The Discreet Beginnings Of An Alien Agenda? UFO Encounters From The Opening Years Of World War Two

Although World War Two began in September 1939, as the 1940s opened it was clear that this conflict was likely to be just as drawn out and bloody as the first global conflict. Although UFO sightings, or at least reports of them, decreased during this time, at least between 1940 and 1943, the years we will examine here, sightings themselves were still consistent.

As we might expect, as respective air forces took to the air, particularly over Europe, many of these sightings came from people who were more than familiar with aviation, and what they might expect to see in the skies.

Perhaps of further interest, as varied as sightings and encounters were throughout the 1930s (and previous decades of the twentieth century), many reports from the opening years of the forties contained remarkably similar details to each other, perhaps suggesting that one particular intelligence, whatever that might be, was behind the majority of these encounters.

As always we insert our usual caveat that we simply don’t have space or time to examine and detail each and every sighting during the opening years of World War Two. We will, though, look at some of the most intriguing and detailed accounts on record during this time.

Many More Sightings Than Was Initially Reported

With the Second World War now in full swing, reports of UFOs slowed dramatically, although we have learned since that pilots on both sides began experiencing sightings of strange orbs of light – named foo fighters by the respective pilots – throughout the conflict. However, despite this drop off and as well as the foo fighter sightings, reports and encounters with aerial vehicles potentially from another world continued to occur.

Early in the year in Bata, Hungary, for example, a “fiery cartwheel” was reported to be ascending high into the sky from a hilltop. Around the same time over Japan, United States servicemen, Wing Commander, DJ Blakeslee witnessed a strange flying object that moved with great pace and had red, green, and white lights on its edge. Strangely, despite radar also picking up the anomalous object, the military officially claimed the object Blakeslee had witnessed was nothing more than the planet Jupiter.

According to the research files of Jerome Clark, during the spring of 1940 in Hinsdale, Illinois, William Powers witnessed five disc-shaped objects moving across the sky, traveling at a speed of between 100 to 200 miles per hour. They remained in sight for several seconds before disappearing into the clouds. Several weeks later, on the evening of 30^th May in Toledo, Ohio, several residents reported seeing a dark object moving across the sky which was so large, that it gave the impression of an eclipse of the sun. The bizarre craft made a sharp U-turn and then disappeared.

In June, over Hoy Island in The Orkneys in Scotland, a “flattened sphere” was witnessed by an anti-aircraft unit member that was moving across the sky at a blistering pace. He kept the object in sight for around 10 seconds before it disappeared out of sight. He later estimated the object was likely at an altitude of just short of 40,000 feet.

One August afternoon in Jutland, Denmark, a 15-year-old boy was feeding his family’s cows when he noticed three strange figures approaching him. He recalled that the figures were wearing the same dark green one-piece suit which covered all of their bodies except for their faces, which were covered by something that resembled a glass shield. When they moved, the witness recalled that they did so “like robots”.

Although they appeared to be approaching the young boy, they eventually changed their direction and headed off into the distance. The boy turned to face the direction the three mysterious figures were headed to. When he did so, he noticed a huge hemispherical shining object which appeared to be resting on the ground. Although he couldn’t see any kind of door opening, the figures were suddenly no longer there, leading the witness to assume they had somehow entered the craft.

The next thing he realized, there was a sudden high-pitched whistling was audible and the object began spinning around, faster and faster. Then, it rose into the air and took off into the distance, disappearing from sight.

UFO Crashes And Recovered Alien Entities

Very similar reports can be found in the records of 1941. Early in the year somewhere in Germany, a female pilot, Hannah Reisch reported seeing a speeding unidentified object at an altitude of 66,000 feet.

At some time in February 1941, near the Wearyan River in the Northern Territories of Australia, a nurse ventured to an isolated village to administer treatment to a man who had suffered a bullet wound to his leg. Bizarrely, while she was treating the wound, two strange men dressed entirely in white appeared out of nowhere and offered assistance. The procedure was a success, but when the nurse looked up to thank the two men, they had vanished into thin air.

