Air Intelligence Information Report — Mainz, Germany, 29 September 1952

This Air Intelligence Information Report, dated 6 October 1952, documents an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed by a French Naval Officer, Capitaine Dursemaine, on 29 September 1952. The sighting occurred at approximately 1730 hours Zebra, roughly 2 kilometers south of Mainz, Germany. The witness, who serves as the Commanding Officer of the Gendarmerie Maritime en Allemagne, was observing from his home at an altitude of 6000 meters. He described the object as egg-shaped and luminescent, featuring a black spot in its center estimated to be the size of a C-47 fuselage. The object emitted a low-pitched hum and left a trailing exhaust that was white in the center and red at the edges. The witness reported that the object moved in a straight line at an estimated speed of 600 kilometers per hour, showing no signs of spinning or turning. The observation lasted for approximately six minutes. Capitaine Dursemaine noted that he heard jet aircraft in the vicinity both before and after the sighting. Subsequent verification with the Frankfurt Flight Service confirmed that C-47 and F-84 type aircraft were indeed operating in the local area at the time of the incident. The report, prepared by Captain Gerald M. Jones of the USAF, includes a sketch of the object and its exhaust pattern. The investigating officer noted that the witness, having 15 years of naval experience, appeared to be highly intelligent and reliable, and that his account was considered credible. The document was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further interest.