In the final months of combat against Nazi Germany, Allied aviators were hounded by strange lights called Foo Fighters that seemed to follow and toy with them. The Pentagon's recent cache of declassified UFO files shed light on the U.S. military's urgent investigation into this unsettling mystery in 1945. A purported photo of Foo Fighters during World War 2. By Kevin J. Guhl In May 2026, the U.S. Department of War began releasing declassified UFO files to the public. There is a lot of fascinating stuff within, such as UFO photos taken on the moon! But one subject I hoped they would illuminate was the long-standing mystery of Foo Fighters, the strange, glowing objects reported by Allied airmen during World War 2, pre-dating the flying saucer phenomenon. And the files did not disappoint. In this installment of American Strangeness, we dig deeply into what the Secret UFO Files have to say about Foo Fighters... In December 1944, the U.S. Army Air Force's 415th Night Fighter Squadron was stationed in France, providing air support for the U.S 7th Army and the French 1st Army. Under the cover of darkness, the 415th attacked Axis installations, supplies, communications and troops. In the unit's training and tactical reports for that month, they raised the following unusual concern: "We have encountered a phenomenon which we cannot explain; crews have been followed by lights that blink on and off changing colors etc. The lights come very close and fly formation with our planes. They are agitating and keep the crews on edge when they encounter them, mainly because they cannot explain them. It is requested further information be furnished on this subject, such as similar experiences of other night units." On Jan. 16, 1945, Lt. Colonel Leavitt Corning, Jr., assistant chief of staff, A-2 (Intelligence) for Headquarters XII Tactical Air Command (ADV) in Europe, sent a secret memo about this matter (titled "Night Phenomenon") to the commanding general of the First Tactical Air Force (Provisional), requesting more information. Major S. V. Boykin replied that there had been no other instances reported and instructed, "Before an investigation can be made it will be necessary to have more complete information, such as colors of the lights, their intensity, size, duration, and at what altitude seen; also if the lights are observed at any specific hours. Do subject lights cross Allied lines and in what direction are they seen to travel? Also, has it been noted on what part of the aircraft are they carried, i.e. wing, tail, prop; and how close do they approach our aircraft?" In response, Captain F. B. Ringwald, Air Command intelligence officer, forwarded extracts from the 415th's Dec. 1944 - Jan. 1945 Sortie Reports to Corning. They contained several accounts of the "Night Phenomenon." As noted by Ringwald, "Foofighters is the name given these phenomenon by combat crews of this Squadron." ("Foo" was a nonsense word used is "Smokey Stover," a popular comic strip of the day.) And these accounts depicted the sheer volume and weirdness of the encounters being reported by American pilots over the French-German border. Here are the extracts as originally reported in full, so the attributes of the anomalous phenomena can be weighed against the more conventional explanations later suggested: Night of 14-15 December 1944 - "In vicinity of Erstein (V-9381) flying at 1000 ft. observed large red light at 2000 ft. going East at 18:40 hrs. Travelling at approximately 200 MPH." Night of 16-17 December 1944 - "20 miles North of Breisach (W-0173) at 800 ft. observed 5 or 6 flashing red and green lights in 'T' shape. Thought they were flak. About 10 minutes later saw the same lights much closer and behind me. We turned port and Starboard and the lights followed. They closed in to about 8 o'clock and 1000 ft. and remained in that position for several minutes and then disappeared." Night of 22-23 December 1944 - "Patrolling at Angels 10 from Sarrebourg to Strasbourg North and South of highway. At 6:00 hrs. saw two lights coming towards A/C from the ground. Upon reaching altitude of plane, they leveled off and stayed on my tail for approximately 2 minutes. Lights appeared to be a large orange glow. After staying with A/C for approximately 2 minutes, they would peel off and turn away, fly along level for a few minutes and then go out. They appeared to be under perfect control at all times. Lights were seen somewhere in vicinity of [Haguenau]." Night of 23-24 December 1944 - "Observed reddish colored flames at considerable distance and at approximately 10,000 ft." Night of 23-24 December 1944 - "Approximately 10 miles South of Point X (Q6745) noticed to NE approximately 5 miles a glowing red object shooting straight up. Changed suddenly to plane view of A/C doing a wing over and going into a dive and disappearing." Night of 26-27 December 1944 - "At 01:45 hrs. saw two yellow streaks of flame flying at same level at approximately 3000 ft. off port side. We also saw red balls of fire that stayed up for 10 seconds approximately 45 miles away. After seeing yellow streaks, made starboard vector lost altitude and streaks disappeared from view. Called GCI Blunder