a possible runaway balloon comes from a letter to US Air Force UFO investigation project Blue Book, in the file of Life magazine.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	About April or May 1945
Time:	Day.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	Between 1952 and 1969
Reporting delay:	Decades.

Geographical data:

Country:	Germany
State/Department:	?
City:	?

Witnesses data:

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

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Letter to US Air Force or Life Magazine.
Visibility conditions:	Day.
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:	Hovers.
Witnesses action:
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: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	DD
Armed / unarmed:	Armed.
Reliability 1-3:	1
Strangeness 1-3:	2
ACUFO:	Unidentified, insufficient information.

Sources:

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

N - 1945,------ Near the end of the War, Day, Germany,

Fighter Pilot, preparing to land, pilot saw a rectangular light, short base parallel to the ground hanging in the sky. Pilot changed his position to make sure it wasn't some kind of reflection and informed Sq Cdr., who told him to ignore it. (Possibly: Runaway balloon?) (Letter to Project Blue Book ("Life magazine file"))

Aircraft information:

No details are given except that the witness was a "fighter pilot", hence the plane was a fighter plane.

Discussion:

Due to lack of details - I was unable to find the letter or any information in the available Blue Book files - I cannot identify a cause for this incident.

Evaluation:

Unidentified, insufficient information.

Sources references:

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

[let1] ? Letter to Project Blue Book, ATIC, US Air Force, USA.
[lfe1] * Life Magazine file, USA.
[prt4] * "ACUFOE in World War II", catalogue by Jan Aldrich, Project 1947, USA, October 9, 1999, at http://www.project1947.com/47cats/acupdt.htm

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 4, 2023	Creation, [prt4].
1.0	Patrick Gross	December 4, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on December 4, 2023.