Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, on July 7, 1947:
ACUFO-947-07-07-SHREVEPORT-1
The newspaper The Shreveport Times, of Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, reported on page 3 for July 8, 1947, that Sergeant Marvin V. Thomas, 26-year-old, of Squadron K at Barksdale Field, said that he was flying at Shreveport's Municipal airport yesterday morning when he saw a flying saucer as he was 7 miles north of the airport.
He said the gadget was "bright, silver, shaped like a saucer."
Thomas said that he flew toward the object for five minutes and then veered left and right, trying to determine his distance from it, but did not succeed.
The "saucer" appeared the same size as the moon and looked thin as it turned.
| Date: | July 7, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Morning. |
| Duration: | 5 minutes or more. |
| First known report date: | July 7, 1947 |
| Reporting delay: | 1 day. |
| Country: | USA |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Louisiana |
| City or place: | 7 miles north of the Shreveport airport. |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 1 |
| Reporting channel: | The Press. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Morning. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes. |
| UFO action: | Flew, turned. |
| Witnesses action: | Observed, veered left and right trying to determine distance. |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | Flying saucer. |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: 1.
[ ] Airborne radar: N/A. [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | DD |
| Armed / unarmed: | ? |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 3 |
| ACUFO: | Probable extraterrestrial craft. |
[Réf. sht1:] NEWSPAPER "THE SHREVEPORT TIMES":
|
either by hand or in a sling, through the air in the manner of a "tin sailer." Because of its lightness, the disc could have been sailed several hundred feet.
The flames could have been produced by coating the disc with some inflammable substance and igniting it just before launching.
Military police said the disc would be turned over to Barksdale's security officer.
A radio man apparently was the author of the gag. The two condensers were of the electrolytic type used as filters in radios. The "start-er" is used on all common fluorescent lights. It bore a label "Made in U.S.A." plus the familiar "UL" of the Underwriters Laboratory.
Meanwhile, The Times received two more reports of "saucers" seen in the air, but not captured.
Sgt. Marvin V. Thomas, 26, of squadron K, Barksdale Field, said that he was flying at Shreveport's Municipal airport yesterday morning and "saw one."
He said the gadget was "bright, silver, shaped like a saucer."
Thomas said that he flew toward the object for five minutes and then veered left and right, trying to determine his distance from it, but did not succeed.
The "saucer" appeared the same size as the moon and looked thin as it turned. He said that he was seven miles north of the airport when he sighted the object.
A. D. Cannon, 67, of near Atlanta, Texas, said he "saw one" at 8:45 p.m. on July 4. Cannon reported the object as "the largest flying light" he had even seen in the sky. It "traveled at a tremendous rate of speed, from the northeast to the southwest, resembled an electric light."
[Ref. mhc1:] MICHAEL D. HALL AND WENDY CONNORS:
These US ufologists indicate that on July 7, 1947, and air-to-air sighting took place in the morning 4 miles north of the Shreveport Municipal Airport. They say the Shreveport, Louisiana, Times, for July 8, 1947, stated:
Sgt. Marvin V. Thomas, 26, of Squadron K, Barksdale Field was flying when he saw a bright silver object shaped like a saucer. Thomas said that he flew toward the object for five minutes, and then veered to the right and left, trying to determine his distance from it but without success. It looked about the size of the moon and looked thin as it turned."
[Ref. jah1:] JAN ALDRICH:
N - 07.07 - USA, Morning - About 7 mi north of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Military pilot (enlisted), a bright silver object observed for 5 minutes appeared about the size of the moon. (PJ47, p. 87, Shreveport, LA, TIMES, page 87.)
"N" means this is a new case not in November 1997 ACUFOE Catalogue.
[Ref. dwn1:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:
French ufologist Dominique Weinstein compiled a catalog of the cases of UFOs observed from aircraft. This case appears in the February 2001 (6th edition) of his catalogue as:
| DATE | 47.07.07 |
|---|---|
| TIME | morning |
| COUNTRY | USA |
| PLACE | 7 miles north of Shreveport, Louisiana |
| M | |
| TYPE OF PLANE AND WITNESSES | military aircraft pilot |
| UFO DESCRIPTION | one bright silver object about the size of the moon. |
| Radar | |
| G | |
| X | |
| E | |
| SOURCES | 03 37 |
The sources "03 37" are referenced at the end of the catalog as:
Project 1947 Reports, newsclippings and documents (cases from Jan Aldrich and Barry Greenwood)
List of ACUFOE cases prior to 1947, Jan Aldrich, Project 1947
[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:
Date: July 7, 1947
Location: 7 miles N of Shreveport, Louisiana
Time: Morning
Summary: Military aircraft pilot Harston saw a bright silver object about the angular size of the moon.
Source: Project 1947; McDonald list
Nothing is said about the plane. But the pilot being in a "squadron K", it must have been either a military training plane such as an AT6, or a fighter plane such as the F-51.
Barksdale Field was the headquarters for the Air Training Command from 1945 to 1949; it had bomber planes, but the pilot was obviously alone and this not in a heavy or medium bomber.
|
I see no credible way to explain the observed object by an ordinary cause.
Probable extraterrestrial craft.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | June 29, 2026 | Creation, [sht1], [mhc1], [jah1], [dwn1], [tai1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | June 29, 2026 | First published. |