and asked if any E/A were in vicinity. They answered No. Instructed to return to Angels 10. We felt what was thought to be prop wash; very distinct. Noticed several groups of lights off port while patrolling in vicinity of Q-9050 and R-1556. Lights made distinct lines somewhat like arrows." Night of 26-27 December 1944 - "While on vector 090 near V-7050 during patrol we observed airborne white lights. They were staggered evenly vertically and we could see from 1 to 4 swing at once. They appeared stationary at 10,000 ft." Night of 26-27 December 1944 - "Observed light at same altitude while in vicinity of Worms. Observer saw light come within 100 ft. Peeled off and took evasive action but light continued to follow for 5 minutes. Light then pulled up rapidly and went out of sight." Night of 27-28 December 1944 - "While on North heading in patrol area noticed in vicinity of Q-1378 lights suspended in air moving slowly and would then disappear. Were orange in color. Lights appeared singly and in pairs. Observed these lights four of five times during period." Another supposed picture of Foo Fighters during World War 2. Night of 27-28 December 1944 - "Eight miles NE of Luneville at 19:10 hrs. saw three sets of three lights (red and white) one on starboard and one on port from 1000 ft. to 2000 ft. to rear and closing in at Angels 10. Pulled up to Angels 8 and lights went out. Called Churchman to see if there was anything in area. Received a negative reply." Night of 30-31 December 1944 - "Saw a group of lights flying through the air 30 or 40 miles East of base while flying at Angels 9 - 10." Night of 1-2 January 1945 - "Saw Foofighters North of Strasbourg and North of Saverne." Night of 14-15 January 1945 - "Observed a large orange glow in sky approx. 5 ft. in diameter in vicinity of Ingweiller at 6000 ft. at 20:00 hrs." Night of 29-30 January 1945 - "At about 00:10 hrs. sighted a Foofighter about half way between Weissembourg and Landau. Foofighter was off to the starboard and rear at Angels 2. Lights were amber and one was 20 - 50 ft. above the other and of about 30 seconds duration. Foofighter was about 1000 ft. away and following. The lights were about a foot in diameter. Lights disappeared when Travel 34 turned into them." Ringwald noted that in every case in which a pilot called GCI Control (Ground-Controlled Interception, utilizing radar) and asked if there was a "Bogey" aircraft in the area, he received a negative answer. Colonel C. A. Young of the First Tactical Air Force forwarded these reports from the 415th to the chief intelligence officer, Air Staff for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) on Feb. 5, 1945. Young noted that his headquarters had no further information or explanation for the phenomena but stated, "It is believed that further investigation is warranted. Since appropriate technical personnel are not available within the First Tactical Air Force, the matter is forwarded for such further investigation as may be advisable." On Feb. 11, Air Commodore C. M. Grierson of SHAEF alerted Chief Intelligence Officer Col. Bradley at United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe HQ of the matter. "From the number of reports quoted in the 2nd W/Ind from the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, it would seem that there must be something more than mere imagination behind the matter, and in view of the fact that pilots and crews are becoming slightly worried by them, it is considered that everything possible be done to get to the root of the matter," wrote Grierson. He revealed that copies of the reports were sent to the British Air Ministry and to a Mr. Robertson of the Scientific Investigation Division at SHAEF headquarters to review. Grierson also recommended that an air technical intelligence officer visit the 415th and obtain first-hand accounts from aircrew. Wing Commander S. D. Felkin of the British Air Ministry, Whitehall, wrote to Grierson on Feb. 17, suggesting the German "Flak Bombe" as a solution to the Night Phenomena. Felkin referred to his department's A.D.I.(K) Report No. 562/1944. While not included in the Department of War file, this particular Air Ministry report appears to have focused on long-range rocket projectiles, specifically technical details of the A4 rocket (aka V2, the first practical ballistic missile) developed by Wernher von Braun at Peenemünde Army Research Center in northeastern Germany and first launched against Allied targets in Sept. 1944. The U.S. Department of War file on Foo Fighters contains a March 5, 1945 exchange in which Grierson asked Whitehall to confirm that "all available bomb torpedoes" from Trippelwerke Molsheim in France (where Bugatti developed amphibious vehicles) had already been moved to Hornchurch, England. Whitehall denied this, stressing the importance of recovering "bulk stocks of German bomb torpedoes from Trippelwerke Molsheim," as bulk deliveries had not yet begun and stocks were required urgently. Presumably, these weapons were captured by the allies during the Battle (and liberation) of Alsace from Nov. 20, 1944 - Mar. 19, 1945. The subtext appears to be that bombs such as these, stored near the