In 2005, as part of my case investigations, I placed a classified advertisement under a pseudonym in the Munich newspaper Abendzeitung, searching for UFO witnesses.
In addition to the usual prank letters, I received a report from a man living in Holzkirchen, a small municipality southeast of Munich. In his letter, he described sighting a "light" in the night sky that reportedly performed rather spectacular flight maneuvers.
Since I was not investigating any other cases at the time, I decided to pursue this report. This time, I advertised in the Holzkirchner Merkur to look for additional observers. However, I deliberately omitted any details about the report already in my possession in order to deter potential copycats.
The response to this advertisement was subdued. Only one interesting report was submitted, and the witness did not describe a UFO sighting at all, but rather an encounter with a "ghostly figure":
It occurred in the summer of 1984 or 1985—the man was no longer entirely certain of the exact year. He was 15 years old at the time and was riding his bicycle near Holzkirchen around the "Teufelsgraben" [a natural depression] with the intention of traveling via Otterfing to Sauerlach. Along the way, he encountered an elderly gentleman dressed entirely in black winter clothing, which, in terms of style, would have fit perfectly into the 1960s.
After their paths crossed, our witness turned around to look at the man once more, only to discover to his astonishment that he had suddenly vanished. To the left of his direction of travel was a highly visible, open field, and to the right was a railway embankment about 13 feet high. Consequently, it would have been impossible for the man to run away so quickly; the witness had lost sight of him for no more than two or three seconds. The "apparition" looked completely normal, and had it not been for the highly inappropriate clothing [it was a relatively hot day], the man would not have caught his attention any further.
During a subsequent site inspection, which allowed me to form a clear picture of the "crime scene," I was likewise unable to find any viable escape route. Because the witness appeared highly credible to me, I rule out any deception.
Although the case was very interesting to me at the time, it did not fit the typical UFO or MIB [Men in Black] pattern, so it initially remained in the archives. It was not until the summer of 2006, when I purchased the book Sight Unseen by Budd Hopkins, that I encountered a similar case.
In that book, Hopkins describes the report of an American traveling through Spain on foot who spotted a man standing idly and indifferently in a harvested field, wearing a white tailcoat. The American walked past him, only to turn around shortly thereafter... and, as one might expect, the "man in white" had literally vanished into thin air.
The parallel between that case and the report I investigated is striking. In both instances, we are dealing with men wearing inappropriate, solid-colored clothing, positioned on or near a field, who disappear the moment they are out of sight. A few decades earlier, they likely would have been considered field spirits.
Since the first advertisement in the Holzkirchner Merkur was only indirectly successful, I placed the exact same ad again a few weeks later. In addition to the aforementioned dubious responses, there was one that caught my interest:
A gentleman named Karl B. wrote to inform me that his father had seen a highly unusual wingless "American airplane" in the 1950s. He had discussed this incident with his father several times but had never been able to make sense of it. He promised to ask his father if he would be willing to discuss the past incident with me. I called him, briefly discussed the matter, and received positive feedback just two days later.
While I had initially hoped to interview the witness by phone, I was spontaneously invited to his home near Otterfing. I arrived at the agreed hour. The witness—Mr. Sepp B.—can certainly be described as a traditional, quintessential Bavarian. He speaks the local dialect, presented himself to me in traditional garb, and is a member of the local traditional costume and marksmen's association.
The incident that concerns us here occurred in the summer of 1954 [incidentally, this year saw an extremely high number of "humanoid sightings" in Europe—especially in France—and in northern South America!]. Sepp B. was 10 years old at the time and lived with his parents on a farm that was bought out by the municipality in the 1960s.
After school, he came home and ate lunch. Because he had received a good grade that day, he was allowed to spend the afternoon playing instead of helping out around the farm. At the time, his favorite place to play was in the forest, specifically in a clearing where the children had built a "bunker."
On that particular day, he went there and realized he would have to amuse himself alone—none of his friends were anywhere to be seen. Upon arriving at the "bunker," however, he was presented with a completely strange sight:
Above him, at a height of perhaps 13 to 16 feet, an egg-shaped object was moving up and down, as if pulled on a string, not unlike a yo-yo. The upper portion was transparent, while the lower portion was metallic—appearing "mirrored."
