The Surge Of UFO Encounters Before The Second World War: The Final Years Of The Thirties

After several steady years of UFO activity in the 1930s, the final two years of the decade simply exploded with sightings of strange aerial craft and encounters with even stranger entities. Whether the fact that war was getting ever closer, and more obvious, during this time was a factor in this sudden increase in sightings remains unknown, but that more sightings were suddenly happening, however, was, and is, very clear.

The sightings that were reported during this busy two-year stretch were as varied as they were intriguing. Many encounters would mirror similar events that would take place decades later, while others – such as some of the many sightings of beast-like creatures – appear unique to their time. Why time might be, however, remains unclear. We might consider that the descriptions given were of creatures people of the time could most associate with. When we further consider that the concept of an alien was not in the collective psyche in the 1930s like it is today in our contemporary era, these descriptions, when reassessed, might be closer to how we would consider an alien being that we at first think.

As always, we don’t have time to examine each and every sighting on record, but the calendar months of 1938 and 1939, before the world was truly plunged into the horrors of the Second World War (which was already fully underway halfway through 1939) was perhaps one of the busiest two year periods in terms of UFO sightings in history, certainly outside of the Modern UFO Era.

An Immediate Increase In Strange Activity

Perhaps the best place to start with this sudden increase of UFO and potential alien activity is with an encounter from the research files of Bob Buck that unfolded at the start of 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri. The witnesses – an unnamed family – had witnessed numerous strange incidents (which is perhaps suggestive of repeat alien abduction) before this particular event. In the evening, the mother of the family recalled seeing a strange craft descend out of the sky and land on the ground nearby. Even more alarming, she saw multiple strange entities, not appearing from the craft itself, but almost from out of nowhere. They were rushing toward the craft as if they had been waiting to be picked up.

The more the witness stared at this strange sight, she noticed that at least one of the entities appeared very much to be a young girl, although she had a hybrid quality to her, particularly her large, black eyes that appeared to contain no white whatsoever. She also noticed what appeared to be an adult woman, who appeared to be accompanying the young girl. Although this woman appeared human, she was dressed in what seemed to be a strange tight-fitting uniform – clothing unlike any at the time.

An even stranger find occurred around the same time, this one in British Columbia in Canada. According to the account, while a search unit was searching for a missing trapper near the border with Alaska, Larry Requa ventured inside a cave to see if the missing person had used it for shelter. Although he didn’t discover the missing trapper, he did discover five strange skeletons, each of which, from a modern perspective, had the appearance of alien creatures. Not only were their frames particularly thin and seeming frail, but the heads were also distinctly oversized, much like we might imagine the skeletal remains of a grey alien might look.

As the witness looked around, he noticed how smooth and purposeful the walls of the cave were, as if they had been purposely excavated for the aliens to take shelter. Although no official explanation has been reached, it was Requa’s opinion that remains were likely hundreds, if not thousands of years old, and were of an alien crew who had crashed on Earth and become stranded. Out of respect, he left the remains where they were. When he told of his account decades later, to the best of his knowledge, they are still in the cave.

An equally strange encounter occurred on the other side of the Atlantic in the Yaroslavl Province of Russia, when a local villager named Ivan Ivanov ventured out on a lone fishing trip on one of the nearby lakes. He had, according to the report, been told by fellow villagers that the waters of the lake had been poisoned when a strange ship had sunk into it. Needless to say, he dismissed these reports and went on his way.

Not long after arriving at the water’s edge of the lake, though, he encounters several strange entities with greenish-grey skin and extra large heads. They spoke to him, in Russian, and appeared friendly enough. They explained that their vessel had crashed into the water and a fire had started inside. When they partially flooded the vehicle in order to stop the flames, the fire vehicle sank below the waters (just as he had been informed by the locals). Perhaps even more bizarre, these strange creatures then gave Ivanov rubles, and asked that he purchase paper and ink for them, which he duly did. In fact, he returned to the lake several times over the years, regularly speaking with the creatures, and running similar errands for them. Mysteriously, several years later, Ivanov went suddenly blind, perhaps because of the exposure to the poisoned waters of the lake.

