By Scott Corrales
Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic UFOlogy
UFO Digest Latin America Correspondent
Spain: Strange Phenomena at the Bobadilla Army Base (2002)
By José Manuel Garcia Bautista and Rafael Cabello
The Bobadilla Military Facility is located in the province of Málaga, which was an operating military base with considerable activity for a long time, but it is still not known for sure why the Spanish army stopped making use of it, at least as far as public opinion is concerned. Given that it is under the control of the EA – Spain’s “ejercito del aire” – the air force) and its activity is completely zero, many wonder the reason why the Ministry of Defense insists on keeping it open, even when it has no use whatsoever, in theory.
In the 1970s, while this air base was operational, a strange UFO event took place within it. Toward the end of the decade, a fleet of unidentified flying objects was photographed by a group of UFO buffs from the lovely province of Málaga who decided to look into the sighting, requesting permission from the highest official in charge to secure information on sightings in the area. The officer-in-charge placed a sizable file on the surface of his desk and named a price for it. In spite of this, and the materialistic interest in the subject, the base has been and remains the subject of phenomena related to the UFO phenomenon.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to know the site where the Bobadilla Base is located can say that it is in a mountainous area that can be reached on N-342 highway, following a well-marked detour. Nearby is the river that empties into the Guadalhorce Reservoir and the railroad lines that vanish into the heart of the base. This is the spot where even today a considerable number of sightings are reported. There is a particular interest for the mountainous area that surrounds the military base. It is not unusual to record and see strange lights in the dark of night over these mountains; a UFO was even seen to land in this location. As a witness to that event, we have Jose Luis Pelaez, a renowned researcher from Málaga who belongs to the EDENEX group.
Events related to the UFO subject are not restricted to mere sightings or even landings: there have been frequent encounters with strange creatures of unknown origin, as is the case involving two young soldiers from Seville who were on duty at the railroad facility in the tunnel under the base. One of these young men discussed his experience with us:
“While standing guard during an unloading of munitions from a military merchandise train to the platform within a well-lit tunnel (bulbs staggered along its length), my companion (another soldier) saw a strange shape standing 1.20 meters. It was black and descended to the train tracks in a dynamic, easy and agile way, covering a 3 meter distance. When we took the safeties of our rifles, intimidated by the creature’s behavior and presence, the strange being turned around and looked at us both with menacing red eyes, Next, in response to our unflinching conduct, the creature leaped and vanished. The hypothesis that it could have been an animal or a rat was dismissed immediately, and we asked ourselves if we’d seen the same thing. Our observations matched 100 per cent.” What was that thing? It is said that very strange things have taken place in that military base. The soldiers reported the incident to their superior, who replied with a laconic: “You’ve seen nothing at all.” Odd behavior on the part of an officer being given the news that the base has possibly been infiltrated. Or was he aware of this being’s presence?
This has not been the only encounter involving beings of this appearance. There are many stories of young soldiers who claim having seen a small being, standing 1.20 meters, with large red eyes and a sort of crest, wandering around the bushes, appearing to emerge from a strange and sudden green light.
Collecting stories and conducting research, the case surrounding the events at this base, a soldier assigned to this location once said that a strange animal had been captured. “My companion, who’d studied veterinary medicine and was more of a country boy than Huckleberry Hound, had no idea what it was. It was different from anything we knew. A sort of reptile, yet without being so, and making some very strange noises. Given its zoological importance, we took it to the base lock-up and put it in a cage until the duty officer turned up and took it into custody. We were astounded to see a dark, unmarked helicopter landed at night. As fellow servicemen told us later, three military men descended from the craft, took the cage and went off with the animal. There was no log of the strange “visitor’s arrival”. The critter looked like a reptilian penguin with strong mandibles and claws, but it must’ve been a cub, as it was very small (some 35 to 40 cm.).”
Strange black helicopter sightings are also common (remind you of something?) and fly over the area with total impunity, and with tacit acceptance by the military.
Strange luminous spheres have often been seeing flying at low altitude by base authorities. They are roughly 90 cm in diameter, float and wander around the inside and outside the base at will. They make no noise, but stand out in the dark of the night. The next day, after inspecting the places where these orbs have transited, all that can be found is the mute testimony of some charred vegetation, whose damage remains unexplained.
It is not unusual to see strange shadows and lights in the barracks – even strange luminescent human shapes that have caused sentries to very nearly open fire against them. These events remind us of the events that occurred a long time ago in 1976 at the Talavera la Real Base, or the more recent 1998 case at the Morón de la Frontera base.
There are still many who wonder why this base remains open. It is only employed as a magazine or military warehouse today, with railroad access and a protective tunnel. “KEEP OUT” signs bar access to some locations, restrictions that apply even to military personnel on duty. What is going on in Bobadilla? Cases such as Morón de la Frontera have only served to open Pandora’s Box for these two researchers on the unusual events that take place in Southern Spain’s military facilities, where there is still considerable secrecy and concealed activities that have not yet been made known to the public at large. Our country has a specific number of facilities that constitute a single body of UFO experiences, kept down by the weighty slab of official silence…
(Translation (c) 2011, S. Corrales, IHU)
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