ACUFO-1944-09-29-RECHLINROGGENTIN-1
Didier Serres, a former French journalist, published his first of three ufo books in 1970, titled "Le Livre Noir des Soucoupes Volantes", under the pseudonyme of "Henry Durrant".
In this book, in a section about WWII Foo Fighters, he claimed that the German pilots too saw unidentified flying objects, thinking that they wre secret weapons of the Allied. He described a few cases, including one on September 29, 1944, at 10:45 a.m., at the Rechlin-Roggenthin [sic] Test Center.
Durrant claimed that at 12,000 meters, a test pilot of "Erprobungskommando 162" whose identity was not provided "in the report" was testing a new Messerschmitt Me-262 "Schwalbe" jet, when his attention was attracted by two luminescent spots to his right. Going full throttle, durrant says, he found himself in the presence of a cylindrical body more than 100 meters long; on the side, a few round openings in the form of portholes; from the front to half the length, vertical rods, nmaybe metallic, in the form of antennae; no wings; speed exceeding 2,000 km/h.
The pilot, Durrant says, approached it to within 500 meters for a few seconds and was able to observe it.
Durrant says the pilot was interrogated by "Special Bureau 13" and had to draw a sketch of what he had seen, and it was "on this occasion that Prof. Dr. H. Frazer presented his theory of the protective magnetic field adjustable at will."
Durrant indeed claimed that the German pilot sightings had resulted in the establishment by the nazis of a special UFO office called "Sonderb ro 13" conducting a UFO study project called "Uranus".
Durrant provided no source at all for any of his claims about UFO sightings and studies in nazi Germany; but what he told was later tols by other authors in several French UFO booky.
In 1979, French ufologist Thierry Pinvidic, in his book "Le Noeud Gordien ou la Fantastique Histoire des ovni", discussed about "certain fantastic stories circulate about German secret weapons, and "UFOs" allegedly observed by certain authorities of the 3rd Reich" and alleged studies on this subject by experts from the Peenem de base. He cites this case, without giving a source, then curiously approaches the idea that one claims it was the Nazis themselves who would have built a "V-7" flying saucer, an idea that he refutes with the good arguments that we know elsewhere.
He then explains how he tried to contact German authorities in this field, such as Professor Hermann Oberth, pioneer of the German rocket program during WWII, and others, all explaining that they had heard nothing about UFO reports or ufo studies by the Germans during WWII.
In the quarterly ufology magazine OVNI-Pr sence No 27 of September 1983, Thierry Pinvidic explained that Durrant had invented the story of "Sonderb ro No. 13" and only admitted it after Pinvidic's "investigation in Germany." Pnvidic explains that Durrant told him that he made up these stories as a "copycat trap" to fool ufologists "who, as usual, repeat information without verifying it."
| Date: | September 29, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Time: | ? |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | 1970 |
| Reporting delay: | 2 decades |
| Country: | Germany |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania |
| City: | Roggentin |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
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| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Reporting channel: | Henry Durrant UFO book. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | ? |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | ? |
| UFO action: | Goes away. |
| Witnesses action: | Approach. |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: 1
[ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | ? |
| Armed / unarmed: | ? |
| Reliability 1-3: | 1 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 3 |
| ACUFO: | Invention by author Henry Durrant. |
[R f. hdt1:] "HENRI DURRANT":
On September 29, 1944, at 10:45 a.m., at the Rechlin-Roggenthin Test Center, at 12,000 m, a pilot (identity not provided in the report) was testing a new Messerschmitt ME 262 Schwalbe jet. (Recall that this is where the "Erprobungskommando 162" was based, commanded by Oberstleutnant Heintz Bar, an ace with more than 200 victories; this special group of test pilots was better known as the "Volksj ger-Erprobungskommando.") His attention was attracted by two luminescent spots to his right. Going full throttle, he found himself in the presence of a cylindrical body more than 100 m long; on the side, a few round openings in the form of portholes; from the front to half the length, vertical rods (metallic?) in the form of antennae; no wings; speed exceeding 2,000 km/h. The pilot approached it to within 500 m for a few seconds and was able to observe it. He was interrogated by Special Bureau 13 and had to draw a sketch of what he had seen. It was on this occasion that Prof. Dr. H. Frazer presented his theory of the protective magnetic field adjustable at will.
