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The History Channel’s new series, “UFO Hunters” features Bill Birnes of UFO Magazine (US), Pat Uskert, Dr. Ted Acworth (ex-NASA) and Jeff Tomlinson. The group usually focuses on one particular element of UFOlogy, ‘reverse engineering’ for example. This leads them to investigate a wide range of related cases, however the short length of the episodes (about 45 minutes) restricts the depth of their investigations – often complicated but crucial parts of the cases are not mentioned.

An internet search reveals a mixed bag of opinions, with some viewers complaining that the team’s investigations generally return inconclusive results, and that their investigations are not thorough enough. Others praise the show for offering UFO novices a large range of cases to investigate and form their own opinions on.

In my opinion the series has done little for UFOlogy, however it has thrown up a few pieces of new information. In my opinion the fifth episode - “Military Vs UFOs” – proved the best up to now, it focused on one of the most compelling UFO cases – the Rendlesham forest incident. It initially aired on 27 February 2008. The documentary can be found on Youtube. Links at end of this entry.

The story was recounted with the help of Colonel Charles Halt, who was the deputy base commander at the time and also witnessed the UFOs. However, it was not a standard rehash of the case – the additional information provided by Vince Thurkettle and Charles Halt could be of great importance to the Rendlesham case.

Halt spoke of a new witness: someone who was fortunate enough to be in the control tower at RAF Woodbridge, during the UFO incident and who saw it all.

In November 2007, Charles Halt received several emails from a security guard, who was posted in observation tower: “He has given me quite a bit of correspondence, and he verifies the fact that on that night he was in the tower, he actually saw beams coming down into the weapons storage area, simultaneously while we saw it near our feet in the field.”

“One thing you have to keep in mind is that the trees are much higher now. We had a 360 panorama from up here before. We would have never let the trees grow this high for security reasons. From here the tower operator had a fantastic view of everything, from miles around.”

Unfortunately Halt notes, “[The new witness] doesn’t really want to come forward”. A portion from one of the emails was shown on screen, but only reveals how the witness was surprised to not hear about the UFO on the BBC news during the aftermath of the incident.

Another important piece of information was revealed by Vince Thurkettle. Those of you familiar with the Rendlesham case will recognize Vince for being the first to come up with the lighthouse theory. He is skeptical of the case, but what he revealed suggests that something far stranger than a lighthouse was to blame – someone was taking this case very seriously.

Vince claims, that only a few days after the incident took place, he was at the forest chopping wood when a black car pulled up, “two young Englishmen got out, say 25 years old, in suits. They came to talk to me and what they were asking was […] ‘we’ve heard of red lights being seen in the forest’. They said ‘were you out last night?’, I said ‘No’, they said, ‘did you see anything?’, ‘do you know anyone [who did]?’ and I said “No”. And then they just closed the conversation down and went.
Vince later discovered the two men had interviewed “everyone in the area”.

The fact is, Colonel Halt had not even written his memo to the British Ministry of Defence. How could they have possibly known? RAF Bentwaters must have informed them directly, unless they were not from the MoD.
Colonel Halt had some more to say. He said he did not know who questioned Vince, but he said “the airmen involved were questioned under very mysterious circumstances, by people they did not recognize and some of them were British”.

Also, he made a very important point about the landing sites: “a day or two after the incident, someone in the Security Police Squadron, I’m sure, went out and created one if not two false sites. And they put a lot of sticks in the ground around it.” When asked why, Halt responded, “to mislead people perhaps, I don’t know.”

Finally, in an effort to put the lighthouse theory to rest the team spoke to Keith Seaman, the lighthouse keeper: “If we look at the lighthouse behind us, we can see it has a big piece of metal behind it, pointing in the direction of Rendlesham…
“Albeit the intensity of the light was greater then in 1980 than it is now, the light still would not have shone directly through the trees.”
Knowing the area well myself, I can attest that Keith is correct, only the ‘UFO hunters’ blew his statement out of proportion. They took it to mean that the lighthouse is ‘not visible’ from Rendlesham forest what-so-ever – I know for a fact it is.
It may not “sweep through the trees”, but it is visible to some extent.
While I do not support the lighthouse theory as a whole, I think it is simply unfair to dismiss the theory for an reason that is simply invalid. I appreciate that the team have a short time to produce each episode but this misunderstanding could put the ‘UFO hunters’ in a bad light.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZUkBjwiBm4
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ0H3l5R4F4
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7_f-r2FFg
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNBQ0R1ZLAI
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8UWggKaZvQ

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The latest episode of UFO Hunters was also interesting. This focused on ‘UFO Vortexes’ – places where UFOs are regularly sighted. It was initially aired on 26 March 2008. The team’s theories regarding ley lines, dowsing and Earth’s energy were thought-provoking, but were soon forgotten as the team traveled to yet another location. The team produced checklist to determine whether an area was a ‘UFO vortex’.

