Hasselbach UFO
Furnished with the sworn testimony of an eyewitness, Oscar Linke, a 48 year old German, and former mayor of Gleimershausen, West Berlin.
Intelligence officers have begun investigating a most unusual flying saucer story. An object resembling a huge flying pan, and diameter of about 50' landed in a forest clearing in the Soviet Zone of Germany. Linke recently escaped from the Soviet Zone along with his wife and 6 children.
Linke & his 11 year old daughter, Gabriella, made the following sworn statement last week before a judge:
While I was returning to my home with Gabriella, a tire of my motorcycle blew out near the town of Hasselbach. While we were walking toward Hasselbach, Gabriella pointed out something which lay at a distance of about 450' away from us. Since it was twilight, I thought that she was pointing at a young deer. I left my motorcycle near a tree and walked toward the spot which Gabriella had pointed out. When, however, I reached a spot about 180' from the object, I realized that my first impression had been wrong. What I had seen were 2 men who were now about 130' away from me. They seemed to be dressed in some shiny metallic clothing. They were stooped over and were looking at something lying on the ground. I approached until I was only about 30' from them. I looked over a small fence and then I noticed a large object whose diameter I estimated to be between 45' and 50'. It looked like a huge frying pan. There were two rows of holes on its periphery, about 1' in circumference. The space between the rows was about 18". On the top of this metal object was a black conical tower about 10" high.
At that moment, my daughter, who had remained a short distance behind me, called me. The two men must have heard my daughters voice because they immediately jumped on the conical tower and disappeared inside. I had previously noted that one of the men had a lamp on the front part of his body which lit up at regular intervals. Now, the side of the object on which the holes had been opened began to glitter. Its color seemed green but later turned to red. At the same time I began to hear a slight hum. While the light and hum increased, the conical tower began to slide down into the object. The whole object then began to rise slowly from the ground and rotate like a top. It seemed to me as if it were supported by the cylindrical plant which had gone down from the top of the object, through the center, and had now appeared from its bottom on the ground.
The object, surrounded by a ring of flames, was now a number of feet above the ground. I then noted that the whole object had risen slowly from the ground. The cylinder on which it was supported had now disappeared within its center and had reappeared on the top of the object. The rate of climb had now become greater. At the same time my daughter and I heard a whistling sound similar to that heard when a bomb falls. The object rose to a horizontal position, turned toward a neighboring town, and then, gaining altitude, it disappeared over the heights and forests in the direction of Stockheim.
Many other persons who live in the same area as Linke later related that they saw an object which they thought to be a comet. A shepherd stated that he thought that he was looking at a comet moving away at a low altitude from the height on which Linke stood.
After submitting his testimony to the judge, Linke made the following statement:
I would have thought that both my daughter and I were dreaming if it were not for the following element involved, When the object had disappeared, I went to the place where it had been. I found a circular opening in the ground and it was quite evident that it was freshly dug. It was exactly the same shape as the conical tower. I was then convinced that I was not dreaming. I had never heard of the term flying saucer before I escaped from the Soviet Zone into West Berlin. When I saw this object, I immediately thought that it was a new Soviet military machine. I confess that I was seized with fright because the Soviets do not want anyone to know about their work. Many persons have been restricted to their movements for many years in East Germany because they know too much.