French-German border, might have been deployed by German forces during the Battle of Alsace, coinciding with the strange lights spotted by pilots from the 415th. More generally, flak could have referred to explosive ammunition from Germany's highly effective 8.8 cm Flak anti-aircraft guns. V-2 rocket on display at the Historical-Technical Information Centre in Peenemünde, Germany. Photo by Chmee2, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Major General Elwood R. Quesada, commander of the 9th Tactical Air Command in Europe, reported a new Foo Fighter incident to SHAEF on March 1, 1945. "Pilots report the following," wrote Quesada. "An aluminum colored cylinder shaped object, about 12 ft. long and 1 ft. in diameter was observed floating in the air at 9,000 ft. It appeared to be suspended vertically with small fins and a mast projecting from the lower end. The object was attacked and partially deflated, a red flame resulted without smoke. The cylinder did not disintegrate." Intriguingly, Quesada revealed that a photo of the object was captured by the 107th Squadron of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, with the incident having occurred at "011030 hours vic F-5710." In Dec. 1943, the 107th became the first operational photographic reconnaissance squadron in Northern Europe. Presuming that Quesada was citing the Foo Fighter incident as having happened that day (the first of the month, March 1, 1945, at 10:30 a.m.), the 107th would have been flying reconnaissance missions over Germany itself, assisting Allied ground forces as they pushed toward the Rhine. SHAEF alerted the British Air Ministry, Second Tactical Air Force, United States Strategic Air Forces, First Tactical Air Force, IX Tactical Air Command HQ and the Ninth Air Force about this development, promising to follow up with any photos, written reports from the pilots involved, and information on further instances. Unfortunately, Quesada reported back on March 5 that the reconnaissance pilots' attempts to capture photos of the "long cylindrical objects" were unsuccessful. (He did promise a full report, although it is not present in the DoW file.) Yet another photo claimed to depict a Foo Fighter. (No, that's not Dave Grohl at the controls.) Compared to the undefined lights see by pilots over France, the Foo Fighter shot down over Germany undoubtedly sounds like a balloon. The German Air Force utilized barrage balloons throughout the war, particularly over strategic targets like manufacturing and industrial centers. Early in the war, these large balloons were egg-shaped with four fins at the tail end. A U.S. War Department report on "German Antiaircraft Artillery," published in Feb. 1943, likened the barrage balloon to "a short fat cigar, with a tail like a Japanese goldfish." Some of the balloons were inflated with just hydrogen contained in six chambers, while other were kept afloat with hydrogen and oxygen (stored in separate chambers). Rubber cords fastened tightly around the outside of the inflated balloon helped maintain its shape and strength. The early barrage balloons varied in size, with the largest being approximately 60 feet long and 25 feet in diameter, with a long "flutter" tail. The 1943 report stated that upgrades to the original designs were unknown, but weren't suspected to be anything other than minor modifications. It was possible the Germans were at one point experimenting with more lethal devices in the balloons, although the report didn't elaborate. German Air Force barrage balloon units would deploy the sky hazards extensively over a defended region, forming an irregular "belt" about five-eighths of a mile wide and 1 3/4 miles from the outer edge of a target area. There was anywhere from 200 to 800 yards between individual balloons. The balloons would be flown at varying heights and times, suspended vertically in the air via steel cables, up to a maximum height of 15,000 feet. "The purpose of the balloon barrage is to form an irregular pattern of perpendicular steel cables in the vicinity of the defended area, presenting a real as well as a mental hazard to any hostile aviator attempting to fly below the level of the balloons," stated the report. "The net result is to discourage hostile flyers from entering the region of the barrage for dive-bombing tactics against the defended area, and to force the hostile planes to an altitude less favorable for precision bombing." Gaps in the defense were covered by light and medium Flak. Harbors and docks were protected with barrage balloons suspended from stationary or movable barges. German Barrage Balloon. U.S. Air Force Photo. So, it is logical that Allied pilots might have encountered barrage balloons as they encroached over the German homeland. The object encountered by the 107th might have had a more cylindrical shape than the stubbier models of the early war, but the overall design was similar, with the "mast projecting from the lower end" perhaps being the steel cable. The Allied gunfire might not have ruptured all of the balloon's hydrogen or oxygen chambers, accounting for only a partial deflation. The "red flame" without smoke is a little harder to explain; hydrogen