ACUFO-1944-12-17-RASTATT-1
In the 1970s-1990s, Citizen Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) attempted to get the US government to declassify its UFO documents. In their newsletter, in 1992, Barry Greenwood announced that he managed to obtain the first official reports of “Foo Fighters” in the war diaries of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron. Excerpts were cited, such as in this US military aviation intelligence summary report:
December 18 [1944] - “I quote from the operations report: 'In the Rastatt area, sighted five or six red and green lights in the shape of a 'T' following the A/C [aircraft ] in the turns and got closer to 1000 feet. The lights followed one another for several kilometers then went out.'
In 1998, Barry Greenwood cited the mission report itself:
3. 2205-2400 - Breisach area. 0/10 clouds at 13,000 feet. Visibility 1-2 miles. Flak: Intense light (Acc) Breisach. 5 Friborg [Freiburg] projectors. 2 Basel projectors. Observed 5 or 6 red and green T-shaped lights, appearing to follow the A/C [aircraft] for a brief time, about 20 miles north of Breisach. Breisach Bridge strafed - no results observed. Destroyed 1 M/T 1 mile southeast of Breisach. Damaged 2 M/T [military trucks] at W-1048.
The Intelligence Officer of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, Fred B. Ringwald, himself one of the first to see “Foo-Fighters” during a mission of this unit, compiled a report dated January 23, 1945 with “Foo-Fighters” reports he personally collected in his unit. He noted:
“Night of 16-17 December 1944 - '20 miles North of Breisach (W-0173) at 800 ft. observed 5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in “T” shape. Thought they were flak. About 10 minutes later saw the same lights much closer and behind me. We turned port and Starboard and the lights followed. They closed in to about 8 O'clock and 1000 ft. and remained in that position for several minutes and then disappeared.'”
| Date: | December 16 or 17, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Between 10:05 p.m. and 00:00 a.m. |
| Duration: | Brief. |
| First known report date: | December 18, 1944 |
| Reporting delay: | Hours. |
| Country: | Germany |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Baden-Wurtemberg |
| City or place: | Rastatt |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 or 2 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 or 2 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Reporting channel: | Military operation report, military intelligence summary. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | ? |
| UFO action: | Followed briefly. |
| Witnesses action: | |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: 1 or 2.
[ ] Airborne radar: [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | NL |
| Armed / unarmed: | Armed, machine guns and 20 mm cannons. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 3 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 2 |
| ACUFO: | Unidentified, moderate strangeness. |
[Ref. aaf1:] 415TH NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON - U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES:
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MISSION REPORT
UNIT REPORTING: 415th Night Fighter Squadron
INTRUDER MISSIONS: 4 Missions 4 Sorties DATE: Dec. 17/18
REPORT:
1. 1725-1920 - Karlsruhe - Mannheim area. 10/10 clouds at 7500 ft, visibility 1 mile. vectored onto bogie by Churchman at 1855 hours - headon interception, assed each other and lost contact. Flak: Moderate, heavy at R-4980, R-3968, R-3146; scant, light at R-1363; 1 rocket at R-5699. No traffic sighted.
2. 2035-2235 - Breisach - Rastatt area. No clouds, visibility 8 miles. Flak: Intense, heavy at S-0821; moderate, heavy at R-3946. 3 searchlights Durlach - Pforzheim. Observed small raid on Stuttgart, Saw no activity Breisach bridge at 2110 hours. Nickling mission Buhl - Lichtenau - Neufreistett - west of Baden Baden - Rastatt. Destroyed 1 M/T and damaged 5 M/T at R-6520 headed east. Destroyed 5 M/T and damaged 8 M/T at W-3480 headed east. Destroyed 2 M/T and damaged 3 M/T at W-2162 headed east.
3. 2205-2400 - Breisach area. 0/10 clouds at 13,000 ft. Visibility 1-2 miles. Flak: Intense light (Acc) Breisach. 5 searchlights Freiburg. 2 searchlights Basel. Observed 5 or 6 red and green lights in T form, seemed to be following A/C for short time, about 20 miles north of Breisach. Strafed Breisach bridge - no results observed. Destroyed 1 M/T 1 mile south-east of Breisach. Damaged 2 M/T at W-1048.
