Documents / Official release
This file from SHAEF Air Staff, dated between January and March 1945 and closing with an 18 March 1945 letter, collects wartime correspondence about "night phenomena" that 415th Night Fighter Squadron crews called foofighters. It includes the squadron's sortie extracts from December 1944 and January 1945 describing lights that followed aircraft near Strasbourg and elsewhere, plus a report of an aluminum-colored cylinder that pilots attacked. The Air Ministry suggested Me 262s and flak rockets as explanations but admitted the matter remained a mystery.
From the source:Release of 2026-05-08 Incident: 3/18/45, Germany. NARA Record Group 331, catalogue id 120752. This file contains SHAEF messages and memorandums related to "night phenomena (foofighters)," flak rockets, unidentified cylindrical objects, and blinking lights. The documents include multiple references to the observations of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron.
“Headquarters”7 pages
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
63A AIR STAFF SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE (FORWARD) REF:- SUAFF/A/TS.37153/A.2. 18 March 1945. SUB: - Night Phenonema. T02- First Tactical Air Force (Prov.) APO 374, US ARMY. 1. With reference to reports forwarded from the XIIth Tactical Air Command through your Headquarters on the subject of night phenomenon (foofighter), and further to this Headquarters' letter of even reference dated 11 February, a reply has now been received from the Air Ministry who say that Bombor Command crews have for some time been reporting similar phenomenon. 2. The Air Ministry view is that a few of the alleged aircraft may have been He.262's and for the rest, flak rockets are suggested as the most likely explanation. 3. It is regretted that no further, or more definite, information can be given. for the Deputy Supreme Commander, C.M. GRIERSON Air Command, A.C. of S., A-2.
Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 17 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.