Inside the transparent cabin, he recognized a man wearing a uniform who was looking at him. This man smiled at him, and immediately afterward, the object shot up into the sky at incredible speed.
For Sepp B., it was clear back then—and remains clear to this day—that it was an American! He ran home quickly to tell his story, but instead of finding attentive listeners, he encountered only an angry mother who gave him a sound spanking. In the meantime, it had become 7:00 PM, and she was demanding to know where he had been.
When he told the story of the "American," he received another beating, as his mother had checked the clearing and found no one there—neither him nor the heavenly visitor!
Since lunch was always served punctually at 1:00 PM in the family, and the walk to the clearing takes less than 20 minutes, several hours are missing here—a phenomenon well known to us from the field of "UFO abductions."
During a subsequent site inspection, the terrain felt remarkably familiar. Less than 1,600 feet from the former sighting location, the first witness mentioned at the beginning of this article had seen his elderly gentleman dressed in black, and both spots are located near the "Teufelsgraben"!
A Holzkirchen "Egg" over Węgierska?
There appears to be a parallel case to the 1954 report described above. In the book I Saw It Too by Chris A. Rutkowski [pp. 161ff], a corresponding reference is found regarding the summer of the exact same year. The case involved an 11-year-old girl who was gathering mushrooms with three other girls near Węgierska Górka, Poland. After separating herself from the other girls, she encountered a human-like being.
This being was approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a skin tone described as "normal," a slit-like mouth, and oval eyes. The one-piece suit appeared shimmering and transparent, glowing reddish in several places. The stranger's legs were shrouded in mist or smoke. Nearby was an egg-shaped flying object with an open portal leading to a set of stairs.
Although the entire situation was quite strange, the witness felt no fear. Instead, she marched directly into the object. Inside, everything was finished in a white-metallic style, with a column standing in the center. Inside were four other figures identical in appearance to the stranger outside. A few platitudes were exchanged telepathically, after which she was told to sit on the floor, suddenly became tired, and experienced a blackout.
After some time—how long remains unclear—she woke up outside again. Her friends found her, questioned her about her disappearance, and reported that she had been impossible to find the entire time.
The parallels between these cases are intriguing. Both witnesses were of similar age, 10 and 11 years old, had their experiences in the summer of 1954, encountered egg-shaped objects and human-like beings, experienced missing time, and could not be found by their relatives during the event.
NOSS Satellites over Pullach?
In 2009, my colleague Mr. Kleinschmidt investigated a case in Pullach, located roughly between Munich and Holzkirchen. A witness observed three points of light in the sky forming a triangle on three consecutive nights [July 25 to 27]. The direction of flight was toward Munich. The significant aspect of this case is that the sightings always occurred within the exact same time window: 12:40 AM to 12:50 AM.
The "UFO" was partially obscured by clouds at times, meaning it was moving at a high altitude, which rules out sky lanterns or similar objects as an explanation. Furthermore, the regular schedule of the appearances does not match such balloons.
My colleague was on-site and was also able to see the formation. The luminosity of the three lights was comparable to the apparent brightness of stars, and the apparent size corresponded to that of a one-cent coin held at arm's length. We suspect satellites flying in formation [perhaps something like NOSS: Naval Ocean Surveillance System].
"Solid Light" near Sauerlach
In September 2009, my colleague Mr. Kleinschmidt placed a witness solicitation advertisement in the Münchner Merkur. In addition to the usual prank reports and a few IFOs [skytrackers, miniature hot air balloons, etc.], one report emerged that sounded quite interesting.
The letter [more precisely, a postcard] came from Klaus B., whose son Niko B. [now 21 years old] had a strange encounter in 2007. The incident must have occurred in June, as he and his girlfriend at the time, Cora Sch., had been invited to a birthday party scheduled to take place in Deisenhofen, allowing the date to be retroactively approximated. Both Niko B. and his ex-girlfriend [now 23] were punks at the time, and Niko B. remains part of this movement today.
On the day in question, around 10:00 PM, the two boarded the S-Bahn commuter train from Holzkirchen to Deisenhofen. During the ride, an argument broke out between them, and Niko B. exited the train in Sauerlach in a fit of anger. Since he did not want to miss the party, he decided to walk the remaining distance of approximately 3 miles.
