Operation Mainbrace ~ UFOs and USOs.

Very interesting series of unexplained UFO/USO incidents which occurred during Operation Mainbrace in 1952 which were said to cause the RAF to 'officially recognize' the UFO subject.


Headlines:












Incidents:

UFOs Reported During NATO Maneuvers September 1952

A particularly interesting series of UFO reports came from the vicinity of the Operation Mainbrace NATO maneuvers held in September 1952. The maneuvers commenced September 13 and lasted 12 days. According to the United States Navy, units of eight NATO governments and New Zealand participated, including 80,000 men, 1,000 planes and 200 ships in the vicinity of Denmark and Norway. Directed by British Admiral Sir Patrick Brind, "it was the largest NATO maneuver held up until that time."

Video:





September 13:

The Danish destroyer Willemoes, participating in the maneuvers, was north of Bornholm Island. During the night, Lieutenant Commander Schmidt Jensen and several members of the crew saw an unidentified object, triangular in shape, which moved at high speed toward the southeast. The object emitted a bluish glow. Commander Jensen estimated the speed at over 900 mph.

Other Mysterious Aerial Sightings Follow

Within the next week, there were four important sightings by well-qualified observers. Various sources differ by a day or two on the exact dates, but agree on details. There is no question about the authenticity of the sightings; the British cases were officially reported by the Air Ministry, the others are confirmed by reliable witnesses. All occurred on or about September 20.

Not Only Seamen Have Encounters With Unknowns

September 19: A British Meteor jet aircraft was returning to the airfield at Topcliffe, Yorkshire, England, just before 11 A. M. As it approached for landing, a silvery object was observed following it, swaying back and forth like a pendulum. Lieutenant John W. Kilburn and other observers on the ground said that when the Meteor began circling, the UFO stopped. It was disk-shaped, and rotated on its axis while hovering. The disk suddenly took off westward at high speed, changed course, and disappeared to the southeast.

Government Document

In an memorandum prepared by the CIA's Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence, Dr H. Marshall Chadwell mentions "the Yorkshire incident".

The memo - 'British Activity in the Field of UFOs':

"In some RAF field, there was some sort of demonstration to which high officials of the RAF in London had been invited. During the show, a 'perfect flying saucer' was seen by these officials as well as RAF pilots. So many people saw it that many articles appeared in the public press. This is distressing to [Dr] Jones because he realises that the creation of the correction of public opinion is a part of his responsibilities."

Further reading about these incidents at the links below:


Silver Sphere Mystifies Those Involved In Operation.

Photographs Impress Project Blue Book Official

Danish Airmen Get Involved In Bizarre Happenings

Another Shiny Sphere Sighting

Widespread Sightings Do Not Go Unnoticed



Links:

hubpages.com...

www.drdavidclarke.co.uk...

www.ufocasebook.com...

reply to post by karl 12


Thanks for bringing us the continuous information you always provide to the UFO forum Karl12, it is MUCH appreciated. I for one do not recall hearing about this operation and the UFO wave associate with it. A LOT of information is out there, a lot can not be denied, but it is up to the individual as to whether they will accept it and give it credence or not, we can only hope some of these more serious reports are taken with a high level of seriousness by many. Thanks again, S/F...

[edit on 11/20/2009 by jkrog08]

reply to post by jkrog08


Jkrog,thanks for the reply - you don't do too bad yourself.
Some of your threads are the most comprehensive I've ever read -particularly this one which covers another unexplained British RAF UFO incident from the 1950's.

I always found this quote to be pretty revealing when it comes to the subject of UFOs over British Airspace:

"Here we had a number of object seen coming in across the North Sea on coastal radar. It looked like a Russian mistake. Jet aircraft were scrambled. The objects were travelling at quite impossible speeds like 4-5000 mph and then came to an abrupt halt near to one of these stations not very high up. Jet aircraft picked them up on aircraft radar. The objects then simply made rings round them."