4. 0350-0540 (Scramble) -- Contacted Baggage, turned over to Churchman. Had contact with bogie over Saarbourg at 0430 hours - lost contact. Patrolled with churchman and Ignite without further incident.
| CLAIMS | Destroyed | Damaged |
| Motor Transport | 9 | 18 |
Losses
None
[Ref. wdy1:] WAR DIARY, 415TH NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON:
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S E C R E T
WAR DIARY 415 NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON
OCHEY AIR BASE, FRANCE DECEMBER 1944
1 Our tent area is in a piney wood. Besides their esthetic value, the trees also shield us from the wind.
2 A wind storm came in during the night and played havoc with the tents we'd just set up, blowing down three on the line, two in the area and tearing others.
6 The planes arrived. Until today they have been weather bound at Dijon.
7 We turned one of our blankets in to Squadron supply and received a sleeping bag in return - a very good deal in this frigid climate.
8. The second echelon is arriving in driblets as we are finding it difficult to procure trucks or C-47's or good weather when we do get skytrains.
10 Line Chief T/Sgt Peedon is having his troubles here. This is the first time our aircraft have been frozen up. Water is freezing in the gas and air lines. We are using more tires here than ever before. The steel mesh taxi strip cuts them up severely. Sometimes tires have been worn out by taxiing before they have seen a single landing. Because of the cramped parking space it is necessary to tow the A/C into stands with the electrac.
12 When on Pass the boys are finding Nancy an interesting metropolis with nothing off limits, a good Red Cross and a huge, heated indoor swimming pool.
14 Ol' Man Winter has finally laid General Mud, blanketing him with an inch of snow.
15 The following is an excerpt from the operations report: “Saw a brilliant red light at 2000 feet going E at 200 MPH in the vicinity of Erstein. Due to AI failure could not pick up contact but followed it by sight until it went out. Could not get close enough to identify object before it went out.”
17 We are keeping warm by burning used beau oil or coal in our oil-can stoves.
18 I quote from the operations report: “In Rastatt area sighted five or six red and green lights in a 'T' shape which followed A/C thru turns and closed to 1000 feet. Lights followed for several miles then went out. Our pilots have named these mysterious ? which they encounter over Germany at night “Foo-Fighters.”
S E C R E T
[Ref. rwd1:] FRED B. RINGWALD, INTELLIGENCE, U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES:
Note: the document that follows was retrieved by Jan Aldrich's historical ufology effort Project 1947, at www.project1947.com/fig/1945a.htm
Only the header, the footer and the part related to the case documented in this file are shown.
Only other cases are removed, as they are shown in their own case file in this catalog.
|
S E C R E T
1st W/Ind
D-W-2
HEADQUARTERS XII TACTICAL AIR COMMAND, APO #374, U.S. Army, 23 January 1945.
TO: S-2, 415 Night Fighter Squadron.
Forwarded for compliance with paragraph 2 of 1st Ind.
[Signature]
LEAVITT CORNING, JR,.
Lt. Colonel, G.S.C,.
A/C of S, A-2.
2nd W/Ind
415th. NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON, APO #374, U. S. Army, 30 January 1945.
TO: AC of S A-2. XII Tactical Air Command, APO 374, U. S. Army.
1. In compliance with paragraph 2 of 1st. Ind., the following extracts from the Sortie reports of various pilots who have encountered the Night Phenomenon are submitted for your information.
[... other cases...]
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Night of 16-17 December 1944 - “20 miles North of Breisach (W-0173) at 800 ft. observed 5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in “T” shape. Thought they were flak. About 10 minutes later saw the same lights much closer and behind me. We turned port and Starboard and the lights followed. They closed in to about 8 O'clock and 1000 ft. and remained in that position for several minutes and then disappeared.”
|
2. In every case where pilot called GCI Control and asked if there was a Bogey A/C in the area he received a negative answer.
[Signature.]
F. B. Ringwald
Captain, A.C.
Intelligence Officer
* Foofighters is the name given these phenomenon [sic] by combat crews of this Squadron.