We have examined the apparent UFO crash in Cape Girardeau in Missouri previously, but it is still worth mentioning briefly here so as to put it into context of other sightings that occurred around the same time. According to the report, the apparent cosmic craft crashed in the summer, and according to the granddaughter of a priest – Reverend Huffman – was contacted by the military to attend to the crash site. Once there, he was allegedly asked to perform the last rites on several dying alien occupants that had been discovered at the crash site. The authorities then took the wreckage into custody and took it to an unknown location. If this account is true, then it shows that the United States military had possession of an extraterrestrial craft six years before the Roswell incident.

There is another apparently crashed UFO case to examine that occurred several months later toward the end of 1941 in North Carolina. According to the report from Leo Stringfield, shortly after the alleged UFO came down to the ground “somewhere north of Georgia”, it was almost immediately recovered by the military. The information was passed to Stringfield by a woman who claimed that her son had been part of the military recovery unit. She claimed she was told that the object was around 15 feet wide and approximately 10 feet high. Inside was a control room with four seats, while the walls of this room were covered with strange symbols. Even more intriguing, four dead alien crew members were also discovered inside the control room. Each was small in stature, with large heads, and particularly big, black eyes.

Newspaper Reports Of Otherworldly Objects

There were also several intriguing encounters that unfolded during 1941 that received newspaper coverage. At around 10 am on 5^th April, for example, in Charleston, Missouri, an object resembling a submarine suddenly emerged in the Mississippi River and took a local farmer on board before disappearing. Around half an hour later, the man was returned to the riverbank. Upon speaking of his encounter, he was questioned by a State Highway patrolman. Furthermore, following this, he was taken to St. Louis to be interviewed by the FBI.

According to an article in the 9^th December 1941 edition of The Times Union, several strange objects came out of the sea off the coast of San Francisco, California causing the United States Navy to send out three ships to investigate these anomalous objects, These strange objects then took to the air, with one witness stated that “they weren’t Army planes, they weren’t Navy planes” and they “weren’t civilian planes”. Despite the efforts to track these mysterious objects, they simply disappeared. The incident remains a complete mystery.

Another article regarding a UFO in California appeared in the 11^th December 1941 Los Angeles Times, only several weeks before Battle of Los Angeles incident. On the night in question, several mystery aircraft appeared over Los Angeles causing authorities to implement a blackout that went from Bakersfield near San Diego in California to Boulder City in Las Vegas, Nevada. In fact, so seriously was the incident taken that several anti-aircraft gunners were scrambled to their positions and put on stand-by. Despite the presence of apparent aircraft, however, it was agreed that night over California remained silent.

Encounters In The Air

One of the most intriguing encounters of 1942 occurred at the start of the year where rumors of a “captured disc” being held in an unknown base in California. Around the time these rumors surfaced, there had been sightings of several discs flying over the state in formation.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean over the Sea of Japan a short time later, the crew of a Japanese bomber plane witnessed a dark spherical object approaching their aircraft. The object circled the plane several times before heading off into the distance.

Around the same time, another intriguing incident occurred over Prouvy, Nord in France. According to researchers, Joel Mesnard and Jean Marie Bigorne, at around 1 am one night, a local woman was making her way back to her house from her garden when she suddenly found three strange entities standing in front of her. Although they were approximately as tall as children, there was enough moonlight for her to see that they were not children. Their heads were much larger than their bodies, for example, and their eyes were large and appeared to be a strange yellow color. Each of them wore also dressed in clothing that appeared to be made from some kind of metallic material. The woman pushed passed the figures and entered her home. By the time she came back outside with her husband, the three figures were no longer there.

On 27^th February over the Timor Sea, a large disc was reported that moved across the sky at the breakneck speed of over 3000 miles per hour. Several weeks later, over Banak, Norway at around 5:30 pm on 14^th March, a sighting of a large, cigar-shaped object that eventually shot straight upward and disappeared into the sky was picked up by radar, as well as being witnessed by a German pilot.

On the evening of 25^th March 1942 over Zuider Zee in the Netherlands, a luminous orange disc appeared to follow an RAF bomber returning from a raid over Essen in Germany. At one point, the tailgunner on the plane opened fire. The ammunition, however, appeared to have no affect whatsoever. After several moments, the object shot into the distance at an approximate speed of 1000 miles per hour.