"Inevitably this led to the sort of enquiry which you would put in hand if you had any military responsibilities. Had something gone wrong with ground radar or with aircraft radar? We experienced pilots going out of their minds? Were people having fantasies? We *had* to investigate cases of that kind. Over the years - although there were not an enormous number of such cases - there were a sufficient number to persuade me, and a number of air staff friends with whom I had to work, that something was going on, sporadically, in British airspace which we could not explain."

"But we did not particularly want to make public statements about that. Not for something that we had no explanation."

Ralph Noyes,Senior Official with British Air Ministry - retired as Under Secretary of State in 1977

www.drdavidclarke.co.uk...

As for the UFO subject in general,I think what intrigues me the most is not what the nature of some of these unknown objects actualy are - its why other people who invest so much time and energy in complaining about the UFO subject never actualy address some of the incidents.

Cheers.

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

Originally posted by jkrog08

Thanks for bringing us the continuous information you always provide to the UFO forum Karl12, it is MUCH appreciated.

I second that! I unfailingly read threads started by Karl12 because I know they will always be of high quality and I too really appreciate the huge contribution he makes to ATS. It's only because of members like this and a handful of others that I continue to visit this forum. Star and Flag.

[edit on 20-11-2009 by Malcram]

Nice find.I imagine the military exercises piqued the ufo/uso interest in US!S/F.

Thanks for the replies - it seems 1952 was a very busy year for UFO sightings.


More Operation Mainbrace UFO/USO incidents:


September 20

Personnel of the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier participating in the Mainbrace maneuvers, observed a silvery, spherical object which was also photographed. (The pictures have never been made public). The UFO was seen moving across the sky behind the fleet. Reporter Wallace Litwin took a series of color photographs, which were examined by Navy Intelligence officers.

September 20

At Karup Field, Denmark, three Danish Air Force officers sighted a UFO about 7:30 P.M. The object, a shiny disk with metallic appearance, passed overhead from the direction of the fleet and disappeared in clouds to the east.

September 21

Six British pilots flying a formation of RAF jets above the North Sea observed a shiny sphere approaching from the direction of the fleet. The UFO eluded their pursuit and disappeared. When returning to base, one of the pilots looked back and saw the UFO following him. He turned to chase it, but the UFO also turned and sped away.

September 27/28

Throughout Western Germany, Denmark, and southern Sweden, there were widespread UFO reports. A brightly luminous object with a cometlike tail was visible for a long period of time moving irregularly near Hamburg and Kiel. On one occasion, three satellite objects were reported moving around a larger object. A cigar-shaped object moving silently eastward also was reported.

More on the USS Franklin Delanore Roosevelt:

The USS Franklin Delanore Roosevelt aircraft carrier was the first naval ship to carry nuclear weapons . For this reason, many say the USS FDR was also a magnet for USO sitings. With multiple sitings with multiple reliable eye witnesses, these cases become hard to debunk.

A multinational force made up of US & British naval ships. USO approach the FDR and are witnessed by many people. Apparently a British ship had a close encounter as well.



Sept 20 1952 7:30pm

3 Danish officers participating in the multinational exercises observe a USO approach their ship. It hovers awhile then disappears. 24hrs later 6 British officers see them emerge from the water and head towards their ship



Oct 2 1963

Radar Operator on the FDR Off the coast of Sardinia, radar operator Jordan noticed a blip on his radar screen. It moved across his screen at altitudes and faster then anything he had seen before. It approached the FDR slowed, then just disappeared. He was never able to tell if the craft went into the water or not.


Rumor has it that Dwight Eisenhower may have even been present on the FDR during at least one of these USO events.

www.ufo-reports.com...


Cheers.

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

reply to post by karl 12
Good work Karl. Like Jkrog, I hadn't heard of this case either. As a kid, I loved 50s rock n roll...I was probably the only 7 year old in England that wanted a quiff. It'd be great to pay a visit to the 50s and be a part of one of those major sightings. Driving a '57 Corvette (two-tone) and listening to the latest Chuck Berry or Platters track while watching for UFOs would be a lotta fun. And yes....I'd take one of these back with me

reply to post by Kandinsky


Kandinsky -I can just picture you with a big Fonzie quiff!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8a121d1be724.jpg[/atsimg]

Originally posted by karl 12

The USS Franklin Delanore Roosevelt aircraft carrier was the first naval ship to carry nuclear weapons . For this reason, many say the USS FDR was also a magnet for USO sitings. With multiple sitings with multiple reliable eye witnesses, these cases become hard to debunk..

