ACUFO-1944-12-01-OBERHAUSEN-1
In an article about the Foo-fighters of World War II, the Website Saturday Night Uforia published in 2011 about cases reported by British bomber crews in 1944.
The Website indicates that according to the December 27, 1944, Operational Research Section report, a “new phenomenon was first reported by crews of 6 Group after their attack on Oberhausen on 1/2 [December 1944], and was confirmed by the experience of the other groups on the next few nights, particularly at Bochum on the 4/5 [December 1944].”
The report said that it “was at first claimed by the crews that jet-propelled fighters had been encountered, but apart from uncertainty as to the practicability of using this type fighter at night, the apparent ease with which our gunners were able to destroy the objects made this seem improbable.”
The website notes that what makes these encounters particularly unique is that the lights were apparently destructible, and that careful re-interrogation of the crews concerned made it quite clear, however, that some new type of weapon had been tried by the enemy and, while individual reports varied somewhat, the following general picture was provisionally deduced from them:
“The phenomenon is seen as a light, moving very fast. The general consensus of opinion is that no shape can be seen and no aircraft identified, and that the objects do not fire; when fired at by the bombers a large proportion of them burst into flames or explode. Some have been seen to explode spontaneously or dive to the ground and it is therefore assumed that they are self-destroying. No bombers have been damaged or, so far as is known, even rocked by the explosion of these bodies.”
“A tentative opinion is that they may be robot projectiles, possibly of the V-1 type, probably launched from the air into the bomber stream. On the night of 4/5 when they were seen in the greatest profusion, they appeared to have been sent into the stream, not over the target, but mainly on the return journey west of Cologne. Although bomber losses on this night were heavier than for some time previously, there is no suggestion that the new weapons played any part. There is no evidence of any aircraft destroyed or even damaged by one of them.”
| Date: | December 1-2, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Night. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | December 27, 1944 |
| Reporting delay: | Hours, weeks. |
| Country: | Germany |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| City or place: | Oberhausen |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | Several. |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Reporting channel: | Official summary report. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes. |
| UFO action: | Fly fast, explode or dive to the ground. |
| Witnesses action: | Fire with machine guns. |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | German new weapon or jets. |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: Several.
[ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | NL |
| Armed / unarmed: | Armed. machine guns. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 3 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 2 |
| ACUFO: | Unexplained, insufficient information. |
[Ref. sua1:] "SATURDAY NIGHT UFORIA" WEBSITE:
British bomber crews also had unusual aerial encounters between the 1st and 5th of December, 1944. They are referred to only as lights, and no color is mentioned. What makes these encounters particularly unique, however, is that the lights were apparently destructible (as far as is known no night fighter of the 415th ever fired at the 'foo fighters').
From the December 27, 1944 Operational Research Section report entitled A New Phenomenon...
A new phenomenon was first reported by crews of 6 Group after their attack on Oberhausen on 1/2 [December 1944], and was confirmed by the experience of the other groups on the next few nights, particularly at Bochum on the 4/5 [December 1944].
It was at first claimed by the crews that jet-propelled fighters had been encountered, but apart from uncertainty as to the practicability of using this type fighter at night, the apparent ease with which our gunners were able to destroy the objects made this seem improbable.
Careful re-interrogation of the crews concerned made it quite clear, however, that some new type of weapon had been tried by the enemy and, while individual reports varied somewhat, the following general picture was provisionally deduced from them:
The phenomenon is seen as a light, moving very fast. The general consensus of opinion is that no shape can be seen and no aircraft identified, and that the objects do not fire; when fired at by the bombers a large proportion of them burst into flames or explode. Some have been seen to explode spontaneously or dive to the ground and it is therefore assumed that they are self-destroying. No bombers have been damaged or, so far as is known, even rocked by the explosion of these bodies.
A tentative opinion is that they may be robot projectiles, possibly of the V-1 type, probably launched from the air into the bomber stream. On the night of 4/5 when they were seen in the greatest profusion, they appeared to have been sent into the stream, not over the target, but mainly on the return journey west of Cologne. Although bomber losses on this night were heavier than for some time previously, there is no suggestion that the new weapons played any part. There is no evidence of any aircraft destroyed or even damaged by one of them.
The differences here with the reports of the 415th are subtle, but significant. The 'foo fighters' were said to close in and then follow single planes, these apparently were sent into the midst of general formations; the 'foo fighters' were capable of high-speed mid-air maneuvers, no such maneuvers are mentioned in the British report; the 'foo fighters' were said to extinguish or veer off level or upwards, these were said to explode or dive to the ground. The last mentioned is the most significant, as German flying bombs such as the V-1 did indeed dive after running out of fuel. And the light seen may well have been the exhaust flame. As for 'moving very fast', British air crews at first assumed the lights were jets -- the V-1 in flight ranged between 350 and 400 mph, and although German jets could reach close to 600 mph, accurately judging the precise speed of an object of unknown size is notoriously difficult.
Or it may have been something akin to an unpiloted radio-controlled model of the Me 163 Komet rocket plane, which Allied intelligence said had been reported to be in the works according to interrogations of captured Germans personnel.
During this raid on Oberhausen, the planes were Halifaxes and Lancasters heavy night bombers, and Mosquitos acting as pathfinders.
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On the night of November 1 to 2, 1944, 202 Halifaxes, 74 Lancasters and 12 Mosquito attacked the industrial sites of Oberhausen.
The RAF losses were essentially caused by German conventional night fighter planes, likely Messerschmitt Bf 110G, Junkers Ju88G6, Dornier Do217J, Heinkel “Owl”. The jet-propelled Me-262 night fighters started operating over Berlin only in the first three months of 1945. The Messerschmitt Me-163 “Komet” rocket-glider was unable to operate in the night, and no radio-controlled version ever flew. Even so, the Me-163 used its rocket to reach altitude, and then glided back into the enemy formations.
There is no evidence at all in Historical documentation that German V-1 pulse-jet flying bombs were ever launched from planes. The risk would have been great that they would miss their target and cause significant destruction when falling to the ground, and their flame is quite weak. Me-163 mostly showed a white smoke trail.
The only Me-163 base close enough was Venlo, in the Netherlands, but it had been closed in August 1944.
During the raid, pilots reported numerous searchlights, flak, and sometimes flares being dropped onto them from German fighter planes.
The RAF bombers dropped “Window”, 9-inch strips of aluminum foil which showed up on the German radar screens rendering them virtually useless.
The official report is not entirely clear as to what the phenomena were. One the one hand, the possibility of German weapons seems to make little sense because of the descriptions and because it brought no result; one the other hand, I cannot really agree that aliens spaceships would fly into a bombing raid and let themselves be destroyed by the bombers' defense machine guns.
Unexplained, 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 | April 16, 2024 | Creation, [sua1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | April 16, 2024 | First published. |
