Wailing in two bivouacked rooms in bombed Aachen, 1945
Art Bell reads a letter attributed to a US Army soldier of the 303rd Medium Maintenance Company. The soldier was billeted in two adjoining rooms of a ruined apartment building in Aachen in 1945. The writer says the soldiers restarted a stopped grandfather clock, and an “unearthly” wailing broke out at 2 a.m. It lasted eight to ten minutes. All twelve men in the two rooms heard it, but no one outside did. The letter ends with the men choosing to sleep elsewhere.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2000-2.mp3”, starting at 17:04). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The host reads a letter he attributes to a member of the US Army 303rd Medium Maintenance Company. He says the company was passing through the German city of Aachen in 1945, while the war was still going on. According to the letter, the unit found two intact adjoining rooms in what had been an apartment complex. The only object of interest was a grandfather clock that was not running, and the soldiers managed to make it work. Because the rooms were small, six G.I.s were assigned to sleep in each. The writer says they do not know what woke them, “perhaps that clock,” and that within seconds of the clock striking 2 a.m. a wailing began. The writer calls it [quote withheld] The wailing reportedly went on for about eight to ten minutes and then stopped abruptly, leaving only the ticking of the clock. The writer says they pointed their rifle barrel at the door and waited. The writer expected the sergeant of the guard, who was due to wake the relief guard at 4 a.m. When the sergeant opened the door and shone their flashlight in, they were met by six gun barrels. The letter says the sergeant checked the second room and found the same thing, with everyone awake and having heard the wailing. According to the letter, neither the guard on duty nor anyone outside those two rooms heard it. In the letter’s words, the source of the wailing was never determined, and the men decided it was wise to sleep elsewhere.
Reported events, in order
- 0:08
The host reads that Allied forces had reduced Aachen to rubble during World War II and that the writer’s unit, the US Army 303rd Medium Maintenance Company, was passing through in 1945.
- 0:31
The unit found two intact adjoining rooms in a former apartment complex. The only object of interest was a grandfather clock that was not running, which they got working.
- 0:54
Six G.I.s were assigned to sleep in each of the two small rooms.
- 0:59
The writer says they were woken, possibly by the clock, and that within seconds of it striking 2 a.m. an “unearthly” wailing began.
- 1:13
The wailing reportedly continued for about eight to ten minutes, then stopped abruptly, leaving only the ticking of the clock.
- 1:24
The writer aimed their rifle at the door, expecting the sergeant of the guard, who was due at 4 a.m.
- 1:37
The sergeant opened the door with a flashlight and was met by six gun barrels. The sergeant found the same thing in the second room, with everyone awake and having heard the wailing.
- 1:55
According to the letter, neither the guard on duty nor anyone outside the two rooms heard the wailing, and the source was never determined. The men decided to sleep elsewhere.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:47
The soldiers found two intact adjoining rooms and got a stopped grandfather clock working.
- observation· 1:08
An “unearthly” wailing began within seconds of the clock striking 2 a.m.
- observation· 1:13
The wailing lasted roughly eight to ten minutes and then stopped abruptly.
- observation· 1:47
Everyone in both rooms was awake and heard the wailing.
- observation· 1:55
The guard on duty and everyone outside the two rooms did not hear the wailing.
- interpretation· 2:03
The source of the wailing was never determined.
- host statement· 0:08
The host says Allied forces reduced the city to rubble during World War II.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a detailed first-person story that is consistent within itself. It names a unit, city, year, and times, and the writer holds back from drawing a conclusion about the cause. It is not backed up by anyone else, and some ordinary sources of sound in a bombed building are not addressed. That keeps it below the higher anchors.
Evidence for and against
- The named unit, city, year, and clock times are concrete details that could in principle be checked.
- The writer separates what they saw from their conclusion: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The sequence is coherent, and the guard’s arrival fits the story (everyone awake, guns aimed at the door).
- Nothing backs up the letter’s own claim that twelve men heard it.
- The letter does not address ordinary sources of noise in a bombed building.