More on UFO/USO sightings aboard the USS Franklin Delanore Roosevelt:


SpaceVisitor's post - 16th down:
USO Research


SpaceVisitor's post - 3rd down:
USO Research

More on Mainbrace Sightings Sept 1952:

"It was these sightings, I was told by an RAF exchange intelligence officer in the Pentagon, that caused the RAF to officially recognize the UFO."

Captain Edward J. Ruppelt -Chief of Project Blue Book

Captain Ruppelt's account:
www.nicap.org...




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More on UFOs and the USS FDR:

One other such sighting --- now quite famous --- had been on September 20, 1952, when the F.D. Roosevelt was taking part in "Operation Mainbrace" with the NATO fleets, in the English Channel and North Sea. Three photographs of the UFO, a fast-flying disc, were taken at the time, by a journalist named Wallace Litwin who was aboard our carrier. The disc was following the NATO ships. Those who saw the disc were numerous. And there were also many other UFO sightings in Western Europe on that same day during the NATO exercise. One of these sightings was of a flying disc, seemingly metallic, at 7.30 pm over the most important military airfield in Denmark.

In the course of my enquiries, I discovered evidence of at least three and probably more, other UFO sightings from my carrier. One, in 1953, had been observed by the bridge watch and picked up on the Commander-in-Chief’s radar.

In 1956 there came another sighting, when the ship was anchored in the harbour at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and UFOs were seen by many of the crew, including officers. I learned that one of the witnesses drew sketches of the UFOs. The sketches were sent to the U.S. Department of Defence, and the witness was warned that he "should tell nobody about it for twenty years."

In that same year, 1956, came yet another sighting - by a Chief Warrant Officer, and it was also registered on the radar of the Commander-in-Chief. The radar operators said the UFO vanished off their ‘scope’ after only two or three sweeps. And I also know that there were more cases yet.

But we can be sure that the Regulation JANAP 146 (E) will have prevented details of any of these cases getting onto the warship’s log-books. However I possess letters of testimony from a number of crew members.

Official Reports 'missing':

..The same day, September 20, 1952, at Pitreavie, Scotland (according to an INS Press report) the RAF staff officers engaged on "Operation Mainbrace" held an enquiry into this UFO sighting, and at the same time they investigated another report that ten men in an RAF bombing plane had been followed, on the same day, by a circular silver object while they were flying over Yorkshire.

In Britain it is claimed today that all the official RAF Intelligence reports on "Operation Mainbrace" are now "missing".
The British Public Records Office is said to hold only a very little material on "Mainbrace", and even that is classified for 50 years.

Larry Bryant of CAUS (Citizens Against UFO Secrecy) also wrote, on July 27, 1980, to the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Dept, Washington, D.C., and he too received no satisfaction.

Books references:

1. Aimé Michel: The Truth About Flying Saucers. (Translation, American edition, Criterion, New York, 1956).

2. Dr. Jacques Vallée: Anatomy of a Phenomenon (1965).

3. Timothy Good: UFO Report, 1992 (published by Sidgwick and Jackson, London).

www.fsr.org.uk...




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Full text of Newpaper report - "FLYING SAUCER" JOINS IN "MAINBRACE"

www.ufologie.net...



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The reason for Operation Mainbrace:
www.time.com...

Excerpt from LIFE Magazine article, April 7, 1952 - "Have We Visitors From Outer Space?"

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c79114867f0f.jpg[/atsimg]

'Mainbrace' Has File On 'Flying Saucers'

Topcliffe, England --(AP)-- "Operation Mainbrace" headquarters here opened a new signal file today: "Flying saucer sightings and movements."

The Air Ministry said it was investigating a report of a silver-colored circular object moving through the sky about 15,000 feet up at a speed faster than a shooting star.

During the brief glimpse -- between 15 and 30 seconds -- the object was reported to have switched its course and then seemed to descend.