Scared – the site is considered sacred or hallowed, and is marked with ancient monuments.

Energy – there is an energy field in the area that differs from the surrounding countryside.

History – there is long term and ongoing history of UFO sightings or other anomalous experiences.

Military – there is always a military presence nearby.

The ‘UFO hunters’ traveled from the USA to Stone Henge, an infamous ancient monument in Wiltshire, England. The area is strongly associated with crop circles.
I enjoyed this section of the show, but on the other hand was surprised that while in England they did not visit Rendlesham forest.
To me, it seems like a logical step to take, especially as the Rendlesham area fits the UFO hunter’s four criteria perfectly.

Firstly Sutton Hoo, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery is only a few miles from Rendlesham forest, the area is complete with numerous burial mounds. There are the remains of a settlement-type area in Rendlesham forest too, apparently.
Larry Warren, among others, claims that witchcraft and druidism was practiced in Rendlesham forest.

I find the second criteria rather strange, It’s hardly something one can measure. Anyway, there are rumors of cars failing in the area, unusual humming sounds and animals acting strangely. All unsupported rumor, but some may turn out to be true nevertheless.

Absolutely. UFOs have been seen in the Rendlesham area for years. Take the 1980 incident for example and the 1956 incident at Bentwaters. Some reports date back to the time when Rendlesham forest was farming land – before RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge had been built.

The easiest of them all – there was once a strong military presence in the Rendlesham area. Rendlesham forest separates RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge. Keep in mind the past military presence at Orford Ness too.

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Virgin Media recently produced a list of Britain’s top ten UFO hotspots. I assume their data is from the MoD’s recently released UFO reports. Based on the number of UFO reports, Suffolk ranks in at #6, while West Yorkshire takes the #1 position.

Read more here: http://www.virginmedia.com/digital/science/ufo.php

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In a recent article, entitled “Inside Britain’s Weirdest, Wildest Wood”, Nick Redfern looks at the possibility that Rendlesham forest and the surrounding area is home to ‘unidentified scary creatures’. The article was published in issue 14 (March) of Beyond Magazine. The article features stories of mysterious black dogs with eyes “glowing red as burning coals.” These strange creatures have been reported all round the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline. They are firmly associated with ghosts and the paranormal.

Big cats also make an appearance in the article. I feel there is a link between big cat reports and the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, where owners released their animals into the wild under pressure. Jimmy Freeman, who witnessed a large black cat nearby Rendlesham forest around 1977, is quoted saying “If I live to be 100, I will tell the same: Rendlesham forest has big cats.”

Also reported was a gigantic creature ‘easily 10ft in length’ with legs similar to those of a lion, they have been named ‘shug monkey’. The witness likened it to an ape, a dog and a lion.

The alleged ghosts of RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge are also mentioned; “East End Charlie” in particular, allegedly a Luftwaffe pilot shot down and burned by the locals. He is said to have burned hand prints onto the bonnet of a fire truck.

Redfern concludes, as I do, that Rendlesham forest is a “strange place”.
Pick up a copy of Beyond Magazine, which I can recommend, and Nick Redfern’s book “Memoirs of a Monster Hunter” if cryptozoology interests you.

http://tinyurl.com/2trc9g

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Nick Pope has issued an update regarding the MoD’s release of their UFO files. The files were last mentioned a few months ago, but now Nick says the first documents should emerge ‘spring 2008’, but says ‘there is a reluctance to name an exact timescale’. There are a total of 160 files, they date from the 1970s to the present day. Nick says that there may be “some new documents on big cases such as the Rendlesham Forest incident.”
Nick admits that the files “don’t contain a smoking gun’ but adds they are of ‘great historical interest.’

New Documentaries on the Rendlesham case - A Roundup

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At the end of last year, the History Channel announced that their new documentary on the Rendlesham case would air on the 26th December 2007. Reports suggest that the documentary never aired and I have reason to believe that the intial announcement was either incorrect or the documentary has been delayed.

UFO researcher Gary Heseltine has confirmed that the documentary should air “some time in Feb/March 2008″. Apparently Col. Charles Halt has released some important, new information which will feature in the new documentary.

