Project Blue Book Case File
KOREA, January 1952January 1952
Summary
On the night of January 29, 1952, four military pilots observing from two B-29 bombers flying separate missions over Korea reported seeing unusual glowing objects. The first sighting occurred near Wonsan at 2300 (11 p.m.) local time. Three crew members, the tail gunner, left gunner, and top gunner, watched a sphere-shaped object that glowed like the sun with an occasional bluish tint. The object appeared to have an internal churning motion, like flames or fiery gases moving inside. It stayed near the B-29 at the same altitude for approximately five minutes before fading into the distance.
About 24 minutes later, near Sunchon, the left and right gunners of a second B-29 saw an identical object for one minute. Both crews were experienced combat veterans from World War II who had flown multiple missions over Korea. They emphasized that the objects bore no resemblance to anything they had previously encountered, including flak, flares, or rockets.
Air Force investigators examined several possible explanations. The propulsion group ruled out conventional jet engines, jet engines with afterburners, pulse-jets, and rocket engines based on the color and movement described. One theory suggested the objects might be searchlights mounted on enemy aircraft. Another suggested they could be exhaust plumes from Soviet La-9 or La-11 fighters. A third possibility was that the enemy was testing new flare devices as a defense tactic. The file also included speculation about experimental Japanese balloons, though the estimated size seemed inconsistent with known balloon capabilities.
The Air Force reached no firm conclusion about the objects' identity or origin. The case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, 30 pages total.
Reported location
KOREA, January 1952
Date of incident
January 1952
State / country
? / XX
Page count
30 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 9