Project 10073 Record Card: Bornholm, Denmark Sighting, 22 August 1956

This document collection details the investigation into a series of radar sightings reported near Bornholm, Denmark, on 22 August 1956. The initial report, filed under Project 10073, describes radar operators tracking two to three unidentified objects on an easterly heading at 700 knots. Approximately two hours later, the objects were observed orbiting at 25,000 feet altitude at the same speed. The location was identified as approximately 50 miles south of Danzig, Poland. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) conducted a thorough review of the incident, requesting additional data from the 3910th Bomb Group and SHAPE. The evaluation process involved multiple messages between various military commands, including AFOIN-4 and the 4602nd AISS. ATIC investigators concluded that the sightings were likely the result of anomalous propagation, a phenomenon where atmospheric conditions, specifically temperature inversions, cause radar beams to bend and create false returns. The report notes that the objects' behavior—appearing and disappearing intermittently and orbiting at high speeds—was characteristic of 'spurious blips' rather than solid aircraft or guided missiles. The investigators emphasized that the data provided was insufficient for a definitive conclusion, but they consistently pointed toward weather-related interference. The documents include internal routing slips, joint message forms, and formal memoranda, reflecting the military's concern regarding whether these sightings could represent Soviet guided missile activity. Ultimately, the consensus among the evaluating officers was that the evidence did not support the presence of solid objects, and the sightings were attributed to weather conditions similar to those observed in the Lakenheath-Bentwaters incidents. The file includes correspondence from Captain G.T. Gregory and Colonel H.K. Gilbert, who maintained that without more comprehensive data, such as radar scope photographs and detailed meteorological information, the anomalous propagation theory remained the most plausible explanation.