Somewhere in the Skies - Bite-Sized UFOs | The Korean War UFO

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Starting point is 00:00:56 Kayak, got that right. Welcome to bite-sized UFOs. a show where we break down lesser-known UFO cases in 20 minutes or less. And now here's your host, Graham Rendell. United Nations troops once again hit the road toward Korea's capital city of Seoul. On the way, American infantrymen fight through towns like the rail center of Anyang, south of Seoul. By July 1951, the Korean War had turned into a stalemate. This state of affairs would continue until the 27th of July, 1953, when an army

Starting point is 00:01:40 was finally signed. Yet this stalemate still saw plenty of fighting, particularly in the air, with attacks behind enemy lines on concentrations of troops, supplies and infrastructure. Air power would be used in this regard, with some of the units involved being squadrons from the US Marine Corps. In this episode of bite-sized UFOs we'll concentrate on five pilots from VMA-212, a US Marine Corps squadron. VNA 212, known as the Devil Cats, flew the F4U Corsair. Corsairs had been successful aircraft during the Second World War, operating from carriers and airfields during the Pacific Campaign. The type was also used to a lesser extent in the European Theatre of Operations.

Starting point is 00:02:34 But by June 1952, when the case that we were about to discuss took place, the Corsair could not mix it with the likes of the MIG-15 operated by the North Koreans, flown by Chinese or Russian pilots. However, despite its obsolescence in the face of modern jet aircraft, the piston-engineed Corsair would prove to be a useful ground-attack platform during the Korean War. On the afternoon of 20 June 1952, Captain Bobby Foster, US Marine Corps, led a flight of five VMA-212 Corsair aircraft on a ground-attack mission over the Charlie Tango grid. This was located in the west central area of Korea.

Starting point is 00:03:16 Captain Foster made the following report to intelligence officers about what he saw during that flight. At 14-15 hours I took off from K6, Korea, with five F4U4Bs on a pre-briefed flight to work a close air support flight with the first Marine Division. We reported into Shirley Bromide, Dentist, Anaconda, Devastate Baker and Childhood 14, our tactical air controller. We were directed to our target by our controller, and we were in a left orbit over the target at Charlie Tango 09-1129. At 15.03 hours, Korean local time, I observed a white or silver object below me on a north course. At the time I was on an east heading observing the object down at 2 o'clock, passing below and in front of me. The object was coming from a friendly area. I thought at first it was a shell but observed that it was in a left turn, and,

Starting point is 00:04:12 and not in the shape of an artillery shell. This object made a 630 degree turn and was in sight at all times. It made approximately a four mile circle and retired to the east toward friendly lines. At 15.04 hours I notified my flight when the object was over the target, and four or five of them saw it over the target. I estimate object was 10 to 20 feet in diameter. Bomb craters on the ground were about three or four times as large. as the object, and I later estimated the bomb craters to be 40 or 50 feet in diameter.

Starting point is 00:04:48 It circled our target area and retired east. I started a dive on the object, and at an indicated speed of 250 knots at 4,000 feet, the object went out of sight, still low on the, ground, below 1,000 feet, estimated speed 1,000 miles per hour, or four times mine. I pulled back in a flight and we continued our close. air support flight. This is my first sighting of such a nature. Details of Bobby Foster's sighting also appear in a letter that he sent on the same day of the encounter to his wife, Pat. This letter will be confidential. Keep it to yourself. I saw my first flying saucer today.

Starting point is 00:05:30 I had that close air support to the first division that I told you I have last night, and I had a total of five planes. Four of the five saw it, and the fifth saw it later on. We made all sorts of reports that are being gathered at Dayton, Ohio. They have been seen out here by a lot of people. Don't know if anyone else saw it. Had the camera along today and forgot to take a picture in all the excitement. The thing was too far away anyway. Dayton, Ohio was obviously a reference to Wright-Patson Air Force Base.

