UFO SCARE

UFO SCARE

The following text in italics was taken from a publication detailing the “HISTORY OF THE 504^TH BOMB GROUP (VH)”.   It was written by Mr. Harold Fairweather.  Mr. Fairweather was a bombardier in the Reed crew, stationed on Tinian in the South Pacific.  Tinian, if you remember your history, was the atoll from which the “Enola Gay” departed that fateful day to drop “the bomb” on Japan.

I am one of those “hard-nosed” individuals who would believe in UFOs and “little green men” if you stood them in front of me.  I know there are sightings that truly defy logic but, in my opinion, most could be fully explained if we only took the time and applied scientific principals and the necessary effort.  On the other hand, some sightings are really tough to dismiss.  The one given below is an actual account from a B-29 crew-member while returning from a mission to mine the harbor of Genzan, Korea.  Take a look.

Back in the days of Tinian, we had never heard of the expression UFO.  I became a believer one night as we returned from what I think was one of the longest missions ever flown.  On the night of 10 August 1945, the day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the Reed crew was scheduled to mine the harbor of Genzan, located in the most northern corner of Korea. 

The documented flight time of the mission, according to AAF Form #1A was 18:05 hours.  The only relief to a long and boring trip came when we checked in with a submarine stationed somewhere in the Sea of Japan.

We dropped our mines and turned homeward on a course that brought us back over the center of Japan.  I was amazed that no interest was shown in our flight by either the Japanese air force or the antiaircraft batteries.  It was difficult for me to believe we were on a combat mission.  As we crossed Japan, the Pacific coastline began to appear, and to the right was located all crew members favorite town, Hammantsu. Now, why couldn’t Colonel Martin have sent our crew there for all thirty-five missions?

It was then, that I noticed a very bright light approaching us from below and closing at an enormous speed, faster than anything I had ever seen before.  It changed to a on its new course without a hint of slowing its speed. (The sentence structure is a little shaky here but I have written the text as given in Mr. Fairweather’s account. ) 

I sat there thinking about this “thing” for twenty minutes or so trying to decide if I was brave enough to tell the crew what I’d seen, at the risk of being toosed [sic] out as a raving lunatic.

Just when I had made up my mind to tell them, Captain Reed remarked over the intercom that about twenty minutes ago he had observed the fastest moving light that he had ever seen streaking by our left wing.  I didn’t say a word.  I became a believer in UFO’s at that moment.

I have no earthly idea as to what Mr.Fairweather nor Captain Reed saw but on a quite night, no turbulence, no appreciable cloud cover, no antiaircraft guns to divert your attention it must have been something extraordinary.  I am a rated pilot and at one time owned a Piper Arrow IV.  Trust me on this one, you get used to things you can’t explain, at the time, but most are atmospheric in nature.  I’m not too sure this account fits that particular description.  Maybe we will know some day.  “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE”.

Advertisement