ACUFO:

During our night missions in June and July [1945] a UFO phenomenon was reported. Our air crews started sighting “balls of fire,” i.e., glowing objects about the size of a full moon which flew around in the vicinity of our flying patterns over Japan. One of our crews reported that one of the objects followed their airplane half way to Iwo Jima. I saw them on two missions. I don't remember any reports of any hostile action by these objects and the reports of sightings stopped after a couple of months. The object of these reports was dismissed by some “experts” as the planet Venus. And, after these reports started coming in, some crews did mistake the rising full moon as one of these “balls of fire.” Some reports speculated that these “balls of fire” were exhausts from a Japanese 28 History of the 9th Bomb Group development called a “Baka Bomb,” but exhaust flames can only be seen from the rear; and these objects appeared to have the same size and intensity in whatever direction they were travelling. I have never heard of any official assessment as to what these objects were. I had an occasion to ask General LeMay about them several years after the war and he had no explanation. I am sure that what I saw was neither Venus nor the moon nor a “Baka Bomb”; hence, for me, they were UFO's.

June-July 1945; area of Japan

Re: The 9th Bomb Group located on Tinian Island. “During our night missions in June and July a UFO phenomenon was reported. Our air crews started sighting balls of fire, i.e., glowing objects about the size of a full moon which flew around in the vicinity of our flying patterns over Japan. One of our crews reported that one of the objects followed their airplane half way to Iwo Jima. I saw them on two missions. I don't remember any reports of any hostile action by these objects and the reports of sightings stopped after a couple of months. The object of these reports was dismissed by some experts as the planet Venus. And, after these reports started coming in, some crews did mistake the rising full moon as one of these balls of fire. Some reports speculated that these balls of fire were exhausts from a Japanese development called a Baka Bomb, but exhaust flames can only be seen from the rear; and these objects appeared to have the same size and intensity in whatever direction they were traveling. I have never heard of any official assessment as to what these objects were. I had an occasion to ask General LeMay about them several years after the war and he had no explanation. I am sure that what I saw was neither Venus nor the moon nor a Baka Bomb; hence, for me, they were UFOs.” ( http://www.9thbombgrouphistory.org/Chapters/Chapter_03.pdf Page 27-28)

A personal report of the phenomena seen in the Pacific comes from Henry Huglin, commander of the 9th Bomb Group, written by him as chapter 3, Group Commander's Reminiscences, in History of the 9th Bomb Group:

During our night missions in June and July a UFO phenomenon was reported. Our air crews started sighting “balls of fire,” i.e., glowing objects about the size of a full moon which flew around in the vicinity of our flying patterns over Japan. One of our crews reported that one of the objects followed their airplane half way to Iwo Jima. I saw them on two missions. I don't remember any reports of any hostile action by these objects and the reports of sightings stopped after a couple of months. The object of these reports was dismissed by some “experts” as the planet Venus. And, after these reports started coming in, some crews did mistake the rising full moon as one of these “balls of fire.” Some reports speculated that these “balls of fire” were exhausts from a Japanese development called a “Baka Bomb,” but exhaust flames can only be seen from the rear; and these objects appeared to have the same size and intensity in whatever direction they were travelling. I have never heard of any official assessment as to what these objects were. I had an occasion to ask General LeMay about them several years after the war and he had no explanation. I am sure that what I saw was neither Venus nor the moon nor a “Baka Bomb”; hence, for me, they were UFO's.

Date: June-July 1945

Location: area of Japan

Time:

Summary: The 9th Bomb Group located on Tinian Island. “During our night missions in June and July a UFO phenomenon was reported. Our air crews started sighting balls of fire, i.e., glowing objects about the size of a full moon which flew around in the vicinity of our flying patterns over Japan. One of our crews reported that one of the objects followed their airplane half way to Iwo Jima. I saw them on two missions. I don't remember any reports of any hostile action by these objects and the reports of sightings stopped after a couple of months. The object of these reports was dismissed by some experts as the planet Venus. And, after these reports started coming in, some crews did mistake the rising full moon as one of these balls of fire. Some reports speculated that these balls of fire were exhausts from a Japanese development called a Baka Bomb, but exhaust flames can only be seen from the rear; and these objects appeared to have the same size and intensity in whatever direction they were traveling. I have never heard of any official assessment as to what these objects were. I had an occasion to ask General LeMay about them several years after the war and he had no explanation. I am sure that what I saw was neither Venus nor the moon nor a Baka Bomb; hence, for me, they were UFOs.”

Source: http://www.9thbombgrouphistory.org/Chapters/Chapter_03.pdf Page 27-28

July - The 9th Bombardment Group on Tinian in the Northern Marianas: “During our night missions in June and July a UFO phenomenon was reported. Our air crews started sighting balls of fire, i.e., glowing objects about the size of a full moon which flew around in the vicinity of our flying patterns over Japan. One of our crews reported that one of the objects followed their airplane halfway to Iwo Jima. I saw them on two missions. I don't remember any reports of any hostile action by these objects and the reports of sightings stopped after a couple of months. The object of these reports was dismissed by some experts as the planet Venus. And, after these reports started coming in, some crews did mistake the rising full moon as one of these balls of fire. Some reports speculated that these balls of fire were exhausts from a Japanese development called a Baka Bomb, but exhaust flames can only be seen from the rear; and these objects appeared to have the same size and intensity in whatever direction they were traveling. I have never heard of any official assessment as to what these objects were. I had an occasion to ask General LeMay about them several years after the war and he had no explanation. I am sure that what I saw was neither Venus nor the moon nor a Baka Bomb.” (Lorenzen, UFOs: The Whole Story, Signet, 1969, p. 24; Henry C. Huglin, “Group Commander's Reminiscences,” in Lawrence S. Smith, et al., History of the 9th Bombardment Group (VH), 9th Bomb Group Association, 1995, pp. 27-28)

BRIGADIER GENERAL HENRY CHARLES HUGLIN

Henry Charles Huglin was born in Fairfield, Iowa, in 1915. He graduated from Fairfield High School in 1933 and spent one year thereafter at the University of Iowa.

In 1934 he received a Senatorial Appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and entered in July of that year. He graduated from West Point in 1938, 137th in a class of 301, and was commissioned a second lieutenant.

Second Lieutenant Huglin's first assignment was that of student officer at the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Randolph Field, Texas. In 1938 and 1939 he successfully completed primary, basic and advanced flying and received his pilot's wings at Kelly Field, Texas, in August 1939, and transferred to the Air Corps. He is today a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours. From his graduation at Kelly Field in 1939, to 1943, he was assigned to the Air Training Command first as instructor of advanced flying at Kelly Field and later as commanding officer of Primary Contract Flying schools at Camden, S.C., and Camden, Ark., and Basic Contract Flying School at Augusta, Ga. In these years, he advanced from second lieutenant to lieutenant colonel.

In 1944 he became deputy group commander of the 9th Bombardment Group at McCook, Neb., which in that year was organized and trained as a B-29 Group. In February 1945 he accompanied the group in its overseas deployment to Tinian in the Marianas Islands where it became part of the 20th Air Force conducting the strategic air campaign against Japan. In March 1945 he became group commander and remained as the group commander through the end of World War II six months later. During this period, he lead his Group on 17 of their 75 bombing and mining missions (comprising more than 2,000 sorties of 3,000 miles each) in the war against Japan, including participating in the first low-level fire raid on Tokyo March 5, 1945.

He was promoted to colonel in June 1945 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, and Bronze Star Medal during his service as group commander.

After the end of World War II, Colonel Huglin served as chief of the Operations Branch in the U.S. Strategic Air Force Headquarters on Guam, a month with Headquarters, Far East Air Forces in the Philippines, a year as chief of staff of the 308th Bomb Wing in Korea, and seven months as commanding officer of Nagoya Air Base, Japan.

In January of 1948, Colonel Huglin reported to Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon where he served until October of that year as chief of the Personnel Statistics Division, Office of the Comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

From October 1948 until January 1950, he served as deputy secretary in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, W. Stuart Symington.

From January to December 1950, Colonel Huglin served in the War Plans Division of the Air Staff as the NATO project officer.

From December 1950 to July 1953, he served as a staff planner on the staff of the U.S. representative to the NATO Standing Group. From July 1953 to August 1956, Colonel Huglin served on the SHAPE staff while General Gruenther was supreme allied commander, during most of this period, he was chief of the Policy Section of the Plans, Policy and Operations Division of the SHAPE staff.

From August 1956 to June 1957, Colonel Huglin attended the National War College from which he graduated.

From June 1957 to February 1958, Colonel Huglin was chief of the Policy Division of the Plans Directorate, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

In February 1958, Colonel Huglin became chief of staff to the U.S. Representative to the NATO Military Committee and Standing Group; first General Leon Johnson, U.S. Air Force, and later Admiral W.F. Boone, U.S. Navy.

Colonel Huglin was promoted to brigadier general June 10, 1959 and became deputy U.S. representative to the NATO Military Committee and Standing Group, Nov. 1, 1959.

From January to Dec. 31, 1963, General Huglin served as assistant chief of staff, North American Air Defense Command, Colorado Springs, Colo.

(Current as of December 1963)