Link:
www.project1947.com...

CIA Document referring to this RAF 'flying disc' incident over Yorkshire, England,1952:

September 19
A British Meteor jet aircraft was returning to the airfield at Topcliffe, Yorkshire, England, just before 11 A. M. As it approached for landing, a silvery object was observed following it, swaying back and forth like a pendulum. Lieutenant John W. Kilburn and other observers on the ground said that when the Meteor began circling, the UFO stopped. It was disk-shaped, and rotated on its axis while hovering. The disk suddenly took off westward at high speed, changed course, and disappeared to the southeast.

Document:

'British Activity in the Field of UFOs':

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/884179506585.jpg[/atsimg]

"In some RAF field, there was some sort of demonstration to which high officials of the RAF in London had been invited. During the show, a 'perfect flying saucer' was seen by these officials as well as RAF pilots. So many people saw it that many articles appeared in the public press. This is distressing to [Dr] Jones because he realises that the creation of the correction of public opinion is a part of his responsibilities."

www.uk-ufo.org...

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

Fantastic work, I only wish I could flag this more that once!

It is such a shame that evidence such as this is ignored by the public at large, and more than a little disheartening for those of us who wish to uncover the truth behind the UFO phenomenon (whatever that may be).

Originally posted by sonicology

It is such a shame that evidence such as this is ignored by the public at large, and more than a little disheartening for those of us who wish to uncover the truth behind the UFO phenomenon (whatever that may be).

Sonicology, thanks for the reply - it certainly is a very interesting series of incidents mate and I really do agree with your comments about the apathy (or willful ignorance) shown by certain folks when it comes to the UFO (or USO) subject.

Like the Chief of Project Bluebook, Captain Ruppelt said - it was these Mainbrace sightings which first made the RAF sit up, take notice and treat the subject seriously - too bad that can't apply to everyone.

Don't know if you've seen it but there's another very interesting declassified RAF report below dealing with an extremely strange UFO over RAF Boulmer:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Cheers.

Excerpt from Timothy Good's (excellent) book 'Need to Know: UFOs, the Military, and Intelligence':

Exercise Mainbrace


[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

Originally posted by karl 12
Don't know if you've seen it but theres another very interesting declassified RAF report below dealing with an extremely strange UFO over RAF Boulmer

Thanks for that, will definitely look into it

I think these military sightings are of special significance, not just because of the quality of the witnesses but also because of what it tells us about the UFOs intentions.

Funny that you linked to Need to Know because I started reading it a few days ago! Although I have not read much so far I have found it very interesting, especially the report of a UFO landing in Italy in 1933 and Mussolini's subsequent order that "absolutely no mention is to be made of the alleged landing of an unknown aircraft on national soil"; it seems that all governments - despite how different their political views are - are united in their desire to suppress knowledge of the UFO phenomenon.

Originally posted by sonicology
Funny that you linked to Need to Know because I started reading it a few days ago! Although I have not read much so far I have found it very interesting, especially the report of a UFO landing in Italy in 1933 and Mussolini's subsequent order that "absolutely no mention is to be made of the alleged landing of an unknown aircraft on national soil"; it seems that all governments - despite how different their political views are - are united in their desire to suppress knowledge of the UFO phenomenon.

Yep -Timothy Good has done some excellent research down the years and uncovered some truly remarkable documents - theres a good radio interview with him here where he goes into quite some detail about certain incidents and makes some very interesting comments - I think you're going to like the book.

As for Mussolini, I think his attitude is shared by a great many other government agencies (particularly NORAD and the ONI) - if you've not seen it before then theres a great thread here about him:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Cheers.

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

Another unexplained RAF UFO incident which occurred over England around the same time as the Mainbrace sightings (October 1952):

Interviews found at 14:55.


Video Link

Fascinating interview with Flight Lieutennant Michael Swiney and Royal Navy Lieutennant David Crofts who both witnessed three disc shaped objects pass over the cockpit of their plane whilst flying over England in October 1952 (the three objects were also confirmed by ground radar).

