Documents / Official release
This is a feature article from the War Department Intelligence Division's secret intelligence review, dated January 1947, on the 1946 "ghost rocket" reports over Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. It covers witness descriptions, including one from a Swedish Air Force pilot, and says Swedish Defense Staff statements on the objects contradicted each other. It concludes there were perhaps only 2 to 10 real incidents of low-flying V-1 type missiles. The high-altitude sightings, it says, were probably meteors or fireworks.
From the source: Release of 2026-08-07 Incident: 1/9/47, Sweden. This document is a U.S. Department of War General Staff intelligence review assessing incidents involving unidentified “Ghost Rockets” reported over Sweden and other Scandinavian countries beginning in May 1946. The review includes an analysis of observational reports, statements from the Swedish government, and reporting from the U.S. military attaché in Stockholm. The review highlights the inconclusive nature of the contemporary evidence available to substantiate reports from civilian and military observers. The review also documents a change in the public stance of the Swedish Defense Staff, which privately attributed the objects to Soviet V-1 missile tests launched from Peenemünde. Peenemünde is a then-occupied municipality in northeastern Germany that had been associated with the development of the V-1 and V-2 rocket program during World War II. The Swedish assessment publicly shifted from an unknown technological origin to one of a “celestial origin.” The review suggests that this shift was a deliberate effort to avoid diplomatic conflict with the Soviet Union. The report’s final assessment concludes that while most reported incidents were likely misidentified natural phenomena, the “best evidence” suggested a small number of “real incidents” involving low-flying V-1 type missiles, likely attributable to Soviet tests of captured German technology.
Notice Tiu inulliqenu cm1tainr.,l in tM• report lias bun pro duced by th4 l11t,•lliyc11cc lJit>isi,m as a result of careful reaearch and a,,alyai, of informatioo received from all eourcea. A"11 rW(_'6r posseuinq information which appear, w mt>di'fy or contradict the intelligence con taint-d Mrtin i, requested to forward it promplly to: Director of Intelligence, WDGS, War Department, Washingtoo S5, D. C. Communiootions should refer to this publicatioo, set- ting forth item and page to which reference is made. In reporting informatioo, the cootrfbutor should identify and evaluate his sources and give the dates of incidents mentiooed. DISTRIBUTION U8FET...................... 11 IADB....................... 1 U8MA.-.................... S MTOUSA.................... g 08W........................ 1 080......................... 10 OINCFE.................... 12 OU8W....................... 1 IOAF........................ 2 PBILRYCOM.............. 2 OA8W....................... 1 NWO........................ 12 MARBO.................... l 008......................... 1 AF80. ...................... 6 AOFPAO................... 8 PAD......................... 3 Al8.......................... 2 Army Adv Op China........ 2 OTD........................ 2 Nav War Col................ 1 Pelplnc Bqs Op............. 2 88PD........................ 1 ONI......................... 22 USF., Austria............... 2 POD......................... II ClnOLantFlt................ 1 AOC, Bulgaria............... 2 RDD........................ l ComNavEu.................. 1 AOC, Hungary.............. l OAD........................ • ComNavMed................ 1 AOC, Rumanta.............. 1 Hlsl Div..................... 1 ComSoLantFor.............. 1 OMO, Oermany............. 18 OOOW8..................... 11 ClnOPacFlt................. 1 ODO . ...................... 2 OQMO...................... 3 ComNavJap................. l POD.························ 3 00s1,o...................... 7 ComFtrstTaskFlt......... .. l Ant. Dopt................... l OOE......................... 1 ComNavWesPac............. 1 OINOAL.................... l 000......................... 12 USMC........................ 29 AIL~kan Dept................ 2 OCT......................... 6 FMFPAO................... 1 M Al. . . ...................... 68 080......................... 1 State Dept................... 16 White Bouse................. 2 OTIO........................ 1 SWNOO..................... l 010 ........................ 12 MDW....................... 2 FBI.......................... 8 118 ......................... 2 A.AF......................... lil ID........................... 129 JSO.......................... l Add A.AFPAO L........ JWPO....................... l A.OF......................... 67
Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 8 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.