Many Sightings With Similar Details

In the spring, in the United States in Kentucky, strange bright searchlight beams appeared out of the night sky, shining down toward the ground. However, despite multiple witnesses, the source of the lights could not be seen. Around the same time in Illinois, multiple residents reported seeing a strange rectangular gray object moving through the sky.

According to researcher Martin Shough, in the summer of 1942 in Guam in the Western Pacific, several strange objects appeared on a US Navy officer’s radar screen on several occasions. The anonymous witness claimed that these strange returns most often appeared as “large groups” that moved together as if in formation. What’s more, they appeared to move at a blistering pace of around 1000 miles per hour. The targets would often pass directly overhead of the radar operator’s location at an approximate altitude of 2000 feet, although the crew on the deck claimed to have not seen anything untoward. The strange returns were never explained.

Around the same time in the Bass Strait between the island of Tasmania and Australia, a bronze, disc-shaped object with a strange dome on its top side was reported, with the witness certain they could also see an occupant inside the craft. Amazingly, an almost identical object was reported on 25^th June over the Netherlands.

Several days later in Cussey-sur-l’Ognon, Doubs, France, several residents witnessed a blue-gray oval-shaped object with a dome on top hovering over a wooded part of the village. At the same time, a strange motor-like sound was also heard. Witnesses reported seeing what appeared to be portholes along the side of the object from which a bright light emerged. After several minutes the object shot straight upwards and disappeared.

On the 5^th August over the Solomon Islands a similar saucer-shaped object, again with a dome on the top side was witnessed moving through the sky. Yet another similar object was reported six days later over Germany. Back over the Solomon Islands on the 12^th August, a formation of bright silver objects was reported moving overhead in formation.

Around the same time over the Tula Region near Moscow in Russia, multiple people saw a “huge cigar-shaped object” moving over the region, with witnesses likening the object to a Zeppelin only much “bulkier and rounder at the front”.

Fast-Moving Objects Across The Sky

In the fall of 1942 over Long Branch, New Jersey, a research engineer reported seeing a “dark elliptical object” that was “sharply outlined” against the star-filled night sky. The object appeared to have a flashing light on one side of it and was visible for between 10 to 15 seconds.

Several weeks later in October across the Atlantic in Radway Green in Cheshire, England, two residents witnessed an “elongated object with a dome on top” as well as bright lights at either end descend toward the ground. Although the witnesses didn’t see it land, when they reached the spot where it had descended, they discovered a “circular burned area” and strange footprints in the ground.

At around 10 am on 9^th October, once more in the Solomon Islands, a US Navy fleet detected an unidentified object heading in their direction at great speed. Furthermore, the approaching object was also witnessed by crew members on the deck. Upon reaching the vessel, the object circled the ship twice at an approximate altitude of 3000 feet before heading off into the distance at great speed.

On the evening of 29^th November over Turin, Italy, a strange object measuring approximately 300 feet in length and moving at a pace of around 500 miles per hour was witnessed by multiple residents. Around the same time over the Bay of Biscay an almost identical object was witnessed by multiple people.

UFO Sightings On The Waters

As 1943 began, sightings of UFOs began to increase, slightly at first, and then increasingly so. At some time in early January over Burma, a US bomber was heading to China from Burma when they made a report of being suddenly surrounded by several “glittering” objects. While these strange objects were around the plane the navigation equipment began to malfunction, only returning to normal when the objects moved away. Around the same time, a picture of an object was captured from onboard a plane over the Sea of Japan.

Another intriguing sighting came only days later over Washington DC where multiple objects were seen flying in formation. On the other side of the country over California, an orange elliptical-shaped object was witnessed moving across the sky in a manner that suggested it was in a state of distress. Witnesses reported that the object shook and wobbled, with some even claiming to have seen smoke coming from the craft. It is not known what happened to the object, and if it did indeed crash to the ground.

Also at the start of 1943 came a sighting of a UFO in the Persian Gulf. On the day in question, a crew member, Matthew Mangle, witnessed a “huge disc beneath the surface of the water”. As he watched, he noted that the object appeared to be glowing green and kept pace with the ship for several minutes before it increased its speed and disappeared into the distance. This incident is particularly intriguing as it shows that UFOs seemingly had a significant presence in the water before the Modern UFO Era as they do now.