[Ref. tfo1:] GIANFRANCO DE TURRIS AND SEBASTIANO FUSCO:
These authors say that on September 29, 1944 at Rechlin-Roggenth n in Germany, the test flight of a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter was followed by two bright spots. Gliding towards them, the pilot finds himself in the presence of a cylindrical body more than 100 meters long, which is observed for a few seconds about half a kilometer away, then moves away and disappears. The authors say the report was sent to Special Office no. 13.
[Ref. pvy1:] PIERRE VIEROUDY:
On September 29, 1944, a German pilot from the Rechlin-Roggenthin test center was testing a Messerschmitt 262 at an altitude of twelve thousand meters when he found himself in the presence of a cylindrical object more than a hundred meters long, comprising a few round openings in the form of portholes and vertical rods. The speed of the object was estimated at more than two thousand kilometers per hour. The pilot approached it to within five hundred meters and was able to take a closer look at it.
[Ref. ynd1:] YVES NAUD:
But the most convincing testimony retained by the Sonderb ru is that of a military aviation ace.
On September 29, 1944, at 10 a.m. 45, this test pilot was testing a new Messerschmitt ME 262 Schwalbe jet, when his attention was suddenly attracted by two luminous dots located to his right. He dives full throttle in this direction and finds himself "facing a cylindrical body more than a hundred meters long with a few openings on the side, and equipped with long antennae placed from the front up to half the length". Having reached 500 meters from the craft, the pilot realizes that it is moving at more than 2000 kilometers per hour!
[R f. fgs1:] FRANCOIS GARDES:
The Germans had made findings just as worrying [as those of the Allies in 1939-1945]. Their aviators had encountered silent, cigar-shaped aerial vehicles, about a hundred meters long. Impossible that these were Allied airships. They disappeared at supersonic speeds as soon as one approached them. On the experimental bases from which the first V 2 rockets were launched, specialists discovered to their amazement that flying discs accompanied the top-secret prototypes as they circled around. Reports, photographs, films... A special investigation office had been created, "Sonderburo No. 13". It was made up of scientists, engineers and senior officers from the Air Force. It had the same fate as the Massey commission. On both sides of no man's land, the belligerents had mutually reassured each other thanks to the osmosis of their intelligence services. These supersonic and silent machines did not belong to the arsenal of enemy secret weapons. Why worry too much about it...
[R f. tpc1:] THIERRY PINVIDIC:
Certain fantastic stories circulate about German secret weapons, and "UFOs" allegedly observed by certain authorities of the 3rd Reich. Studies have been undertaken on this subject by experts from the Peenem de base, it is said. The opinion of the experts involved is edifying. Let us first recall "the facts" as they are generally presented.
[...]
We must also talk about the famous "Foo-Fighters", these "ghost hunters" also called "Kraut-Fireballs" by the Americans. In September 1944, for example, during tests of the ME 262 fighter at the Rechlin-Roggenthin [sic] base, some of the best German pilots observed luminous globes but were unable to reach them during chase.
The author then reports that ufological sources - which ones he does not specify - speak of a study commission ("Sonder B ro") of UFOs by the Nazis in a project named "Uranus", then curiously approaches the idea that one claims it was the Nazis themselves who would have built a "V-7" flying saucer, an idea that he refutes with the good arguments that we know elsewhere.
Decided to get information directly from the sources, I wrote in 1977 to Professor Hermann Oberth, expert in astronautics and responsible for the German program during the Second World War, master of Werner Von Braun, with whom he worked at the Redstone arsenal for the account of the CAA in 1952. Hermann Oberth is generally considered the father of modern astronautics.
I asked Professor Oberth for any details and references relating to possible work carried out on the subject of UFOs by the Peenem de experts. [...] I asked Hermann Oberth the destination of the Sonder B ro documents after the Second World War. [...] I received the following response dated October 18, 1976:
Dear Sir,
Unfortunately I cannot answer your questions. During the years 1941-43 while I worked at the Peenem de base, there was never any question of UFO in the services with which I was in contact. The code name "Uranus" is also unknown to me.
I first heard about UFOs in 1953. Mr. Heinz Gr sser, president of the Peenem de alumni association, may possibly help you with this.
With my best regards Hermann Oberth
Followed was the address of Heinz Grosser whom I obviously contacted as soon as possible [...]