Pilot Testimony:

"It was something supernatural. I immediately thought of course, of saucers, because that's actually what they looked like. They were not leaving a condensation trail as I knew we were. They were circular and appeared to be stationary. We continued to climb to twice that height [to 30,000 feet] and as we did so they did in fact change position. They took on a slightly different perspective. For example the higher we got they lost their circular shape and took on more of a 'flat plate' appearance - like when you hold a tea-saucer above your head and look at it, and then bring it down to your eye-level, it loses the circular shape and becomes a flat plate."

"At one time the objects, which were still very much in view, appeared to go from one side of us to the other, and to make quite sure it was not an illusion caused by us in our aeroplane moving to one side, I checked that we were absolutely still on a very steady heading, and sure enough they had moved across to the starboard side of the aircraft."

"We got to the top of the climb and I decided that really there was nothing much we could do. I was too shaken by what I had seen and decided to call the exercise off and go back to base. I called up Air Traffic Control at Rissington and said I had three unidentified objects fairly close and gave them my course. I understand later that there was a certain amount of pandemonium on the ground because they weren't used to having their own staff instructors calling up saying 'we have got three unidentified flying objects in front, what do we do?' They didn't know what to do either."

Flight Lieutenant Michael Swiney

and

"I remember doing the 35,000 foot check and Mick, who was in the front seat, said: 'David, did you have anything to drink at lunchtime?' and I said: 'No, why?' and he said: 'Is your oxygen on?' and I replied: 'Mick, we've just done the 30,000 foot check and you checked with me that your oxygen was alright and I checked with you that my oxygen was alright,' then he said: 'Well, look at that - straight ahead!'

"Mick [who was in the front seat] put his head to one side and I looked straight through the D-window and there were three dots ahead, [initially] they wouldn't have been bigger than my thumb-nail at arm's length and there were certainly three of them. I looked up from time to time and saw they were approaching and getting further and further apart. What I saw looked like the bottom of a stemmed glass. They were lens shaped, like an ellipse and the sun was behind them, and there was no cloud at that height. It was impossible to tell the size of them or how far away they were.

"I was thinking all the time that I've got to make this a good exercise and didn't want to muff it by looking around at extraneous things, but Mick kept talking about them and saying that he thought they were UFOs so I thought: 'Oh yes, well let's go after them!' thinking well now we can stop doing the exercise and we can officially say we are off the hook. But he didn't, he said: 'Oh Lord no, don't you remember something that happened on the West Coast of America where a couple of pilots went after one of these things and they all got vapourised and they have never been seen since.' I then asked him what he intended to do, and with that he called Air Traffic Control at Little Rissington and said what he could see and within a very short time he said: 'I have control', he turned the aircraft and we headed back to base."

Royal Navy Lieutennant David Crofts

Photos and logbooks:
www.drdavidclarke.co.uk...

More on triangular UFO spotted off the coast of Ireland:

The earliest report which we were able to uncover dated from September 1952 and concerned the sighting of triangular-shaped UFOs seen during a NATO exercise called ‘Mainbrace’. Significantly, UFOs were witnessed by military personnel reported throughout Mainbrace, including a now-famous encounter reported by half a dozen Royal Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Topcliffe in Yorkshire who saw a circular shaped UFO operating near the airfield.

Interestingly enough, it was later stated by Edward J. Ruppelt (the one-time head of the U.S. Air Force’s UFO study programme, project blue book) that it was the sightings reported throughout mainbrace which caused the British Government to officially recognise the UFO mystery. And what do the files on Exercise Mainbrace tell us about the Triangles?

Barely one day into the exercise, at least two reports of encounters with triangular-shaped vehicles were filed with the authorities by naval personnel on board ships off the coast of Ireland. The first such encounter involved what was referred to as a ‘blue/green triangle’ which was observed flying over the sea at a speed of 1,500 miles per hour; while later that same day, a triangular formation of lights emitting a ‘white light exhaust’ was seen in the same vicinity

www.ufoevidence.org...

Sign Historical Group

In the United Kingdom, the first reports to claim public attention were made by Service personnel involved in the NATOs "Exercise Mainbrace"..

The U.K. Government and UFOs
By Julian J.A. Hennessey