Truly Bizarre Encounters With Dark Figures

Back in the United States in Red Oak, Texas, several hunters were sitting around a campfire while out on a hunting expedition when their dogs became suddenly agitated and moved closer to the fire as if sensing some kind of danger. A moment later, the men noticed a strange white figure standing a short distance from them, simply watching them silently. After a brief stare-off, each of the men, quickly followed by their dogs, got up from around the fire and ran as fast as they could. It is not known what happened to the men. Local residents recalled hearing several desperate screams come from the woods that evening, while two other men driving on a dirt road nearby recalled seeing a strange, white, beast-like creature appear out of the trees at the roadside before disappearing again.

According to the researcher, Brad Steiger, around the same time of the desert of Arizona, Steve Brodie and a friend were searching for stones of value when Brodie heard his friend suddenly let out a surprised gasp. When he turned his attention to where his friend was looking, he saw a “black-cowled figure”, quickly joined by a second almost identical figure a short distance away. The next thing he knew, one of the figures pointed some kind of strange rod at Brodie, and he was immediately paralyzed. At the same time, he sensed his friend turn and run from the scene. In response to this, the figure then pointed the road toward his friend. A second later, Brodie heard a terrified scream followed by the distinct smell of burnt flesh.

Then, a third figure, dressed exactly like the first two appeared, and began making his way directly toward the still-paralyzed Brodie. In his hands, he had a strange device that looked similar to a crude pair of headphones. The figure stood behind Brodie, and he could immediately feel something in between his ears. Then, without warning, he suddenly blacked out. The next thing he realized, he was wandering around Times Square in New York, with no idea of how or why he had traveled there. His only fleeting memory is of waking up on several occasions in a strange location with strange figures around him. Each time his mind would start to clear, one of the men would point the rod toward him, he would find himself paralyzed, and then he would black out once more. While the encounter would seem like a clear case of alien abduction, it remains a mystery, as does what became of his friend, who we have to assume perished while attempting to run.

It is perhaps also worth our time examining an encounter that UFO researcher, Raymond Fowler, experienced when he was young in Danvers, Massachusetts. Fowler would recall that he would often awake in the middle of the night and see a dark figure standing in his room. At the same time, he could feel a “strange electric-like tingling sensation” in the room. He would always try to cry out to his parents but was unable to do so, as if he was paralyzed. Each time he experienced this, the figure was that bit closer.

Glowing Spheres And Silver Objects

In February 1938, just outside of B’Bugia Bay in Malta, a zeppelin-like object was witnessed by multiple residents crossing the sky at a fantastic pace and heading out over the sea. One witness – who viewed the object through a telescope – claimed they could see humanoid occupants wearing strange helmets.

Another sighting unfolded around the same time in Sinnet, Saskatchewan, Canada, when a local resident saw what he thought was a friend of his heading toward him as walked along a quiet road. Much to his shock, however, when this figure was a short distance away, it suddenly transformed itself into a huge fireball, which then rose into the air and headed toward a nearby cemetery. It appeared to land somewhere among the tombstones, but the witness could not locate it again. Incidentally, around the same time in England, several reports were made of “glowing spheres” floating overhead, with some appearing to descend.

Several months later, in the summer of 1938 in Silver City, New Mexico, according to an account relayed by Jerome Clark in The Unexplained, Ann Alley along with three other children were playing when they saw a strange “gray-clad man” pass over the top of them just above the trees. According to Alley, the figure was “wearing a belt which was wide and had points sticking out of it”, as well as a strange hat. The children watched as the humanoid figure disappeared into the distance.

Around the same time in Munico, Spain, a ranch worker was moving a herd of cows to a spring close to the woodland at the edge of the field when he suddenly became aware of a strange humming noise that appeared to be coming from above. When he looked up, he was more than shocked to a “bright silvery blue object” descending toward the ground, eventually landing near the edge of the woods a short distance away. It rested on four legs and had several different colored lights that flashed along its edges.

The young man looked on in disbelief as a door opened on one side of the object, and a ramp extended, eventually reaching the ground. A moment later, three humanoid entities emerged from the doorway, two tall figures around the same height as an average adult, who proceeded to walk down the craft, and a shorter figure, who remained standing in the doorway. All were dressed in the same style silver suits. The two taller figures appeared to be collecting samples of grass and vegetation from the ground.