The following answers only showed that the people contacted had no knowledge of flying saucers made by the Nazis or of UFO sightings by German pilots during the Second World War, nor of a "Sonderb ro" or "Uranus" project.
[R f. tpc2:] THIERRY PINVIDIC:
Cheating:
Cheating is, for example [...] it is again Durrant inventing the story of Sonderburo No. 13 of the Luftwaffe and who only admitted it after my investigation in Germany. He narrowly escaped by claiming that he had set up this hoax to trap ufologists who, as usual, repeat information without verifying it. One gets by as best one can, and I even have serious doubts on this subject which I will come back to one day. In any case, everyone who has read "Les dossiers des S.V." but have not read "Le noeud gordien" will continue to take the thing at face value, as several authors happily did who happily repeated Durrant.
[R f. hdt2:] "HENRI DURRANT":
Mr. the Editor-in-Chief, No. 27 of September 1983, of "OVNI-Presence" reached me this morning, and I thank you very much for it. I note, in the article "amateurism..." signed by Mr. Pindivic Thierry, the following passage (pp. 7 and 8):
"Cheating is ... again Durrant inventing the story of Sonderburo No. 13 of the Luftwaffe and only admitting it after my investigation in Germany. He got away with it correctly by claiming that he had set up this hoax to trap ufologists who, as usual, repeat information without verifying it. One gets away with it as best one can, and I even have serious doubts on this subject to which I will come back one day. In any case, all those who have read "Les dossiers des S.V." but did not read "Le noeud gordien" will continue to take the thing at face value, as several authors happily did who happily copied Durrant."
Without claiming the right of reply (our relations are excellent), although having been cited by name, I ask you to kindly publish this corrective text, in extenso, in your very next issue no. 28. Mr. Pinvidic Thierry actually asked me for information on the Sonderburo Nr. 13 of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe, by telephone and AFTER the release of his very interesting book "Le noeud gordien" (For confirmation, see GEPO-Information, n 29, January-March 1983); So I did not have to admit that it was a hoax, Mr. Pinvidic Thierry not having played the investigating judge that day; I simply explained to him that it was a trap for copiers or looters, and I explained to him the origins: my past difficulties, with less than honest colleagues (I'm summarizing!), regarding translations of articles, when I was a professional journalist, years ago.
Mr. Pinvidic Thierry acted "as several authors happily did who happily copied Durrant", although he too published the same story in conditional mode (I reread his text)(!). If Mr. Pinvidic Thierry had telephoned me BEFORE the publication of his book, he would have been aware of the trap, would not have fallen into it, and would have spared himself the trouble of practicing conditional cheating himself, which would is more serious; because it was by ignoring the details that I provided him that he was able to allow himself to accuse me of cheating and claim that "I narrowly escaped by pretexting that..."
Mr. Pinvidic Thierry says he carried out an investigation in Germany. Very good. The result of this having been negative, a double question arises: did he investigate, to verify information, BEFORE writing his book, and, in this case, why does he use the conditional instead of frankly denouncing "cheating"?
Did he investigate AFTER the release of The Gordian Knot ? As he does not specify this, I would like to point out to him that: 1) Investigating BEFORE without taking into account the result is aberrant, and that 2) investigating AFTER is investigating too late. (2) Mr. Pinvidic Thierry is not very sure of his references: it is not the "Dossiers des S.V." (3) (title he writes falsely), but from the "Livre Noir des Soucoupes Volantes" where Sonderburo Nr. 13 is mentioned on p. 81.
The trap had therefore been set since 1970, and it took thirteen long years for Mr. Pinvidic Thierry to decide to write about it... perhaps also because the first list of looters began to spread and that this tickle him? I can't believe it.
To this first argument confirming my good faith, I will add another proof: the list, as up to date as possible, of "those who happily copied". Am I going to make so many enemies? What does it matter! as the other said: "Molto nemici? Molto onore!". Your readers will then be able to verify two elements passed over in silence by Mr. Pinvidic Thierry: 1) the dates of publication of the books cited prove that I did not wait for the release of "le noeud gordien" to "barely escape in claiming that..."; 2) readers who have the works cited will only have to refer to the pages indicated to ensure that I am telling the truth. Mr. Editor-in-Chief, you absolutely must forgive me for the sweet habit I have, that of always providing others with the possibility of controlling me. Not everyone can do it!