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Additionally I visited the History Channel’s website and found details about thier new series: “UFO Hunters”. The series consists of six episodes. Interestingly the episode entitled “Military and UFO’s” focuses entirely on the UFO incidents at RAF Bentwaters & RAF Woodbridge - the 1956 UFO case and the 1980 incident. The air date/time is listed as 02.27.08 10PM. The schedule confirms that the documentary will contain “footage that has never been seen on television”. 2008 could turn out to be an exciting year for the Rendlesham case.

Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/2p2vtz
http://www.history.com/minisites/ufohunters/

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I am very sad to report that Georgina Bruni passed away on the 19th January 2008. Georgina Bruni’s book, “You Can’t Tell The People” was in my opinion the most in-depth and accurate book on the case so far. Our recent poll results confirm this, the book received 55.6% of the votes for the “best book”.
Read more here: http://www.hotgossip.co.uk/February_2008/427.cntns

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Finally, I thought I’d mention that our forum is becoming more active day-by-day. There are a wide range of members, some of who were once stationed at the twin bases and even a couple of first-hand witnesses. I would like to thank all the forum’s memebers for their support and dedication.
Have a look: http://www.rendlesham-incident.co.uk/forum/index.php

Earlier this week a forum member revealed that Charles Halt and Jim Penniston had visited the Bentwaters Cold War museum on 2 December to film for a new documentary.

On the 4th December 2007, BBC Look North featured an interview with UFO researcher DC Gary Heseltine. He revealed that the History Channel are in the process of producing another documentary on the Rendlesham forest case, it should be aired in a few weeks time. Heseltine had spent a day at Rendlesham forest with the retired Colonel and says that Halt has “revelations”, which will be revealed on the upcoming documentary I assume.

Gary stated that Charles Halt will “come out with more information than he has done ever before”. As the interview came to an end, Gary quickly added, “it’s the best case and it is a real UFO”.

The interview can be viewed on the BBC’s website.

Update: according to the History Channel’s schedule, the programme will be aired on 26th December 2007. The programme will be called “UFO Files: Britain’s Roswell: Rendlesham forest”. It should be considered as an updated version of the History Channel’s first documentary on the Rendlesham case (”Britain’s Roswell”).
A 6 minute-long trailer can be viewed on the History Channel’s video gallery.

On 9 November 2007, CNN’s longest running interview show - the Larry King Show - focused on the subject of UFOs. The show brought together a handful of high-ranking military officials and government personnel, in order to shed some light on the subject.
Among the group were Charles Halt (Col, USAF, Ret.) and James Penniston (SSgt, USAF, Ret.) who discussed their involvement in the Rendlesham forest case. Nick Pope made an appearance too, offered his opinion about the Rendlesham case and the significance of the radiation readings. The show receives one million viewers nightly and in my opinion was a great step forward for the Rendlesham case and UFOlogy in general.

The show was uploaded onto YouTube. The four parts are linked below.

UFOs: Are they for real?

[ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ]

Nick Pope, the former head of the Ministry of Defence’s “UFO desk”, will be joining UFO Disclosure Radio (based at blogtalkradio.com) for an hour long interview. The show’s host has stated that the show will focus on the Rendlesham forest UFO case. The radio show will be broadcast today (Sunday 23rd September) at 7PM.

Won’t be able to listen? You should be able to download a copy of the show afterwards, to listen to whenever you want!

Date/Time: 23/09/2007 19:00
Call-in Number: (646) 478-4572
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/UFO_Disclosure_Radio/2007/09/23/nick-pope-interview
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/UFO_Disclosure_Radio

As an extra bonus, I have added two UFO documentaries about the Rendlesham forest incident to the UFO video archive page. One is called “Britain’s Roswell”, which runs for over 40 minutes, the other is a segment from “Unsolved Mysteries: UFO Files”, called “Bentwaters UFO”. Both are highly recommended.

As you can see, I have completely changed the website’s layout. The old template was designed for a much smaller website with only a few pages, but as this site has grown the content was literally bursting out of its containers.
All the content has now been broken down into sections, for example if you want to read the Rendlesham pages you must click on the Rendlesham link - you will then be presented with a list of the articles I have written. This template uses a CSS layout, which is far more desirable than the previous table-based layout. The template was taken from freecsstemplates.org and tweaked to accommodate this website. It’s a great template and will allow this site to grow with ease. I’m hoping this is the last time I will have to change the website’s layout, at least for a couple of years.