Cautiously, the witness stepped forward and headed toward the object. However, a moment later, after becoming aware of him, the smaller figure pointed some kind of device at him. The witness recalled seeing a flash before he was knocked off his feet. He got up and began walking again but the figure again used the unknown device to push him back. At this point, the witness decided to approach the object and the strange figures was not such a good idea and so he retreated behind some bushes. After several minutes, the two figures returned inside the object, which then rose into the air and disappeared with great speed.

Objects Appearing Out Of Nowhere And Unsettling Creatures

According to the research files of Coral and Jim Lorenzen, one summer evening in 1938, Malcolm Perry was outside his home when he noticed a strange aerial object that appeared to be heading in his direction. To begin with, he thought the object was a blimp. However, when he realized there was no gondola or propeller, he realized he was looking at something a little more out of the ordinary. As the object came closer, he could see several portholes along its side. Even more amazing, he could see the shape of a person standing at one of these portholes, seemingly looking out at him. Furthermore, he could see movement behind the other windows, suggesting that several crew members were on board the strange craft. He watched as the bizarre vehicle passed by him and disappeared into the night sky.

Several weeks later, at around 11:30 pm on 25^th July in Guadalajara, Spain, a Spanish military officer, and his assistant witnessed a strange “lens-shaped object” shining a strong white light a short distance from them. They estimated the object was around 40 feet across and was hovering at a distance of no more than six feet from the ground. Then, without making a sound, a strange column with a platform inside descended from the object. Inside this column, the witnesses could see two humanoid figures moving around. Then, a strange blue light projected from the object and focused directly on the two witnesses. After several moments, the light went out and the column retracted back inside the object. It began to spin, faster and faster, with some parts seemingly moving in opposite directions to each other. The object then began to glow before it shot into the air and disappeared.

Several strange encounters were reported in Provincetown, Cape Cod in Massachusetts in the fall of 1938. One such account comes from the files of Jerome Clark, and reports that multiple residents reported seeing a strange monstrous creature with pointed ears and glowing red eyes. Even more alarming, some of the witnesses claimed to have seen blue flames emerge from the creature’s mouth. The mysterious being also had the ability to leap great heights, something, along with the blue flames, are remarkably similar to descriptions of Spring Heeled Jack.

There was a further sighting of an almost identical creature a short time later in O’Donnell Heights in Maryland. Several residents of the town made reports to police of a “tall, thin prowler” that was dressed completely in black seemingly stalking the neighborhood. Intriguingly, almost all of the witnesses claimed that this individual could leap great distances, with one witness stating that “he ran and jumped like a gazelle”.

Another encounter with a strange creature occurred on the evening of 31^st October, once more in Provincetown, Cape Cod. On the night in question, a group of children who were out trick-or-treating claimed they saw a creature that appeared to have black clothing and the face of a reptile. Alarmingly, the creature appeared to be looking directly at the children. The group immediately turned and ran for home. When they told their respective parents, however, their claims were dismissed as a person dressed in a Halloween costume.

Multiple Sightings Of Strange, Human-Like Beings

According to issue 13 of Strange Magazine, just before sunrise one late fall day just outside of Apollonia in Greece, a local resident was in the countryside in order to cut down some trees when he noticed two strange-looking men standing in a clearing a short distance away from him. Intrigued, he approached them, although did his best to remain out of sight as he did so. He would later describe the men as “tall with large heads” and strange red eyes. They each appeared to be wearing some kind of military uniform and appeared to be somewhat bloated.

As he continued to watch, he noticed that the two figures were standing in front of a “large metallic egg-shaped craft” that was resting on four legs on the ground. He could see that the top half of the object was transparent, although he couldn’t make out anything of significance inside.

At this point, the witness raised the ax he was carrying above his head and shouted out at the men. They immediately turned to where he was standing, each looking noticeably startled. So much so, that the quickly clambered back inside the object, one of them immediately turning his attention to what appeared to be some kind of dashboard. Then, something that resembled a balloon shot out of the object, and it began to rise straight up. Within a few moments, it had disappeared from sight. Incidentally, when the witness examined the area where the figures had been standing shortly after they had disappeared, he discovered a strange flask that a liquid inside that proved to be flammable.