To the brief mention of Sonderb ro Nr. 13 that I made in 1970, one author adds Admiral Canaris (in 1977), another adds 300 confirmed pilots (in 1979)(5), and we arrived at the F hrer himself (conversation of 09.10.1982): in psychoanalysis, this progressively additive phenomenon is called "Ulysses' lie". So, if I had a slightly devious mind, I could deny the entire and exclusive authorship of my copycat trap. Because I could consider that my looter trap has been so perfected and embellished by the copiers themselves, that I now have complete freedom to throw this screaming baby away with the dirty water of his bath. But why should I avoid this responsibility, since it has the advantage of revealing so much joy to us?
In UFOLOGIE-CONTACT n 8, from the ex-SPEPSE, Mr. Pinvidic Thierry expressed a completely different opinion, with regard to Durrant, than that of today; it is true that the first partial list of copiers was not in circulation. In psychoanalysis, how could we define such a reversal?
Conflating a "copycat trap" with dishonesty has never been a serious procedure; it's at most an old trick of a crooked politician. On the other hand, ah! how I would have liked to see at least as much "vigor" shown towards copiers; My disappointment is great, because I haven't read anything about it yet. In morality, what is it called?
Apart from its immediate usefulness, what can the introduction of copier traps in books mean? We can respond: to sanitation (6), to the moralization of UFO "literature"; that is to say to a very specific field arising from ufology. Now, Mr. Editor-in-Chief, your readers no doubt remember, in the first part of his article "On amateurism...", Mr. Pinvidic Thierry pulls no punches (and I 'approve!) to castigate the vices of ufologists, and to try to clean up, to moralize what is not yet (fortunately!) a profession. It would therefore seem that our approaches are the same, if not similar. So why conflate a looter trap with "cheating"? In psychoanalysis, what is such a contradiction called?
Could it be because Durrant "acted" while Pinvidic only "wrote"? I can't believe it. Could it be because we cannot claim to "moralize", when we ourselves...? I can't believe it. As for deceiving the reader (The Sonderb ro Nr. 13 is neither a case nor a ufological incident), if Mr. Pinvidic Thierry knows a recipe for making an omelette without breaking eggs, it is with pleasure and profit that I will assimilate his lesson. Has life not yet taught him that, too often, between two evils he must choose the lesser?
Mr. Editor-in-Chief, let's get serious again: "Le Livre Noir des Soucoupes Volantes" contains two traps, one of which is now known; two traps also exist in "Les Dossiers des OVNI"; two traps also exist in "Premi res enqu tes sur les humano des extraterrestres." To the wise, hello!
There are many of us, extremely many of us, who deplore the fact that, in all UFO publications, vain controversy too often replaces fresh news, interesting information, solid documentation. Believe me, I was truly saddened to have been obliged to take up so much editorial space from you in order to re-establish the strict truth, and thus avoid the misinformation (or intoxication, as you choose) of your readers. (7)
I think I didn't abuse it, unlike some who didn't deprive themselves of it. It is in this hope that I remain, Mr. Editor-in-Chief, very cordially yours:
Henry DURRANT
We then get the notes by the editor of OVNI-Pr sence:
Editorial notes:
(1) In fact, investigative elements are gathered in "Le noeud gordien" but are however insufficient to demonstrate the non-existence of Sonderb ro Nr 13.
(2) The investigative elements found in "Le noeud gordien" were obviously collected BEFORE publication!
(3) The exact title is "Les dossiers des O.V.N.I.".
(4) We must at least add to this list SCORNAUX Jacques and PIENS Christiane, "A la recherche des OVNI", Marabout 1976, p. 159.
(5) It is in fact Henry Durrant himself who quotes Admiral Canaris in "Le livre noir des soucoupes volantes" on page 85!!! Maybe if he reread himself, he would also discover the origin of the 300 confirmed pilots?!
(6) For sanitation, it's a failure!
(7) We learn with astonishment that Henry Durrant, as a defender of freedoms, morality, and detoxification, published two copycat traps in each of his books. Given the already long list of copiers, one might wonder how one could qualify the publication of such misleading pseudo-information. Henry Durrant proposes the term sanitation. Perhaps... If then all the authors of ufological books sanitized in the same manner, then ufology must indeed be transparent in its clarity!
