UFO History: December 9, 1965

Today for our trip into UFO History, I am going into a subject close to my heart: The Kecksburg Incident. Growing up in that area, this is a classic mystery and one of the reasons that I have got involved in the fringe and unexplained.

On December  9, 1965, a fireball streaked across the darkening sky over northeastern North America, smoke trailing in its wake. Sightings were reported in the Canadian state of Ontario as well as at least eight US states from Michigan to New York. Police agencies received thousands of calls. 

The next day, newspapers would declare that a UFO ignited several fires in Ohio and Pennsylvania. They’d also report the object had crashed in woodlands just outside the tiny Pennsylvanian community of Kecksburg. That’s when the military stepped in.

Military personnel immediately cordoned off the area, turning away onlookers and searching the woods. Things get a bit murky after that. Or, at least, stories began to diverge. Because some witnesses insisted that something was found. More than that, they claimed it was loaded onto a flatbed truck and sped away. The object was described as large, metallic, and acorn-shaped, emblazoned with strange symbols akin to hieroglyphs. Yet the officials said nothing had been recovered.

Although the government denies involvement, eyewitnesses remember seeing multiple military personnel and  vehicles throughout the area. It’s generally not disputed that there was an official presence in the woodlands that night, nor that the area was cordoned. 

The US Air Force as the most likely prospect, and that it was probably due to a program to recover space satellite debris. This was especially relevant for any fallen Soviet satellites, which could offer valuable intel. Had the army been aware of reports of objects falling from the sky, there’s a good chance they’d have investigated the matter. But witnesses claimed officials identified themselves as being from NASA. There were even claims of plain-clothed visitors warning witnesses not to divulge what they’d seen that night.

While we may never get evidence on what crashed in the area, some theories are more interesting than others. The one I am pointing out today is the famed German, Die Glocke.

According to legend, the Nazis developed a device known as Die Glocke (The Bell), which was developed for different purposes depending on the perspective of the sources which describe its existence. It consisted of counter rotating vertical chambers within a chamber which was shaped to resemble a large bell, manufactured from an exceptionally hard metal. The rotating chambers were filled with a liquid which was code-named Xerum 525, which some have said was likely red mercury. 

Some sources describe Die Glocke as having a concave mirror mounted on the top, which gave it the ability to present images from the past for viewing by its operators. The problem was that according to the same sources no person could be near Die Glocke to view any of the images it received and presented, as they would be killed from the effects of the bell’s operation.

According to these sources, when Die Glocke was put into operation an area ranging out to about seven hundred feet became instantly uninhabitable. Plant life melted into a jellied mess. Animal muscle would become crystallized and blood separated and gelled. According to one source describing Die Glocke, five of the seven scientists involved in its development and testing were killed during the tests, and the facility in which they were conducted was severely damaged. 

The project was under the purview of the SS and the records of the experiments were destroyed to prevent the device, likewise destroyed, from falling into the hands of Germany’s enemies. 

Many believe that this is a hoax, and no real evidence exists, but others argue that it is real and it is what crashed in Kecksburg. Or at least a copy of the mysterious German craft built by scientists involved with Operation Paperclip. 

What do you think? Drop us a line and let us know.