The following month in October in Garganta la Olla in Spain, T G Lopez was out walking when they came upon a “huge luminous spherical object” resting on the ground near woodland. Even stranger, they witnessed a “tall female entity” wearing a “dark flowing robe” near the object.

A month after that, in Ingenheim, France, several workers at a vineyard witnessed several “large greenish spheres of light” on the ground a short distance away from them. Of more interest, within these lights, the witnesses could several humanoid figures moving around, as if searching for something on the ground.

Several weeks later, one evening in Campagne Di Fiuggi in Italy, a man witnessed a strange bright light coming from within some nearby trees while returning home from work. He walked toward the trees, eager to see what the cause of the light was. When he was around 150 feet away from them, he could clearly see a large silver object resting on the ground on four metal legs. He would later describe the object as looking “like an upside-down dish with a dome on the top”. From the side of the craft, a ladder extended to the ground. Even more shocking, the witness could see four humanoid figures, each around four feet tall and wearing “coveralls” moving about around the craft. The witness approached once more. However, as soon as the figures realized he was there they each scurried back inside the craft. A moment later, it rose into the air and shot off, disappearing into the night.

The Countdown To War

With World War Two only nine short months away, UFO sightings appeared to explode right from the start of 1939. One of the earliest occurred along the Russo-Finnish border where multiple Finnish soldiers witnessed “hundreds of figures” moving through the sky. Some of the soldiers later claimed that they appeared like angels.

Around the same time just outside of Boisey in France, an 18-year-old man was on his way to meet up with some friends and was making his way along a footpath through some woods. As he was walking, however, he felt a sudden presence behind him. When he turned around, he could see the black shape of a human, only it was at least 10 feet tall. Immediately, he turned and ran, not stopping until he was a considerable distance away from the figure.

Across the Atlantic in Washington DC in the United States, one-time Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, claimed to have seen “four glass-like jars” each holding a strange alien creature, each of which was around four feet tall. Furthermore, he claimed that a recovered unidentified craft was being held in a top-secret subbasement under the Capitol Building. This strange object was made of a strange metallic material that was a “color he had never seen before” although it resembled silver. This is particularly interesting as it would show that the United States government not only had knowledge of UFOs as far back as before the Second World War, but that they were actively recovering potentially downed craft.

A short time later in Tres Serros in Brazil, Sesefredo Silveira Gomes witnessed a strange-looking “circular metallic object” resting on the ground a short distance ahead of him. Even stranger, he witnessed “three short humanoids dressed in black coveralls” moving around on the ground underneath the object.

Bizarre And Unnerving Encounters

A particularly intriguing encounter occurred in January 1939 in Killeaden, Ireland, Michael Sheehy, and a friend was walking home from work when they noticed three strange figures that appeared to be huddled in a circle a short distance away. They were each particularly tall and each was dressed entirely in black. After watching them for several moments, the two men decided to walk past the group but agreed to keep a safe distance as something just didn’t feel right about the trio.

Once past them, the pair quickened their pace, not stopping until they reached the back gate of their location. However, much to their disbelief and horror, when they looked to the road leading to the property, the same three people were standing in the same formation. Knowing there was no way the group could have reached there before them, the two men ran until they reached the door of the house and went inside. They didn’t once look outside after that so it is now known where the mysterious strangers went.

During the second week of January at Abitibi Lake in Ontario, Canada, at around 2:30 pm on a sunny if cold afternoon, two lumberjacks, named as Hormidas L. and Damase Landry in the report, were working cutting down fir trees when they noticed a huge, white wolf appear slightly ahead of them. ^[1] As they were watching the wolf, they noticed four strange men, each wearing a “dark-green puffy suit” come into view have seemingly emerged from the forest. They continued to watch, noting that the wolf now appeared agitated by the small figures’ presence, even beginning to bare its teeth.

At this, the four figures came to a stop and began pointing at the wolf, speaking between themselves in a strange language that neither witness understood. Then, one of the figures approached the wolf and raised a hand up to it. To the shock of the witnesses, the wolf suddenly lurched forward and tore the small man to pieces. Instinctively, Landry picked up a small branch and hurled it at the wolf, yelling as he did so. The wolf immediately turned around and ran into the woods.