[Ref. gvo1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
GERMANY, Rechlin-Roggenthin
At 10:45 a.m., at the Rechlin-Roggenthin Test Center, at 12,000 m, a pilot (identity not provided in the report) was testing a new Messerschmitt ME 262 Schwalbe jet. His attention was drawn to two luminescent spots to his right. Going full throttle, he found himself in the presence of a cylindrical body more than 100 m long; on the side some round openings in the form of portholes; from the front to half the length, vertical (metal?) rods in the form of antennae; no wings; speed exceeding 2,000 km/h. The pilot approached it to within 500 m for a few seconds and was able to observe it. He was interrogated by Special Bureau 13 and had to draw a sketch of what he had seen. (Henry DURRANT: "Le livre noir des S.V." Laffont 1970 p.85-86)
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH:
514: 1944/09/29 10:50 1 7:54:00 E 52:22:00 N 3333 WEU GER LSX 6:6
ACHMER AFB?,GER:ME252 PILOT:100M CGR:OPENINGS/SIDE:LONG ANTENNAS:>>1900kph
Ref# 40 CUFON / NAT'l UFO REPORTING CENTER Page No. 0: IN-FLIGHT
[Ref. sst1:] S. N. STRUTT:
This author says that a typical sightings of Foo Fighters took place on September 29, 1944, at 10:45 a.m., when a test pilot was trying out a new Messerschmitt jet, ME 262 Schwalbe, when two luminous points situated on his right suddenly caught his attention. He shot at full speed in that direction and found himself face to face with a cylindrical object, more than three hundred feet long with some openings along its side and fitted with long antennae placed in front up to about halfway along its lengch. Having approached within about 1,500 feet of che craft, the pilot saw in amazement that it was moving ar a speed of more than 1,200 m.p.h.
This author then states that the foo fighter was a German flying weapon called "tortoise" built to disrupt the Alied planes navigation and communications systems.
[Ref. twf1:] WEBSITE "THE WHY FILES":
The Allied Military Chiefs suspected that Foo Fighters were, in fact, enemy secret weapons but the Germans were also mystified by the strange objects. In 1944 the German Wehrmacht requested that the Luftwaffe set up a section which would collect information on what the allies called Foo Fighters.
This section was known as Sonderburo 13 (Special Office 13) and was meticulous in its allotted task until the invasion of Germany in April 1945. An impressive amount of data was collected, including the sightings of some rather strange aerial objects:
[... other case... ].
29th September, 1944, A test pilot was flying a new Messerschmitt ME-262 Schwalbe jet when he suddenly sighted two luminous points of light to his right. When he turned the jet and approached the objects at full speed he was staggered to observe a cylindrical craft more than 90 metres long with openings along its side and a long antenna at the front. The test pilot estimated its speed at 2,000 kmph.
The Messerschmitt Me-262 "Schwalbe" was the first truly operational jet aircraft in history. It was supposed to serve as a fighter plane but was instead used as a fighter-bomber, and later a night fighter. Its maximum speed was 878 km/h.
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The "Erprobungsstelle Rechlin" ("Rechlin Test Department") was located on the southeastern shore of Lake M ritz in Rechlin, near Roggentin (not "Roggenthin"). It was, before the construction of the facilities of Peenemunde, the main German installation for aeronautical experimentation between 1926 and 1945. In the summer of 1944, the new Messerschmitt Me-262, Arado Ar-234 and Heinkel He-162 jets were actually tested there.
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Above: in the center a Me-262 on the Rechlin strip in1944.
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I am not publishing here the entire "saga" of the inventions of "Henry Durrant", which saga continues in various ufological journals; but there is still one more element to mention.
We see in [hdt2] that "Durrant" tried to clear himself by asserting that the invention of the "Sonderb ro 13" is not the invention of a ufological "case". Now, my current file does indeed concern a "case", and it is indeed part of several ufological "cases" put forward by Durrant.
In the "saga", the French ufologist Jean Giraud had noticed this, and called on "Durrant" to give the references for one of the cases. In vain.
Invention by author Henry Durrant.
* = 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 | October 29, 2023 | Creation, [hdt1], [tpc1], [tpc2], [hdt2]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 29, 2023 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | November 6, 2023 | Additions [ynd1], [fgs1], [gvo1], [lhh1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | December 25, 2023 | Addition [twf1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | May 4, 2024 | Additions [pvy1], [tfo1], [sst1]. |