burns with a nearly invisible flame (especially in daylight), although it similarly does not give off smoke. There's one hitch in this hypothesis—Wouldn't Allied aviators have recognized a German barrage balloon, since they were in use since the beginning of the war? Perhaps it was some other type of new defense balloon they hadn't yet encountered. Ultimately, the British Air Ministry did carefully examine the wealth of reports collected from the 415th Night Fighter Squadron. On Mar. 13, Group Captain E. D. M. Hopkins replied to Grierson, revealing that British pilots had been seeing the same strange objects. "Bomber Command crews have for some time been reporting similar phenomena," wrote Hopkins. "A few of the alleged aircraft may have been Me.262 and for the rest, flak rockets are suggested as the most likely explanation." The Me.262 Hopkins referred to is the Messerschmitt Me 262, the world's first operational jet fighter. The Luftwaffe debuted the plane in mid-1944, just months before the documented Foo Fighter reports. The Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter plane. It could reach 530 mph, 93 mph faster than any Allied fighter operational in the European Theater. Allied pilots, struggling to combat the Me 262 in flight, soon realized that the most surefire way to destroy the jet was to attack it on the ground or while it was taking off or landing. Ultimately, the Me 262 made little difference in the war, owing to its late introduction and the small quantity entered into service. Messerschmitt Me 262A at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. So, could this novel jet airplane, unexpectedly seen soaring at unprecedented speeds in the distance at night, be the source for at least some of the Foo Fighter accounts? While we can't say for certain, what is on record is the shock Allied aviators experienced upon first encountering the Me 262. Eugene T. Jensen, a B-17 crew member in the 349th Squadron, 100th bomber group of the U.S. 8th Air Force, said he had heard rumors of the development and deployment of a German "super fighter." But it wasn't until March 3, 1945, while heading a bomber run to destroy a truck factory, that Jensen got a first-hand look at this fearsome new machine. It was unlike anything he had ever seen - "No propeller!" The fighter made a tight, high-speed circle, coming in from behind the three bombers in Jensen's squadron. The speed of the aircraft fooled the gunners, who couldn't touch it despite their massive firepower. "The jet flew through our already tight formation so close that we could see the pilot, the rivets in the aircraft skin and the 200mm cannon firing," said Jensen. (Historical note: The Me 262 generally had four 30 mm MK 108 cannons.) The Me 262 blasted the wing off the lead bomber "as if by a giant chain saw" and the Allied aircraft began its lethal tumble toward the ground below, no parachutes visible. Jensen's plane survived the run and, upon landing, the crew was interviewed by an Air Force General--an unusual yet somber honor. "I had the impression that we were one of the first air crews to experience combat with a jet aircraft," said Jensen. Jensen experienced the Me 262 in broad daylight, but what was it like to see one at night? The Me 262 was equipped with twin Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines. Is it possible that Allied pilots in traditional piston-engine craft were seeing the glow from the Me 262's exhaust, moving faster than any aircraft they knew? Granted, World War 2 fighters and bombers utilized flame-dampers, exhaust extensions that gave them protection from being spotted during night flights. Also, there just weren't that many Me 262s, with less than a 100 being in combat-ready condition at any one time, and only a handful refitted as night fighters. Hopkins seemed unenthused with the practical explanations proffered, musing, "The whole affair is still something of a mystery and the evidence is very sketchy and varied so that no definite and satisfactory explanation can yet be given." Likewise, Grierson lamented in his final, Mar. 18 memo on the subject to the First Tactical Air Force, "It is regretted that no further, or more definite, information can be given." Two years later and following the war, civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold would report seeing nine gleaming UFOS over Mount Rainier in Washington, launching the flying saucer craze. But such mysterious sightings had already begun in the darkened skies over war-torn Europe, as these bright, glowing objects, seemingly under intelligent control, toyed with Allied aviators. The declassified Pentagon UFO files do not conclude or even suggest that the Foo Fighters were extraterrestrial. But they also fail to provide a satisfactory conventional explanation that explains all the encounters described by American airmen. What we do see are Allied intelligence officers reacting in real time to what they considered a serious concern, possibly representing an unknown German weapon. The ambiguity they were left with is exactly why the Foo Fighter mystery has endured for more than 80 years. submitted by /u/DetectiveFork [link] [comments]