Another incident over the water occurred several weeks later while a patrol boat was patrolling the waters of the Bearing Sea just to the north of Alaska. A gunner on the deck of the vessel witnessed a “row of at least eight red lights” that appeared to be traveling alongside the ship. These strange lights remained in view for approximately an hour before finally disappearing.

Reports Of Glowing Orange-Red Objects

A few weeks later in Pushkino, Russia, several soldiers witnessed a disc-shaped object hovering high above an airfield where they were stationed. On the evening of 13^th March in Naples, Italy, a huge red light was witnessed hovering overhead before heading into the distance. A similar red light – described by the witness as a “glowing orange disc” was witnessed over Long Beach, California by a flight instructor and his student pilot. The object, which was at a higher altitude than their aircraft, descended to a short distance from them before moving upward again and disappearing.

In May 1943 over Norwich, England, a sighting of an elongated craft with a dome on the top was witnessed, with some people even reporting seeing humanoid occupants inside. Around the same time, in Duisburg, Germany, a very similar object was reported, with witnesses claiming the object had an orange glow. On the evening of 28^th May in Essen, Germany, a silvery-gold cylindrical object was seen moving overhead, with witnesses claiming to have also seen several portholes along the side. It hovered completely still, to begin with, before speeding off into the distance at a speed of almost 1000 miles per hour. Around the same time, a bright orange object was witnessed moving across the English Channel.

Several weeks later, while flying over the North Atlantic, a British Air Force pilot was pursued by a “red-orange object”. The pilot made several turns in an effort to shake off the object, but it matched each one exactly. After around 30 seconds the object turned in the opposite direction and disappeared.

At around 4 am in the early hours of a September morning, Navarro Ocampo was driving between Rosario and Cordoba in Argentina when he noticed a large disc-shaped object resting in a field that ran along the roadside. He watched as it began to glow with a blue-green light before a whistling sound appeared to come from it. Then, it began to rise into the air before shooting away into the distance at a fantastic pace.

On the evening of 6^th September in Stuttgart, Germany, several silver disc-like objects were seen moving across the night sky before heading off into the distance. Just over a month later, also in Germany in Schweinfurt on the afternoon of 14^th October, a group of British bomber planes were suddenly circled by multiple silver discs as they made their back to England following a bombing mission. They remained there for several moments before suddenly moving away and disappearing.

Around two months later, one night in November 1943 in Escondido, California, an entire family suddenly heard a “soft humming sound” coming from outside and so ventured out to investigate. To their shock, they saw a “disc with a dome and square windows” hovering in the air around 15 feet above their home. Even stranger, through the windows they could see human-like figures that appeared to be moving around. One of the witnesses shined her flashlight at the object, causing the lights to immediately go out. A moment later, the object simply disappeared.

The following month in Oslo, Norway, four women were driving along a quiet road at around 10:30 pm when they noticed an “orange bell-shaped object” suddenly rise into the sky a short distance ahead of them. When they went to investigate the area where the object had seemingly taken off from, they could see a clear circular patch where the snow had melted.

Opportunistic Alien Observers Of A World At War?

What should we make of the fact that many UFO encounters of the opening years of the 1940s shared many similar details, from the descriptions of the craft themselves, the manner in which they acted, as well as descriptions of the occupants themselves?

If we assume that these sightings and encounters were the result of predominantly one alien race, then we should ask just what the reason might be for this presence, in terms of timing. Could it be that with most of the world at war and the rest greatly affected by it presented this alien race with an opportunity to settle here, perhaps even navigate themselves into position for whatever agenda they were (and possibly are) working towards?

Indeed, it is perhaps almost worth mentioning – several seemingly random encounters aside – although the were many sightings during these years, as well as some encounters with apparent alien entities, no alien abductions were seemingly taking place. Once more, we might ask, were these years spent assessing humanity, both in terms of their potential response, and intelligence, and if they were suitable for whatever purpose these cosmic visitors had in mind? And perhaps more importantly, were these speculative end goals beneficial to humanity or should they be a grave cause for concern?

In our next look at UFO sightings from the Second World War, we will concentrate on the final years of the conflict, as well as the year before the Roswell crash and the start of the Modern UFO Era. During this time, UFO sightings began to increase once more, and were likely, the discreet beginnings of the constant UFO presence that began toward the end of the decade.

The video below looks at some of the best UFO encounters from history.