S E C R E T
[Ref. jce1:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "JUST CAUSE":
The bulletin of “Citizen Against UFO Secrecy” (CAUS) published that they managed to get the first Foo Fighters official reports in the War diaries of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron. Extracts were cited, such as:
A few days later there was more:
December 18 [1944] - “I quote from the operations report: 'In Rastatt area sighted five or six red and green lights in a 'T' shape which followed A/C thru turns and closed to 1000 feet. Lights followed for several miles and then went out.' Our pilots have named these mysterious phenomena which they encounter over Germany at night 'Foo-Fighters.'
[Ref. bgd1:] BARRY GREENWOOD:
December 18: “I quote the operations report: “Able to see, in the Rastatt region, five or six red and green lights flying in the formation of a “T” which followed the A/C (presumably Aircraft Commander - patrol leader, Translater's note) [No, “AirCraft”] making sharp turns and approaching to 1000 feet. The lights followed for several miles, then went out.” The name given by our pilots to these mysterious phenomena observed at night above Germany is 'Foo-fighters'.
[Ref. bgd2:] BARRY GREENWOOD:
In 1998, longtime American researcher Barry Greenwood provided the Computer UFO Network (CUFON) with declassified U.S. Air Forces documents that he obtained patiently using the law of freedom of information act (FOIA). Barry Greenwood was for many years the editor of the newsletter Just Cause, he is co-author of the book “Clear Intent”, and the editor of the U.F.O. Historical Revue which began in June 1998.
UNIT REPORTING: 415TH NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON
MISSIONS: 3 MISSIONS 3 SORTIES DATE 13/14 FEBRUARY
REPORT:
1. Intruder Mission - 1800-1945 hours. East of Rhine between Freiburg & Rastatt, sighted no convoys - scattered trucks. Strafed at R-2510 at 1845 hours and damaged 1 M/T.
2. Intruder Mission - 1700-2000 hours. Neustadt, Karlsruhe and Manheim. Dropped leaflets and Landau at 1830. At 1840 sighted convoy going north at R-3082, strafed and damaged 8 M/T; while strafing, some of shots veered off at Neustadt M/Y and caused a tremendous explosion and fire, believed it a tank car. Fire could be seen for 15 miles. At 1845 hours, sighted another convoy going east at R-3095 - damaged 5 M/T. At 1850, fired at lights at R-7090 causing explosion and five separate fires; thought to be Branch Ordnance Depot at Heidelburg [sic, Heidelberg]. About 1900 near river at Bruschal, strafed but had to leave due to accurate 10 gun, 40mm flak at R-6856. 3 minutes later, sighted 3 vehicles going south at R-4131, strafed them, destroyed 1 and damaged 2 M/T. About 1910, between Rastatt and Bishwiller [sic, Bischwiller], encountered lights at 3000 ft., two sets of them, turned into them, one went out and the other went straight up 2-3000 ft, then went out. Turned back to base and looked back and saw lights in their original position again. Large explosion near Luneville, thought it one of our P-47s that crashed.
3. 2245-2305 - Scramble. Nothing to report. Returned early due rough engine and radio trouble.
CLAIMS
| Type | Destroyed | Damaged |
| Motor Transport | 1 | 15 |
| R/R Tank Car | 1 | 0 |
| Supply Dump at Heidelburg | 0 | 1 |
LOSSES
None
[Ref. bgd3:] BARRY GREENWOOD:
Barry Greenwood, in an article about the “Foo-Fighters” documents in the U.S. military archive, said:
A summary of incidents [reported by airmen of the U.S. Army Air Forces 415th Night Fighter Squadron] was prepared by Captain F. B. Ringwald, Intelligence Officer with Headquarters 12 of the Tactical Air Command to advise S-2 of the “Night Phenomenon” encountered by the pilots and dated January 30, 1945.
Barry Greenwood then cited 13 cases from Ringwald's report, including this one:
“Night of 16-17 December 1944 - 20 miles north of Breisach (V-0173) at 800 ft. observed 5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in 'T' shape. Thought they were flak. About 10 minutes later saw the same lights much closer and behind us. We turned port and Starboard and the lights followed. They closed in to about 8 O'clock and 1000 ft. and remained in that position for several minutes and then disappeared.”