Starting point is 00:06:04 This was where Project Blue Book, the third official United States Air Force UFO investigation program, was based. But what about the other pilots in Bobby Foster's flight? What did they see? Let's start with Captain Richard Francisco. While flying number two man in a five-plane division on a close air support mission in the area of Charlie Tango 09-1-1-2-9, my attention was directed by my division leader, Captain B. Foster, to an unidentified object about 9 o'clock from me.

Starting point is 00:06:39 I was flying west in a left orbit approximately 5,500 feet. The object was below me at least 3,000 feet and was traveling at a very fast speed and appeared to be white or silver in color. The size was hard to determine, but I would estimate it to be at least 6 feet but not over 12 feet in diameter. I was unable to tell the shape too well, but it appeared to be round. Next is the testimony from Captain Teddy Pittman, another pilot in Bobby Foster's flight. On the 20th of June 1952, at approximately 1503 local time, I was flying the number three position in a five-plane flight in the near vicinity of Charlie Tango 09-1129. Captain Bobby Foster, the flight leader, made a radio transmission, stating that there was some unidentified flying objects below us, and inside our army. left-hand orbit. At this time, I was north of the target area, headed west. The object appeared

Starting point is 00:07:40 to be of a round or oval shape. It left no trail of any kind or color. The object made an orbit of 360 degrees to the left and retired in an easterly direction at a very fast rate of speed. My first impression was that it was a bird, but the speed couldn't have been made by a bird. It appeared to be about three to five feet in diameter. It was white or silver colored. Captain Foster made a run at the object, but it pulled away from him. I was at 5,500 feet, and the object was below me about 4,000 feet. The final testimony comes from Captain Ronnie McDonald, U.S. Marine Co.

Starting point is 00:08:20 At approximately 1510 local time, while entering a bombing run, I observed an unidentified object at a position one mile southeast of Target. coordinate Charlie Tango 091129. It was at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet. It appeared to be a white object, circular or oval in shape, and about 10 feet in diameter. It was traveling east at approximately 200 miles per hour. The visual contact was very brief due to concentration on bomb run. No trail or exhaust was observed.

Starting point is 00:08:53 My altitude was 4,000 feet. At time of sighting, my position was a half mile east of target. But what did the Far East Air Force intelligence officers think about this case? Well, it certainly wasn't an open and shut one. Four pilots in a flight of five observed the object after it had been called to their attention by the flight leader. All of these pilots are well trained and have flown an average of 44 combat missions

Starting point is 00:09:20 in Korea. The reliability of the report is considered A1. One plane attempted to dive on object but could not make firing run due to friendlies. Object was too fast and pulled aware rapidly. Many reports of unidentified flying objects have originated from this area of Korea. Most of the reports from the Delta Tango Grid area have been traced to the use of balloons by the enemy. Several of the reports from the Charlie Tango Grid area are at this time still unexplained. Preparing officer, Charles J. Malvin, Captain, United States Air Force.

Starting point is 00:09:54 The Deputy of Intelligence for Far East Air Force, Brigadier General Charles Banffill, had the final word. With no estimation of size, the estimate of speed and altitude is considered to be inaccurate. The cloud layer into which the object disappeared was probably the 7 tenths layer, which would indicate the most probable altitude as between 6,000 and 8,000 feet. This would, in turn, lower the estimated speed to a recent level. reasonable figure for normal aircraft types. Although no aircraft were reported in this area by Kamaki Tower, air defense clears aircraft such as the F-94s on tactical clearances, which although controlled by tactical air control ground, could be in the area without the knowledge of personnel at Kamaki Air Base.

Starting point is 00:10:44 However, Captain Malvin's report had a sad postscript. The observer who saw this object for the longest period of time, Captain Foster, has subsequently been declared killed in action on 21st June 1952. Bobby Foster was indeed killed in action the day after seeing a UFO. The details of this tragedy were reported as follows. Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals because we're built for what you're building. Fit for your ambition for Citizens Bank.

Starting point is 00:11:23 On the 21st of June 1952, Captain Foster, was leading a flight of 4F4 U4B Corsairs on a pre-planned tactical reconnaissance mission in North Korea. Once the flight arrived in the target area on Chodo Island, they checked in with the aircraft control station, and they were cleared to engage a target of opportunity consisting of a group of caves and earthworks. While the rest of the flight waited at altitude, Captain Foster began his bomb delivery pass on fortifications atop a hill. He was seen to begin his dive from an altitude of about 7,000 feet in a 30-degree dive, and released his bomb at a very low level. His flightmates saw the bomb explode on target, and believe Captain Foster's aircraft was hit by fragments of his own

Starting point is 00:12:04 bomb. After the bomb detonated, Captain Foster did not pull up from his dive as a standard procedure. Instead, his aircraft continued on a flat, slowly descending flight path until the right wing hit the shallow water. It plowed on for about 50 feet before the entire aircraft hit the water at about 300 knots, exploding, burning and disintegrating on impact. While one of the remaining pilots climbed to a higher altitude to make a May Day radio call, another made several low passes over the crash site, but all that was visible was some flames on the water, an oil slick, a spot of dye marker, and some scattered pieces of wreckage, but no sign of Captain Foster. Two of the three remaining pilots had Captain Foster's aircraft under observation from the

Starting point is 00:12:46 beginning of his weapons delivery pass until impact, and neither pilot observed any indication that Captain Foster attempted to bail out of the aircraft before impact. Two rescue helicopters were launched, but both turned back when there was no sign of the downed pilot. Let's return to the official analysis of this case as undertaken by intelligence officers of the Far East Air Force. The original preparing officer, Captain Malvin, was an ATLO or Air Technical Intelligence Liaison Officer. When the Korean War started, a group of ATLOs was sent out to Far East Air Force. Their job was to analyze reports of potential new enemy technology, whether that be North Korean, Russian or Chinese. They would have also been expected to examine any recovered technology.

Starting point is 00:13:33 This included windfalls of enemy jet aircraft provided by defectors. This would have also stretched to reports of UFOs because intelligence officers at the time wondered whether these were some kind of advanced technology fielded by the enemy. Of course, reports from the field were passed on to headquarters, in this case, Deputy Intelligence, Far East Air Force, based in Tokyo. Brigadier General Banffill had two points to make about the UFO report submitted by Captain Bobby Foster and his squadron mates. The height and distance of the object were revised downwards. The inference was that the UFO, whatever it was, would have been travelling in a much slower speed than reported. The closer an object is to its observer than the less speed it needs to travel a perceived distance. Therefore it was felt that the object may well have just been a conventional jet aircraft.

Starting point is 00:14:31 Brigadier General Banfield's closing report mentioned the possibility of F-94 Starfire interceptor aircraft being in the area of the sighting without the knowledge of local controllers. Whilst this may have been possible, it neglected to take into account one in the same. important point. The reliability and experience of the pilots in the formation of Corsairs. All of the pilots were graded as A1 in terms of reliability. Two pilots from Bobby Foster's formation also had experience from World War II in addition to their time and career. So why was their ability to spot a low-flying jet or one much closer to them, being called into question? And finally, Captain Malvin's report had mentioned that some UFO reports in

Starting point is 00:15:17 neighboring areas had been chalked up to nothing more than North Korean balloon activity, but there was also a grudging acceptance that many reports defied identification. This appeared to be glossed over in Brigadier General Banffield's final report. Although the relevant Project Blue Book index card for this case appears to be missing from the public record, the summary for June 1952 does give the outcome as unidentified. identified. No one knows whether the North Koreans ever recovered Captain Bobby Foster's body. The question regarding what he and his fellow pilots saw the day before his death in June 1952 has also never been answered.

Starting point is 00:16:02 This has been bite-sized UFOs with your host, Graham Rendell. Be sure to rate and review wherever you get your podcasts. For a full video version of this episode, subscribe to the bite-sized UFO's YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.

Somewhere in the Skies - Bite-Sized UFOs | The Korean War UFO

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