DOW-UAP-D159, Air Intelligence Information Report, Germany, 1953
WAR.gov / Department of War PURSUE Release 07
An Air Intelligence Information Report of August 11, 1953, prepared by Captain Fred L. Allen of a U.S. Air Force base complement squadron, containing extracts from the Tempelhof air traffic control logs on sightings over the Soviet zone of Germany on August 10–11, 1953.
Document Highlights
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Short overview
An Air Intelligence Information Report of August 11, 1953, prepared by Captain Fred L. Allen of a U.S. Air Force base complement squadron, containing extracts from the Tempelhof air traffic control logs on sightings over the Soviet zone of Germany on August 10–11, 1953.
Why this is interesting
The report is a sequence of log entries with times in Zulu: at 1936Z on August 10, a British European Airways DC-3 inbound to Tempelhof via the Center Corridor reported what appeared to be red rockets fired about one mile in front of it. At 2245Z the pilot of a second BEA DC-3 reported a stationary red light twenty nautical miles west of Genthin at about 5,000 feet, and half an hour later the British Berlin Air Safety Center relayed that the Soviets had checked the light and could not account for it. A Pan American pilot who crossed the area at 0235Z on August 11 saw nothing, but stated that on the night of August 7 he had observed ground-to-air firing there, which stopped as his aircraft approached; he could not determine the type of projectile. A note on the second page adds that the office had been unable to reach this pilot for further information.
Selected passages
- “no light or activity of any description, but stated”
- “unable to determine what type projectile was being”
Background
This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (AIIR), a standardized U.S. Air Force reporting form used to record raw information of potential intelligence value for later analysis. The form served as a primary vehicle for U.S. Air Force field intelligence collection throughout the early Cold War, until defense-wide reporting standards were established in the early 1960s. This AIIR records a series of entries extracted from Tempelhof Airport air traffic control logs dated 10–11 August 1953 concerning aerial reports in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. The report states that a British European Airways DC-3 aircraft reported observing what the pilot described as red-colored rockets being fired approximately one mile in front of the aircraft while inbound to Tempelhof via the Center Corridor. It further states that the pilot of a second British European Airways DC-3 later reported a stationary, red-colored light approximately 20 nautical miles west of Genthin at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet. The report also notes that British Berlin Air Safety Center stated that Soviet authorities had investigated the reported red light and could not account for it. A later Pan American pilot reported no corresponding light or activity when passing through the same area. All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.