- The story reaches us only as a letter read aloud. The writer is not there to answer questions.
- The broadcast does not establish whether the letter exists as described or who wrote it.
- Nothing explains why the sound stayed in the two rooms.
- 0:23
- 1:04
- 2:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored in parts: source closeness high (a firsthand letter writer, about 20 to 22), specificity high (about 15 to 16), internal consistency high (about 17), other explanations moderate to low because ordinary sound sources are not discussed (about 10 to 11), calibration good because the writer states uncertainty (about 12). The sum is about 70.
The only support is the writer’s claim plus the statement that eleven other soldiers heard the same thing. No witness speaks on air, and no document is examined. Checkable details (unit, city, year) are given but not checked, which places it in the 11 to 25 range.
Evidence for and against
- Specific checkable details are given: [quote withheld] and the year 1945.
- The letter claims several witnesses: [quote withheld]
- No witness speaks on air. The story is a letter read by the host.
- No physical evidence (recording, document, photograph) is claimed or examined.
- The clock is not produced or described beyond the letter’s text.
- The number of witnesses rests entirely on the letter’s own statement.
- Nothing in the broadcast allows the unit, the city, or the date to be verified.
- 1:47
- 0:19
What the model inferred (not said on air): Under the scoring guide, claimed witnesses count as the writer’s word, not independent confirmation. That puts this in the 11 to 25 range rather than higher.
The setting is a bombed wartime city at night, and the sound is a long, unearthly wailing with no known source, which is truly unsettling. It is softened by the absence of any figure, threat, or harm, and by the matter-of-fact ending.
Evidence for and against
- An “unearthly” sound lasting eight to ten minutes in a dark, damaged building.
- Twelve soldiers hold rifles aimed at the door afterward.
- The story is unresolved, and the men choose to sleep elsewhere.
- Nothing is seen, no one is touched or harmed, and no escalation is reported.
- The writer’s tone in the letter, as read, is largely matter-of-fact.
- The wailing is not described beyond “unearthly.”
- 1:08
- 1:37
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is judged on the story’s imagery and unresolved ending, not on whether it happened.
Unexplained wailing in a room is a familiar setup. But the wartime bombed-city setting, the just-restarted grandfather clock as the only object of interest, and the sound being limited to exactly two rooms with twelve awake occupants give it distinctive detail.
Evidence for and against
- The setting is a specific wartime unit, not a house.
- The restarted grandfather clock is a distinctive starting point for the sound.
- The sound is reported as heard by everyone in two adjoining rooms but by no one outside them.
- Unexplained wailing or crying is a common ghost-story element.
- No figure, ghost, or physical effect is reported.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive is a first estimate in this pilot and cannot be judged from this part of the broadcast alone.
- 0:41
- 1:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): The model’s originality score is around 55 (familiar setup with distinctive details). The published score compared with the rest of the archive would be computed separately.
Scoring confidence 0.75 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The writer’s written word as read on air by the host (a first-person letter).; Claimed multiple witnesses (twelve occupants of two rooms), none speaking on air.; No physical evidence claimed or examined.. The originality score blends the model's score (55) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Wind, a building settling, or other noise in a heavily bombed building could produce an unusual sound. · The letter says Aachen [quote withheld] and that the men were in two intact rooms of a damaged apartment complex.
- The grandfather clock itself (a chime, gong, or striking mechanism) could account for part of the sound. It had just been restarted and struck 2 a.m. right before the wailing. · The letter says they [quote withheld] and that the writer wondered whether “perhaps that clock” woke them.
- Shared hearing, or heightened alertness among exhausted soldiers sleeping in adjoining rooms, could explain why everyone in the rooms reported it and no one outside did. · The letter says everyone in both rooms heard it, while [quote withheld]
What stands out
The reported sound is limited to exactly two adjoining rooms. All twelve occupants heard it, but no one outside did. A grandfather clock the soldiers had just restarted is the one object singled out in the letter. The setting is a bombed city in wartime rather than a house.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.