Barry Greenwood commented about these reports:
It is noteworthy to point out that these pilots made a distinction between the usual flak bursts sent up by anti-aircraft fire and what they were seeing in these incidents. One might expect that due to technical advances during the war, eventually one side may develop a new sort of anti-aircraft weapon that could behave in an intelligent manner in pursuit of enemy planes. The problem with this here is that there are no known reports of “Foo Fighters” bringing down aircraft of either side. The objects that seemed to be “under perfect control at all times” didn't seem to do damage but merely accompany planes on their respective missions without interference.
To end the summary, Ringwald said that in each case where the pilot called GCI control to ask if “Bogey A/C” were in the area, he received a negative answer. It was also noted, perhaps more of interest to modern audiences, that these objects were called “Foofighters.” One word only, which should we call it? Chamberlin added his own written footnote for another sighting on February 28: "Returning, 45 miles East of Base (Loral Ochey) sighted foo fighters to rear starboard. Orange red in color. Turned to have a look and it disappeared. Near Luneville, SECRET north of Strasbourg. Lt. Buscio & Krasner RO.”
[Ref. gvo1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
1944, December 18
GERMANY, Rastatt
(Source: microfilm roll containing the Unit History and War Diary of the 415th was obtained from the U.S. Air Force. Frames 1613 and 1614. cfr Just Cause) “In the Rastatt area, 5 or 6 red lights are observed in a “T” formation followed by the A/C rotating around and approaching it up to 1000 feet away. The lights are monitored for several minutes, then turn off. Our pilots call these mysterious lights encountered at night over Germany “Foo-Fighters.”
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH:
522: 1944/12/18 00:00 5 8:13:00 E 48:48:00 N 3331 WEU GER RHP 6:8
nr RASTATT,ALLE:415th BOMBERS:5-6 RED+GREEN LUMNOCS/FORMn-T:SHARP TURN:FOLLOWS PLANES
Ref#226 PHENOMENA bimonthly. SOS-OVNI France No. 12: EN-VOL
[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:
Between 22h05 and 24h00, the crew of a Bristol Beaufighter of the USAAF 415th NFS on an intruder mission was flying at 800 feet. Suddenly he saw “5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in T shape”. Thinking they were flak, but ten minutes later he saw “the same light much closer and behind” his aircraft. He turned port and starboard and the lights followed. They closed in to about 8 o'clock and 1,000 feet and remained in that position for several minutes before disappearing.
Sources: USAAF 64111 Fighter Wing Mission Report of the 415th NFS, December 17/18 / War Diary 415'11 NFS, December 18, 1944 I Strange Company, Keith Chester, 2007 / USAAF, Report from Captain F.B. Ringwald, Intelligence Officer, 415111 Night Fighter Squadron, To A/C of S,A-2 XII Tactical Air Command, January 30, 1945, NARA USAAF 415th Night Fighter Squadron diary, 18 December 1944, abstract from the operation report (classified secret) / Remarkable luminous phenomena in nature, William L. Corliss, 2001
(Ref. nip1:) "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
(1944) Dec. 17, 1944; Breisach, Germany
5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in T-shape. (Page 100,130 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: Dec. 17, 1944
Location: Breisach, Germany
Time:
Summary: 5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in T-shape.
Source:
The Bristol Type 156 “Beaufighter”, nicknamed “Beau”, was a British multi-role aircraft developed during WWI. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber; it proved to be an effective night fighter, which came into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain.
Originally, armament consisted of four 20mm cannons and six 0.303-in machine-guns but many variants were built; for example, versions had the ability to additionally carry eight rocket projectiles, some had a Vickers 'K' gun, Beaufighter TF.Mk X was used for anti-shipping operations.
The Beaufighter Mk VIF was fitted with the Mark VIII radar.
Below: Beaufighter Mk VIF of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron.
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The Beaufighters served with the U.S. Army Air Forces until the end of the war, but most were replaced by the P-61 “Black Widow” beginning in December 1944.
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Unidentified, moderate strangeness.
* = 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 25, 2024 | Creation, [wdy1], [rwd1], [jce1], [bgd1], [bgd2], [gvo1], [lhh1], [dwn2], [nip1], [tai1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | April 25, 2024 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | June 8, 2024 | Addition [bgd3]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | June 14, 2024 | Addition [aaf1]. |