The two witnesses watched as the remaining four figures collected their colleague’s remains before they disappeared back into the woodland. The two witnesses waited a few moments before discreetly following them, ensuring they remained out of sight. However, they suddenly found that the tracks in the snow came to an end. And they did so at the edge of a circular space where the snow had melted. Just who the figures were and where they came from remains unknown, but it would certainly appear that the round patch of melted snow would indicate some kind of advanced disc-shaped object having been there.

Figures Dressed Similar To Astronauts

On the afternoon of 11^th February 1939 in Westwood, Pennsylvania, farmer, Sylvester Scott, was working in his field when became aware that his dogs were suddenly seemingly agitated with something. ^[2] He stopped what he was doing and looked around him, stopping when he settled on a “strange creature” approximately two or three feet high and around 50 feet away from him. The creature had a similar look to a deer but with paws rather than hooves. What’s more, it eventually got onto its two hind legs and ran off into the distance much like a human would.

The following month in March in Steglitz near Berlin in Germany, a 5-year-old boy woke suddenly in his bedroom and noticed three strange shapes sitting at the end of his bed. These strange shapes appeared human in general shape, but their faces appeared blurry, aside from their eyes, which were particularly large and black. Each of the strange figures appeared to be inside a “shiny white glow”, almost like a casing of sorts. Although he wasn’t particularly frightened, he let out a loud scream for his parents. As he did so, he turned on his bedroom light, and the figures suddenly melted away.

At the start of May near the Pentelikon Mountain in Attica, Greece, Antonis Priftis was guiding his sheep down the mountain and back to the fold. As he was doing so, however, his attention was captured by a bizarre glowing mushroom-shaped object that was hovering just above the top of the trees. On the side of this strange aerial vehicle were several bright lights that appeared like searchlights. It was then that the witness noticed one of the beams of these lights was stretching toward the ground. Even more amazing, he could see two humanoid figures, each wearing what appeared to be some kind of diver’s suit, descending within them.

Once on the ground, these strange figures set out toward Antonis, stopping a short distance from him. He would recall that although the figures didn’t physically speak to him, he suddenly could hear their voices in his head – and they appeared to be asking him to go with them. In response, in his mind, he refused and did so several times. After several moments, having seemingly accepted his response, they headed back to the craft. A moment later, it rose into the air before disappearing at a blistering pace.

Around the same time in Horcajada, Spain, Adelaida Rubio, along with several other witnesses, reported seeing a strange humanoid figure dressed in an equally strange uniform that had “metallic legs”. The strange figure had bright flashes of light coming from it and appeared to move in a clumsy fashion.

The Mind Reader From “Another World”

A particularly strange encounter unfolded in rural Alabama in July 1939 and featured an FBI agent who was in the region investigating an already strange case. According to the report, he had been sent there to investigate a fortune teller who was seemingly leaking military secrets. The agent, along with a colleague, eventually arrived at the woman’s house and discovered her sitting on the front porch.

They walked over to the porch, and introduced themselves to the woman, asking if they could ask her some questions. She agreed, but then informed them that while she was not a fortune teller, she could “read their minds”. In fact, she claimed that she had had the ability to read minds for a “very long time”.

The agent then asked the woman where she was from, not at all expecting the answer she gave. She stated, matter-of-factly, that she was from “another world”, further claiming that she was “guarding something that did not concern humans”. At this point, the agent asked the woman to come in for questioning, to which she refused, offering that she had “no intention” of doing so. In response, the agent motioned for his colleague to escort the lady to their vehicle. As he approached the steps, though, he suddenly began to shake before collapsing to the ground. All the while, the mysterious woman remained seated, seemingly unconcerned about the situation unfolding around her.

Then, she stated to the agent bluntly, that any further attempts to apprehend her would result in their death. As if proving that, the crippled agent pulled himself up from the ground. They agreed to leave but before doing so they asked if she had some kind of proof that she was indeed from another world, as she had claimed. To this, she asked them to have their superiors select an area of land measuring 100 square miles, to mark out this area, and to ensure that no aircraft could fly over it. The agent then left and did as she requested. When they eventually arrived at the location several days later, they discovered everything in it was dead, all birds, animals, and vegetation. Rather than returning to question the woman, the agents were ordered to never make contact with the strange woman again.

