Project 10073 Record: Incident 407 - Valdosta, Georgia, 20 July 1949

This document contains a series of reports and correspondence regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting that occurred in Valdosta, Georgia, on the night of 20 July 1949. The primary witness, a local engraver and World War II veteran, reported seeing a reddish-orange flame that resembled a V-2 rocket being launched. The witness observed the object from his yard, initially noting it moving rapidly as it climbed from the ground into the air, before slowing down as it gained altitude. He utilized field glasses to track the object for approximately seven minutes. The sighting was subsequently reported in the Savannah Morning News and brought to the attention of the Valdosta Times. Military authorities, specifically the G-2 section of the Third Army and the 5th District Office of Special Investigations, conducted an inquiry into the matter. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force under Project Grudge was that there was insufficient data to evaluate the sighting. The documents include a formal Project 10073 record, a summary of information prepared by the Third Army, and a memorandum from the 5th District Office of Special Investigations to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The military noted that this incident was distinct from another sighting mentioned in a letter dated 15 July. No further investigation was deemed necessary by the district.