World War II "foo fighters"

Case

Overview

Allied night-fighter crews, notably the USAAF 415th Night Fighter Squadron, reported glowing objects following their aircraft. Unit histories and a January 1945 intelligence report record the sightings.

Investigative phases

Unit histories and mission reports; XII Tactical Air Command intelligence; postwar studies

Reported phenomena

Glowing balls of light pacing aircraft

Public evidence status

Some unit records located at NARA; many retellings secondary

Alternative explanations / caveats

St. Elmo's fire, reflections, enemy flares or ordnance

Next research tasks

Locate 415th NFS war diary and intelligence reports at NARA; link to Ted Stevens queue item Q15

Last reviewed

2026-11-11

Assessment

Event date

1944–1945

Source category

Wartime unit records

Original data accessibility

Partial

Witness / instrument basis

Aircrews

Corroboration limitations

Mostly secondary retellings

Extraordinary claim assessment

Unexplained; likely natural or ordnance

Current status

Historical

Priority research task

Retrieve NARA originals

Lead source ID

SRC-V86-37

Last reviewed

2026-11-11

Evidence (1)

• 415th Night Fighter Squadron unit history and intelligence report listing about 14 incidents Documented
  CE-V86-21 · 1944-12 to 1945-01 · Wartime unit records
  Gaps: Many retellings secondary

Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)

0 readable here · 0 with a linked primary record · 1 still need a document · All cases on the evidence map

• 415th Night Fighter Squadron unit history and intelligence report listing about 14 incidents Accounts / secondary only
  CE-V86-21 · What were the mysterious foo fighters sighted by WWII night flyers?
  Why it's still open: Retrieve originals at NARA Bounded search: no online scan of the 415th NFS unit history or intelligence summary; AFHRA microfilm only. ACUFO pages reproduce the war diary as transcriptions. (chunk F, 2026-11-12)