UFO Landing In Spain

On the afternoon on 1^st July 1939 in Zahara De Los Atunes Cadiz in Spain, several youngsters were playing near some trees when they suddenly noticed that a herd of goats that had been standing lazily in a nearby field suddenly began running wildly as if fleeing something terrible. As the group of children looked on, they each saw a “huge metallic disc-shaped craft” approaching at low altitude. They continued to watch as the object landed in a nearby field, sending a cloud of dust upward as it did so.

The children noticed the object had a band of red, yellow, and green lights along the edge before turning their attention to a doorway that had opened in the side. In the doorway stood a “tall figure” dressed in a strange-looking silver metallic suit and with a helmet on its head. Behind the figure was another being, this one much smaller but dressed in an identical suit. As they made their way down steps that reached to the ground, the witnesses noticed that they moved with particularly stiff movements, almost like robots.

Both of the figures moved around underneath the object as if they were examining the vegetation on the ground. After several minutes, they simply returned inside the object, which then rose into the air and disappeared at great speed.

The Alien Abduction That Led To Riches

Several weeks later, according to the research files of Jackson Camargo, late one evening in Serra do Gordo, Brazil, a gold prospector, Joao Lucindo, was camping in an isolated region when he was woken by a sudden loud whistling noise. Although he couldn’t explain why the sound was unlike anything he had heard previously, and certainly didn’t sound like any aircraft he was aware of. He walked around the immediate vicinity in order to try and locate the source of the sound but he could not see anything out of the ordinary or untoward. He returned to his tent, the whistling sound continuing.

Then, he noticed a suddenly appearing light in the trees nearby. He quickly reached for his rifle and set out toward the light to investigate it. However, when he was a short distance away from the light, he suddenly found that he was unable to move. As he stood there frozen to the spot, he noticed two figures approaching him from out of the light. He estimated that these “men” were each around six feet tall and each wore “tight-fitting metallic outfits” that stretched from their heads right the way up to their necks. Although he couldn’t see the details of their faces due to the darkness of the night, he did get the impression that they were very much human.

Suddenly, one of the men called out to Lucindo and told him to look upward. He did so and watched in awe at a huge “metallic revolving disc-shaped object”. It appeared to him that the whistling sound was coming from this bizarre object. As he continued to watch the craft he noticed that a hatch opened on the underside revealing a very bright interior.

It was as he was watching the events unfold above him that one of the men reached forward and grabbed Lucindo by the arms. A moment later, all three of them began to rise into the air, clearly heading toward the craft above them.

Once inside, he found himself in a room that resembled a “huge laboratory”. Although he couldn’t recall the details, he recalled that several examinations and procedures were carried out on him while inside this room. During these examinations, he told that they would benefit both he and his family.

The next thing he knew, he was back standing outside his home a short distance from the campsite where he had encountered the strange men. His family was confused as to why he was there in the middle of the night, and he decided against telling them of the bizarre encounter.

During the evening, Lucindo experienced a strange, intense dream where he found himself once more speaking to the same humanoids who had taken him onboard the apparent spacecraft. In this dream, they told him where he would find gold in the mountains. The following day, he ventured to the area he had dreamed of and to his shock, did indeed discover an abundance of gold that provided he and his family with a wealthy existence.

Sightings With Strange Humming Sounds

Another intriguing sighting from the summer of 1939 occurred at around 2 am on the 7^th July in Keokuk, Iowa. The case was reported to the National UFO Research Center by the daughter of an 80-year-old woman who had experienced a bizarre encounter with a strange craft when she was 17 years old.

On the night in question, the young woman was asleep in her parents’ home where she lived, a small house near the rail tracks due to her father’s job with the Santa Fe railroad company, when she suddenly woke up with a strange urge to look out of her window. She left her bed and made her way to the window, noticing immediately that there was a “huge black oval space” that appeared to block out the night sky. It hovered over the rail tracks for around 10 minutes and remained completely silent. After that, the object simply disappeared into the distance, not making a sound as it did so. It would be decades before the witness mentioned the incident to her daughter.

