ACUFO:

ACUFO is my comprehensive catalogue of cases of encounters between aircraft and UFOs, whether they are “explained” or “unexplained”.

The ACUFO catalogue 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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Burma, in 1943:

Case number:

ACUFO-1943-00-00-BURMA-1

Summary:

In the 1990 and 2000's, books and web sources that are not much credited for reliability claimed that in 1943, in Burma, U.S. bomber pilots flying missions from Burma to China reported being buzzed and circled by 'glittering' object, and that instruments “failed to operate until the objects flew off.”

No earlier source was being given and I first found none.

Then, I found it; in his 1954 book “Flying Saucers on the Attack“, the British ufology pionneer Harold T. Wilkins, told it like this:

“Certain U.S. pilots, flying their planes over the Burma road to China, in the war year, 1943, allege that, on a clear sunny day, their planes were “buzzed” and circled by a strange “glittering object.” They say its speed was very high, that their instrument panels failed to operate. After some minutes the strange object flew off, when their own motors re-started to function, and also their previously immobilized instruments!”

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	1943
Time:	?
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1954
Reporting delay:	10 years.

Geographical data:

Country:	Burma (Myanmar)
State/Department:	?
City or place:	?

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	Several.
Number of known witnesses:	0
Number of named witnesses:	0

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Harold T. Wilkins ufology book.
Visibility conditions:	?
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
UFO action:	Circle planes, disturb their instruments, departure.
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: ? [ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [X] Failures: Instruments failures. [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	?
Armed / unarmed:	Armed.
Reliability 1-3:	1
Strangeness 1-3:	3
ACUFO:	Insufficient information.

Sources:

[Ref. hws1:] HAROLD T. WILKINS:

Certain U.S. pilots, flying their planes over the Burma road to China, in the war year, 1943, allege that, on a clear sunny day, their planes were “buzzed” and circled by a strange “glittering object.” They say its speed was very high, that their instrument panels failed to operate. After some minutes the strange object flew off, when their own motors re-started to function, and also their previously immobilized instruments!

[Ref. pbh1:] PETER BROOKESMITH:

In 1943, US bomber pilots flying missions from Burma to China reported being buzzed and circled by 'glittering' objects. Instruments failed to operate until the objects flew off.

[Ref. rft1:] M. R. FLUET:

Burma: US bomber pilots flying missions from Burma to China reported being buzzed and circled by 'glittering' objects. Instruments failed to operate until the objects flew off.

[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:

(Last Updated On: January 1, 2016)

Date: 1943

Location: Burma

Time:

Summary: US bomber pilots flying missions from Burma to China reported being buzzed and circled by 'glittering' objects. Instruments failed to operate until the objects flew off.

Source:

[Ref. twf1:] "THE WHY FILES" WEBSITE:

In 1943, U.S. Bomber aircrew flying from Burma to China reported being “buzzed” and circled by “glittering” objects. They also reported that the aircraft instruments failed to operate until the object flew off.

[Ref. ute1:] A "UFO TIMELINE" ON THE WEB:

1943

Burma: US bomber pilots flying missions from Burma to China reported being buzzed and circled by 'glittering' objects. Instruments failed to operate until the objects flewoff.

Aircraft information:

None available.

Discussion:

The sources available to me for now do not indicate any earlier sources, the information is extremely poor.

I found no other information about this alleged case.

Update of July 18, 2024:

I have now found that the story was first reported by Harold Wilkins in 1954 [hws1]. The information is still poor, but the credibility is enhanced because I have never found that Wilkins made up his information.

Evaluation:

Insufficient information.

Sources references:

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

[hws1] * "Flying Saucers on the Attack", book by Harold T. Wilkins, Citadel Press - Ace Star Books publishers, USA, pp 16-17, 1954.
[pbh1] * "UFO - The Complete Sightings", book by Peter Brookesmith, Barnes & Noble publishers, USA, page 35, 1995.
[rft1] * "Our Brothers in the Skies: The Hidden Truth Revealed", book by M. R. Fluet, self-published, page 116, 2009.
[tai1] * "1943: UFO & Alien Sightings", web page of the Think About It website, USA, as of January 1, 2016, at https://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/1943-ufo-alien-sightings
[twf1] * "And other Strange Objects in Wartime Skies!", Web page on the The Why Files Website, not dated, as of 2023, at https://thewhyfiles.net/foo_fighters.html
[ute1] * "UFO Timeline: A Chronology of UFOs through Time", anonymous ufology timeline on the Web, found 2023.

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	October 1, 2023	Creation, [rft1], [tai1], [twf1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	October 1, 2023	First published.
1.1	Patrick Gross	November 24, 2023	Addition [pbh1].
1.2	Patrick Gross	April 17, 2024	Addition [ute1].
1.3	Patrick Gross	July 18, 2024	Addition [hws1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [hws1]. In the Discussion, addition of the "Update of July 18, 2024" part. Evaluation changed, was "Totally insufficient information, no credibility."

This page was last updated on July 18, 2024.