After leaving Sauerlach, he found himself on an unpaved path used by hikers, farmers, and forestry workers—a gravel track leading all the way to Deisenhofen. To his left was a patch of forest, and to his right were the train tracks used by the S-Bahn and local commuter trains.
After about 20 minutes, he was suddenly illuminated by an extremely bright light, which was said to be positioned at a low altitude directly above him. He compared the intensity to that of a floodlight in a soccer stadium. The light was "cold," meaning he noticed no heat effects or any other sensations.
Completely blinded, he could not discern who or what was shining the light on him. He panicked and began to run. During his flight, the light remained directly above him, appearing to pursue him. After a few yards, he tripped and fell to the ground.
In the process, he landed with his right knee on some stones, and the pain made him angry. He threw a handful of pebbles at the light and heard an "impact sound," as if he had struck a solid, metallic object, and the light went out immediately.
Two observations he made while lying on the ground were particularly interesting. Once his eyes were no longer directly exposed to the light, he noticed that the beam on the ground appeared round; he estimated its diameter to be about 6.5 feet. Curiously, Niko cast no shadow on the ground.
Since the light was "hanging" directly above him, his shadow should have been visible. The encounter lasted perhaps one to two minutes, and everything unfolded in absolute silence. The light was out, and the "haunting" was over.
Niko B. ran back along the track to Sauerlach, fled to the home of a former coworker named Paul H. who lived there, and told him about the incident. Because the witness did not dare go back outside, Paul H. called Niko's parents, who picked him up by car.
Verifying the details did not prove difficult. Both Paul H. and Cora Sch. confirmed Niko B.'s account, and Paul H.'s testimony proved particularly interesting. Initially, he was annoyed at being awakened in the middle of the night, but he quickly realized that something terrible must have happened.
He stated that Niko B. was completely distraught, shaking, and initially speaking only in incoherent ramblings. Only after he had calmed down a bit was he able to recount the "searchlight" and the encounter. His parents also remembered the incident vividly, as well as the anxiety attacks that plagued him for days and weeks afterward [a psychologist was not consulted].
My [W. Raab] initial suspicion that alcohol might have been involved was refuted by all witnesses; he was completely sober at the time of the encounter, as the heavy drinking was not supposed to take place until the aforementioned birthday party!
Based on the on-site research and the interviews with the witnesses, we [Kleinschmidt & Raab] see no reason to assume any fraud or prank. All individuals interviewed seemed highly credible to us, and "brightly colored hair" or "unconventional clothing" certainly do not detract from a witness's credibility.
In our opinion, three possibilities present themselves as explanations: 1. A [police?] helicopter with a searchlight. 2. A drone / UAV. 3. A UFO in the literal sense.
The first hypothesis seems the least likely to us, as neither the absolute silence nor the light properties of the "object" can be explained by it. Furthermore, the fact that the witness struck the vehicle with stones does not really support this line of reasoning.
A military drone could provide an explanation, though the question ultimately arises as to which UAVs carry such massive light fixtures or what purpose such devices would serve. The UFO phenomenon could explain all the points in question, though this merely "solves" one mystery with another.
On October 2, 2011, I received an email from a witness in the municipality of Otterfing near Munich, who on that same day, around 2:00 PM, was traveling by bicycle and spotted a silver-colored sphere in the sky. It was positioned at a comparatively low altitude and was quite clearly visible.
On October 4, 2011, I had the opportunity to discuss the case with him by phone. The witness had found my old blog and an entry I wrote about strange occurrences in nearby Holzkirchen via Google [using the search term "Otterfing UFO"].
The 58-year-old man, an early retiree, recounted that he was riding his bicycle and had taken a short break. While drinking from a water bottle, he noticed a silver-colored, round object in the sky that was not moving.
Size and distance were difficult to estimate because any point of reference was entirely lacking. The size of the sphere was best compared to that of a one-cent coin held at arm's length, and the distance was described as "relatively close."
The sighting lasted about two or three minutes and ended when the object suddenly accelerated, growing increasingly faster as it moved away in a southerly direction. The object produced no perceptible noise and flew in a straight path.
