ACUFO-1945-08-01-OKINAWA-1
At the end of the 1990s, in a catalog of encounters between pilots and UFOs, ufologist Dominique Weinstein noted a case of August 1, 1945, above Okinawa, Japan:
H. B. Kreer, pilot of a US Marine F-4U fighter plane flying at 30,000 meters, had seen "an unidentified object."
Weinstein gave no details, and indicated that his primary source was a letter from the witness to astronomer and ufologist Joseph Allen Hynek, a letter stored in the file of his ufology group CUFOS.
I found a case on the NICAP ufology website that may or may not be the same, published in 2017:
It is noted that in August 1945, in Okinawa, Japan, a cigar-shaped UFO, metallic, without visible markings or openings, and measuring 35 to 50 feet in length, was seen; this is said to come from the 2007 book "Strange Company - Military Encounters with UFOs in World War II" by Keith Chester.
I can confirm that the witness, Henry B. Kreer, was indeed a US Navy Marines pilot stationed in Okinawa at the time of the sighting, but I have been unable to locate his letter to Dr. J. Allen Hynek.
| Date: | August 1, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Time: | ? |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | 1970 - 1980 |
| Reporting delay: | 3 to 4 decades. |
| Country: | Japan |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Okinawa |
| City: | Okinawa |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 1 |
| Reporting channel: | Witness letter to J. Allen Hynek. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | ? |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | ? |
| UFO action: | ? |
| Witnesses action: | ? |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | UFO. |
| Sensors: |
[1] Visual: 1.
[ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | ? |
| Armed / unarmed: | Armed, 6 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns or 4 20 mm cannons. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 2 |
| ACUFO: | Possible extraterrestrial craft, insufficient information. |
[Ref. dwn1:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:
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H. B. Kreer, pilot of a US Marine F-4U fighter flying at 30,000 saw an unidentified object.
Sources: CUFOS' Files, letter from the witness to J. Allen Hynek / Project 1947, Jan Aldrich
(Ref. nip1:) "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
Aug. 1945; Okinawa, Japan
Cigar-shaped, metallic, and without markings or visible openings, and 35 to 50 feet in length. (Page 189-190 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: Aug. 1945
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Time:
Summary: Cigar-shaped, metallic, and without markings or visible openings, and 35 to 50 feet in length.
Source: Page 189-190 Ref.1
The Chance Vought F4U "Corsair" (photo below) was a very efficient American fighter plane, one of the best-known aircraft of the Second World War, capable of operating from aircraft carriers, used during World War II in the Pacific, serving with both the US Navy and US Marine Corps Aviation.
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I found some information about the witness:
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Henry B. Kreer, aka Henry Blackstone Kreer, aka "Pete" Kreer, (photo above) was born on September 2, 1923 in Pittsburg, USA, and died on July 15, 2001, at his home in Glenview, Illinois, USA.
He graduated from New Trier High School in 1941, having lettered in football, basketball and tennis. He attended Princeton University School of Architecture until he enlisted as a naval aviation cadet in the Navy's V5 program, which led to being a fighter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Promoted to captain in the Marine Corps, he participated in campaigns of Midway, Guam, and Okinawa, for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He served as a squadron leader in VMF 314 for an element of fighter pilots who were stationed near Okinawa during World War II. He flew numerous missions protecting the U.S. naval fleet from Japanese kamikaze pilots and supporting the ground troops on Okinawa. In 1945, he briefly served as a flight instructor before returning to Winnetka, where he was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve, flying out of the Glenview Naval Air Station.
He then attended Northwestern University, the university to which ufologist J. Allen Hynek, Air Force UFO consultant, was attached as an astronomer.
What I failed to find is the letter he is said to have written to Dr. Allen Hynek. It does not seem to appear on either the CUFOS Website not the Project 1947 Website.
As can be seen, in this file, after the [dwn1] source, I noted a report from the NICAP Website [nip1]. It must be understood that I am suspecting, but not certain, that the latter concerns the same case.
So far, this looks like y very interesting and high strangeness case, but information is missing.
Possible extraterrestrial craft, 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 23, 2023 | Creation, [dwn1], [nip1], [tai1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 23, 2023 | First published. |