One afternoon in August, in Roseberry Topping, Guisborough, England, 10-year-old Jack Quinn was walking with his mother in a hilly region of the town when they heard a strange humming sound. ^[3] Furthermore, they could almost feel the hum under their feet. The boy’s mother immediately reached for Jack and pulled her towards him in case they were about to be confronted with some kind of danger. As she did so, however, he fell and twisted his ankle.

As his mother examined his foot, she began to pick on the odor of something burning. A moment later, a “big white globe of light” appeared in the middle of a field a short distance from where they were. This strange sphere came to a rest on heather, with the witnesses estimating that it was around six feet across. As the pair watched the strange sphere, two strange men, each around three feet tall, appeared a little way off up the hill. Each was wearing clothing of green shiny material and appeared to be speaking to each other in a language the witnesses couldn’t understand.

The two men then noticed the witnesses, and after pointing at them, the sphere moved closer to where they were standing. It “rolled around” the pair before coming to a stop, a loud humming accompanying its presence. Just as they thought something terrible was about to happen, the humming sound stopped, and the sphere and the two humanoids disappeared into thin air.

It was at this point that the witnesses realized they were in standing in a different field, with everything around unnaturally silent. Even stranger, they could hear a strange kind of laughter that appeared to be coming from the sky. Each felt disorientated and confused. Then, without realizing how they had gotten there, they were standing back on the path where they had first heard the low humming sound.

Strange Humming Sounds And Brightly Glowing Objects

On the evening of 13^th November, in Brockworth, England, a motorist was making their way down a road when they became aware of a high-pitched humming sound. ^[4] As they looked around to try locate the source of the hum, they saw a “gray bell-shaped object” that was hovering a short distance from the ground in a nearby field

The motorist brought their car to a stop and watched as a wave of green light emerged from the object, lighting up the area around it. This light remained on for around two minutes before suddenly going out. A moment later, the object rose into the air and disappeared at a considerable pace.

One of the last reported sightings of 1939, according to the research files of Mervi Virtanen, occurred at around 5 pm on 29^th November in Saarijarvi, Kullaa in Finland. On the afternoon in question, 14-year-old Arvo had been collecting wood with his father in the forest. Now, with daylight fading quickly, they set out back for home. Only moments after doing so, however, the teenager noticed a strange object a short distance away at the side of the path. He estimated the object was around 10 feet high and approximately 12 feet across.

He alerted his father to the object, asking if they could go and take a closer look. His father, however, declined, stating that it was safer if they stayed away from it and observed from a distance. It appeared that the object was resting on metal legs, while on the underside, there appeared to be some kind of dull flame, reminding the witness of an upside-down candle. Other flames were shooting out of the side of the craft, each making a loud noise as they did so, similar to that of escaping gas.

Even more intriguing, at the side of the object, the pair could see a short humanoid figure dressed in a bulky suit and a round helmet (very similar to how modern-day astronauts would appear). This figure appeared to be directing several other figures, each of which appeared robotic. After a short time, all of the figures retreated inside the craft which then rose into the air and disappeared. When Arvo returned to the site the following day – against his father’s wishes or knowledge – he could see scorch marks on the ground where the object had been, and there was a strange odor in the air.

The Increase Before The Drop-Off Of The Early 1940s

What is perhaps interesting about the sightings through the final years of the 1930s is how many of them resemble sightings and encounters that would occur following the Second World War, in what is largely agreed to be the start of the Modern UFO Era. Furthermore, many of the encounters with humanoids appeared to see them collecting data on the planet. Whether this was in anticipation of war or was merely coincidental is open to debate.

There were also several more signs of alien abduction taking place, although these abductions didn’t appear for the most part to be of the terrifying nature of those that began occurring en masse in the 1960s and seventies. Once more, we might ask, although some of the apparent aliens were described as looking to how we would perceive a gray alien to look today, a lot were of beings that were decidedly human looking. This perhaps makes a certain amount of sense given that many alien encounters of the 1950s, for example, were also, for the most part, with these human-looking cosmic visitors.

As we shall in our next examination of UFO sightings of the pre-Roswell era, they would decrease dramatically as the war really took hold, at least reports of them did. And this would be the case until 1945, when the end of the war was seemingly in sight. As we will examine, might this have been in anticipation of the war’s end, and if so, just how were these potential alien creatures aware of this?

The short video below examines some of the most intriguing UFO and alien encounters on record.