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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Fukuoka, Japan, on June 19, 1945:

Case number:

ACUFO-1945-06-19-FUKUOKA-1

Summary:

In the 1990s - 2000s, ufological sources reported that on June 19, 1945, the crew of a B-29, flying over Fukuoka (Japan), observed "a brilliant ball of fire" approaching at very high speed. The B-29 pilot took evasive action while the machine gunners fired. The gunners missed or hit it with no apparent result. The ball of fire was right above them, only fifty meters away, passing right under the bomber. The crew saw no fuselage or wings as it passed under the B-29 and disappeared.

This was said to come from the Tactical Mission Report of June 19-20, 1945, written by the XXIst Bomber Command of the US Army Air Forces.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	June 19, 1945
Time:	?
Duration:	?
First known report date:	June 20, 1945
Reporting delay:	Hours.

Geographical data:

Country:	Japan
State/Department:	Fukuoka
City:	Fukuoka

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	3 or more.
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	0

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Military operations report.
Visibility conditions:	?
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	Yes.
UFO departure observed:	Yes.
UFO action:	Passes from above to below the plane.
Witnesses action:	Evasive maneuver, macine gun fire with no apparent results.
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Sensors:	[X] Visual: 3 or more. [ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	?
Armed / unarmed:	Armed, 12 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	2
Strangeness 1-3:	1
ACUFO:	Possible air-to-air phosphorus bomb.

Sources:

[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

Case 135

June 19, 1945

Fukuoka, Japan

The crew of a B-29, flying over Fukuoka, observed "one bright ball of fire" approaching at a very high speed. The B-29's pilot took evasive action while the machine gunners fired away. The gunners missed, or they hit it with no apparent result. The ball of fire was right on top of them, just fifty yards away, passing right under the bomber. The crew saw no fuselage or any wings as it passed under the B-29 and disappeared.

Sources: Headquarters XXI Bomber Command Tactical Mission Report, June 19/20, 1945, NARA / Strange Company, Keith Chester, 2007.

(Ref. nip1:) "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

June 19, 1945; Fukuoka, Japan

One bright ball of fire; no fuselage or any wings. (Page 180 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: June 19, 1945

Location: Fukuoka, Japan

Time:

Summary: One bright ball of fire; no fuselage or any wings.

Source:

Aircraft information:

The Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" was the heaviest bomber of the US Army Air Force, used in operations from May 8, 1944 and on. Its maximum speed was 574 km/h.

Its defensive armament was 12 Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns.

Discussion:

The sighting report can be described like this:

The crew of the B-29 observed a bright ball of fire with no fuselage and no wings approaching their plane from above at a very high speed. The pilot took evasive action, while the machine gunners fired and missed or hit the ball of fire with no apparent result, and the ball of fire passed right under the bomber and disappeared.

This is entirely consistent with an air-to-air phosphorus bomb dropped by a japanese aircraft onto the B-29.

The Japanese pilots did this during many bomb raids over Japan. Japanese planes would fly about 5000 feet above the B-29 and 2000 feet ahead, and drop phosphorus bombs, hoping it would hit the B-29 and set fire to it. The successfull hits were very rare.

This explanation implies that it occured in the night, otherwise the trail would have been seen. It may also have been a malfunctioning air-to-air bomb.

Below: air-to-air phosphorus bombs dropped from Japanese fighter planes to US B-24 bombers on the Pacific theater.

Below: sketch of air-to-air phosphorus bombs dropped from a Japanese "Zero" fighter, from a US intelligence document.

Evaluation:

Possible air-to-air phosphorus bomb.

Sources references:

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

[aaf1] ? Headquarters XXI Bomber Command Tactical Mission Report, June 19-20, 1945.
[kcr1] ? "Strange Company - Military Encounters with UFOs in World War II", book by Keith Chester, Anomalist Book publishers, USA, page 180, 2007.
[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.
[nip1] * "UFO Sighting Chronology - 1939-1945; The WWII Years & 'Foo-Fighters'", on the ufology Website The NICAP Website, USA, created December 18, 2006, updated December 5, 2017, at http://www.nicap.org/chronos/1939-1945.htm
[tai1] * "1945: June UFO & Alien Sightings", web page on the Think About It Website, USA, June 22, 2016, at https://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/1945-june-ufo-alien-sightings

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 21, 2023	Creation, [dwn2], [nip1], [tai1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	December 21, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on December 21, 2023.