Additionally, I will be adding a new page which covers UFO cases which share similarities to the Rendlesham forest case. You can expect this in a few days. I was originally going to release the new website and new page together, but I decided that the unfinished page shouldn’t hold the whole website back.

Even more good news: a problem which has left some users unable to access this site for hours every day has been resolved (on the 17 July 2007). A big thanks goes to the user who initially reported the error - you know who you are!

I would like to begin collating all the UFO cases that have similarities to the Rendlesham forest incident. There are a few reasons why I think this is an excellent idea, the most prominent reason being that it makes the Rendlesham forest incident a stronger case. Think of it this way: it’s like having another witness coming forward to corrobate a story, if people have seen similar UFOs on different dates or in different parts of the world, it shows us that something unusual is happening and makes the idea that there is something very real behind the linked reports much more likely.

Here are a few criteria to begin with (this list is NOT definitive). I am interested in all the cases…
a)which have occurred in Norfolk or Suffolk (England).
b)that involve UFOs beaming down ‘laser beams’
c) that involve UFOs in the vicinity of air bases or military installations
d) which occurred in a similar time frame (a few months either side of December 1980) e)that have occurred for at least two consecutive days/nights
f) where the UFO(s) have left three circular ‘landing marks’ where UFOs have displayed characteristics similar to the ones seen at Rendlesham forest - a red winking eye, an ‘exploding’ UFO etc.
g) where the UFOs seen have looked similar to the ones allegedly seen during the Rendlesham incident (pyramid shaped etc.)

I can already think of a few similar cases to Rendlesham myself, but I am sure there are many more cases out there - if you know of any, please let me know by either emailing me or posting a message in this thread. Any help will be much appreciated.

A few weeks ago I mentioned Paul Kimball’s upcoming UFO documentary, “Best Evidence: Top 10 UFO Cases”. Recently the film was shown in Canada and apparently is a great success. Nick Redfern, a prominent British UFO researcher has already seen the new documentary and says it is ‘refreshing’ and a ‘top-class production’. It turns out that the Rendlesham incident made it to #3, only being ‘beaten’ by the 1976 Iranian “UFO Dogfight” and the RB-47 UFO incident of 1957 - the latter was chosen as the #1 case.

In Redfern’s full review of the documentary he mentions some interesting information regarding Charles Halt, the deputy base commander at the time of the Rendlesham incident. As you will probably know, Charles Halt has contributed to many books and documentarys regarding the Rendlesham incident, the most interesting one being the Sci-Fi channel’s “UFO Invasion At Rendlesham”, where he spoke about some of the witnesses being “messed with”, “druged” and made hints about a possible connection to the CIA.

“And Halt surely makes the understatement of the whole show when he notes that the aftermath of the affair - that, he says, included USAF people being drugged and hypnotized, and the confiscation of radar-tapes showing the movements of the UFOs - was “quite interesting.” I’ll say!” - I have heard the rumours about the radar-tapes relating to the Rendlesham incident being confiscated before, but it sounds as if Halt is implying he knows they were taken… is this the case? We’ll have to wait to find out.

Britain’s Ministry of defence recently announced that they are soon going to be releasing their UFO files, some dating back to 1967. Britain is releasing it’s UFO files following the French national space agency, who released theirs only two months ago.
Apparently some of the files relate to the Rendlesham forest incident, and according to the Guardian will “support or discount claims that radiation was detected at the site after the event.” The files should be released within weeks.

I have added a new page to the website, it’s an examination of the lighthouse theory - I work through each of the sceptical viewpoints, supporting or discounting them.
You can find the page here, it should be very interesting to anyone who is familiar with the Rendlesham forest case.

I recently visited Rendlesham forest in the dark. Although it was not my first time in Rendlesham forest during the night, it’s the first time that I have been able to have a proper look around the forest armed with a high quality digital camera and a camcorder.
I wrote a short article about what I discovered and saw, there’s also a video showing the Orford Ness lighthouse’s light blinking on and off. You can find the article here and in the “Other paranormal related articles” column.

I have also updated the map of Rendlesham forest, all three alleged landing sites are now marked - and as far as I know accurately too. It is in Flash and JPEG format, both are high quality and easy to view. You can view the Flash version here, and the JPEG version here.

Another article has been submitted by an anonymous visitor, it continues to question whether the Rendlesham forest incident was infact a giant hoax pulled off by the ARRS and then covered up with a UFO tale. The second part looks at the possible reasons behind such a hoax and why there was a need for a cover-up. Have a look at the article and make up your own mind. Part 1 - Part 2. Controversial stuff!