The witness [who wears glasses] described a strange optical effect. While looking at the sphere, he had the impression that as he focused his eyes on it, it became increasingly easier to see, as if it were optically "focusing" [his exact words], making itself "more visible" [his exact words] without actually growing larger, essentially "sharpening itself" [his exact words].
It is also curious that the object flew away just as the man was about to terminate his observation and ride on because he suddenly felt "uncomfortable" [his exact words]. During our conversation, he stated he had the impression that the object knew he was watching it. He also mentioned feeling an impulse that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had "interrupted" [his exact words] something. These are the details from our telephone conversation.
The witness made a credible impression on me. He completely lacked any predisposed attitude toward UFOs or related phenomena. He described his sighting very precisely and attempted to convey every detail with the utmost accuracy.
The described optical "zoom effect" troubled him the most, as he could not explain it and had never observed anything like it before. Due to the "exotic" elements in the report [the zoom effect and the self-propelled departure at great speed], the incident remains "unidentified" for me.
In Results from 40 Years of UFO Research by Illobrand von Ludwiger, I found another case from Sauerlach. To quote:
"...in August 1998 in Sauerlach near Munich, around 10:00 PM, a yellow-white boomerang approximately 330 feet in size was seen by two witnesses from a distance of about 660 feet. The fast and silently flying object 'dissolved mid-flight' and vanished." (p. 305)
Myths and Lore: The Legend of the Arget Giant
On the road between Arget [a district of Sauerlach] and Otterfing lies a forest known locally as "Hienla" [Hienlohe]. Around the middle of the nineteenth century [circa 1850], a schoolmaster's wife was traveling from Arget toward Holzkirchen.
On her way home, as she walked through the wooded area once again, she suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind her. Immediately behind her, less than an arm's length away, stood a giant of a man who was far taller than any human being.
The uncanny giant remained persistently by her side but did not threaten her or cause her any harm. He spoke not a single word and merely walked silently alongside her. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, her unwanted companion suddenly vanished, as if the ground had swallowed him whole. [
Source]
The region's propensity for Fortean and ufological phenomena, as well as "uncanny" legends, is intriguing. However, the "epicenter" does not appear to be Holzkirchen, but rather Sauerlach. In the source cited above, I found another legend from the surrounding area. This time, it concerns a "ghost hound":
"In the 'Schwarzes Hölzl' [Black Woods] near Grafing, between Sauerlach and Arget, things used to be eerie. An uncanny creature in the shape of a large black dog with eyes that glowed like fire is said to have haunted the area. Anyone who could avoided walking through the notorious woods at dusk or especially after dark, out of fear that they might encounter the ghost hound with the fiery eyes and be pursued by it." (p. 267)
Since about 2005, I have received numerous interesting reports regarding UFO activity from the Holzkirchen region. I authored the above article on the subject and gave an interview on the Graz-based radio station CROPfm. Recently, a witness contacted me after hearing the interview, which reminded him of two of his own sightings from the wider area:
Sighting 1: October or November 1993, afternoon, sunshine, blue sky. Looking east from the living room window of my parents' house, I happened to notice an "airplane" flying in a north-south direction. What made it unusual was that it was somewhat larger than the typical airplanes one usually sees and was traveling at a much higher speed; I thought perhaps it was a military aircraft. Upon closer inspection, however, only a bright, white, elongated point could be discerned. There was no contrail. After a few seconds, the point abruptly changed its flight direction by approximately 45 degrees upward, accelerated sharply, and was gone from sight almost at that exact same moment. Mysterious. I spoke with a few people about it at the time, but I stood quite alone with my experience, so I didn't think about it anymore.
Sighting 2: October or November 1996, afternoon, sunshine, blue sky. I was driving my car from the Oberhaching industrial park via the M11 toward Furth [a district of Oberhaching], looking east and roughly 500 feet as the crow flies from my parents' house. Once again, I noticed this "airplane" flying in a north-south direction. The speed and appearance were identical to the first sighting, followed finally by the sudden change in direction. Incredible! At that exact moment, I got goosebumps and my first sighting flashed back into my memory. I was stunned and slowed the car down more and more.
All of this happened almost 20 years ago, and it still preoccupies me. What is interesting, however, is that the flight path I assume leads from Taufkirchen across Oberhaching, Sauerlach, and Otterfing!
Translation assisted by ChatGPTGemini!ʬ