Hasselbach entity encounter — 1950-06-17

Oscar/Oskar Linke and his young daughter Gabriele reportedly encountered an unusual object near Haselbach, also catalogued as Hasselbach, on June 17, 1950. Their motorcycle had broken down while returning toward Gleimershausen. The catalogue gives approximately 2:30 a.m.; some translated accounts describe twilight more ambiguously. Linke approached what he initially mistook for animals and reported two human-sized figures in thick, shimmering metallic garments beside a large object in a forest clearing. He compared the object with a broad pan, roughly 15 metres across, with two rows of holes around its edge and a tall black structure on top. One figure reportedly had a light on its chest. When Gabriele called, the figures climbed into the upper structure. Linke described it retracting while a supporting column shifted beneath the object. Lights changed from green to red; a hum became a whistle as the object rose, spun and departed toward Stockheim. He later reported a circular ground depression. The story became public after Linke moved to West Berlin and gave a notarised statement in July 1952. A CIA file preserves a translated Greek newspaper account, rather than a CIA-confirmed craft investigation. In a much later interview Gabriele recalled the incident, with some differences from familiar retellings. Sources also vary on her age, about ten or eleven. The case therefore combines a reported two-witness experience with a substantial publication delay and evolving descriptions.