Air Intelligence Information Report, Sweden, 1953

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AF FORM 112 APPROVED 1 JUNE 1949 COUNTRY Sweden UNCIASSIFIED (CLASSIFICATION) REPORT NO. IR-12 - 54 AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT + 006573 SUBJECT "Flying Saucer" Sighted By Swedish Pilot AREA REPORTED ON Sweden DATE OF REPORT 13 January 1954 PREPARED BY (Officer) BURT ROWEN Major REFERENCES (Control number, direl USAF (MC) os, previous report, etc., as applicable) BAIR 3A FROM (Agency) OAirA, Stockholm, Sweden EVALUATION BRANCH DATE OF INFORMATION December 53 - January 54 SOURCE Press and Personal Contact SUMMARY: (Enter concise summary of report. Give significance in final one-sentence paragraph. List inclosures at lower left. Begin tezt of report on AF Form 118--Part II.) This report forwards information on the "unknown" object sighted on 17 December 1953 by Captain VIf Christiernsson, near Hässleholm, Sweden. Included is a translation of Captain Christiernsson's description of the incident, as reported in an interview with the local press. There is also a brief character sketch of Captain Christiernsson. APPROVED: DECLASSIFIED Authority: NND 57597 abet Порно HERBERT It• Colonel, Acting Air Attache LIBRARY SUBJECT & AREA CODES Lodex - INCLS. DISTRIBUTION BY ORIGINATOR A-2 USAFE; USArmA Stockholm NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT. 50 U.S. C.- 31 AND 32, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY OTHER THAN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF. UNCIASSIFIED (CLASSIFICATION) 16-55569-2 U.S. GOVERNMENT TRide OricE

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AF FORM 112—PART II APPROVED 1 JUNE 1948 - UNCLASSIFTED (CLASSIFICATION) AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO. FROM (Agency) CAirA, Stockholm, Sweden IR-12 PAGE 2 OF PAGES 1. On Thursday, 17 December 1953, while flying near Hässleholm, Sweden, Captain Ulf Christiernsson sighted an "unknown" object. The following is the translation of a newspaper account of the incident: "The chief pilot of Transair, Capt. Ulf Christiernsson, and his crew chief, Olle Johansson, had a strange meeting over Hässleholm at 1437 hours Thursday. A shining metal spherical elliptical object came toward them traveling in the opposite direction from their machine at an estimated speed of sound and approximately 600 meters below their DC-3, which was on its way from Bulltofta to Bromma. It was visible six to seven seconds; Capt. Chris- tiernsson, who had good silhouette recognition, stated that what he saw was something absolutely new, possibly an unmanned robot. "The Transair plane was automatic controls when the meeting occurred. Capt. Christiernsson did not have time for any measures other than to report to Bulltofta and the Defense Staff, which later sent out the following com- munique: " The air crew of a civil aircraft observed on Thursday at 1437 hours over the area of Hässleholm an unknown object moving in the opposite direction from the airplane. The object was observed for six to seven seconds. At that time and altitude the weather was clear. Because of the low lying cloud for- mations the object is not thought to have been seen from the ground. The De- fense Staff does not know of any Swedish plane that was in that area at the time in question. An investigation is being conducted.' seem to me that we had seen a robot of some kind. When I first caught sight of the object, which like us was in the civil air corridor, I thought it was a jet. We had, however, received no word that any such thing was on the way. "The object came toward us at what I would say was the speed of sound; we were flying at an altitude of approximately 2,150 meters and the object was around 600 meters below us. It was going in a southwesterly direction and disappeared after six or seven seconds. "The object had a strong metal shine; the crew chief, Johansson, who could see it longer than I, thought it was almost phosphorescent. The flving weather was excellent above the clouds, which were at an altitude of about 1500 meters, and the sun was shining brightly. The object was proceeding just above the "The first silhouette I got diagonally from the right was narrow. it was nearly directly under us, however, I saw that it was nearly round, just slightly elliptical. "The object, which could definitely not have been a meteor, gave off no waste gases or condensation traces. tiernsson. *Was I afraid? No, but curious, very curious, concluded Captain Chris- "Christiernsson has seen just about everything in aviation and has very good silhouette recognition. From 1942 to 1946 he was a volunteer serving in NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT, 50 U.S. C.- 31 AND 32, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY OTHER THAN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF. UNCLASSIFTED (CLASSIFICATION) IR-12 16-55570-1 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

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AF FORM 112—PART II APPROVED 1 JUNE 1948 UNCLASSIFIED (CLASSIFICATION) AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO. FROM (Agency) OAirA, Stockholm, Sweden IR-12 PAGE OF 3 PAGES the Royal Air Force. finished as a captain in the British Air Force, after making some thirty raids in a Mosquito against enemy territory, in both Africa and Italy. "Air Force Chief, General Nordenskiöld, announced that it had been ascer- tained that the object could not have been any Swedish aircraft. "ie are now investigating," he continued, what our radar stations might have spotted. 1* Captain Christiernsson is Ll years of age and was born in Skäne in the souther part of Sweden. An extremely reliable source in the Royal Swedish Air Board, who was born in the same town and who is a life-long acquaintance of Capt. Christiernsson's, has stated that Christiernsson is charming and well-liked, but that he is also most un- trustworthy and was disnissed from a former position for "financial difficulty". Dur- ing the last war, Christiernsson tried to take a Swedish Air Force B-18 and fly to Eng- land, but was intercepted at Gothenburg and was put in jail. Although it is generally agreed in the Swedish Air Force that Captain Christiernsson is one of the best (and most discussed) pilots in Sweden today, he has never served with the RSAF except as a reserve captain. 3. Although the source above personally doubts Christiernsson's story, the news- papers report that the Defense Staff is continuing its investigation of the incident. This office is attempting to obtain further information on the occurrence. BURT ROWEN Major, USAF Assistant Air Attache NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT, 50 U. S. C.- 31 AND 32. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY OTHER THAN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF. UNCLASSIFIEL (CLASSIFICATION) 16-55570-1 IR-12 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE