Official US Government Foo-Fighter Documents

UNIT REPORTING : 415TH NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON

DATE 13/14 FEBRUARY
…About 1910, between Rastatt and Bishwiller, encountered lights at 3000 ft., two sets of them, turned into them, one went out and the other went straight up 2-3000 ft, then went out. Turned back to base and looked back and saw lights in their original position again…

DATE : APRIL 23/24
…At Rhine River, R-9593, observed 4 lights arranged in a square. Lights
went out as plane approached.

2205-2400 – Breisach area. 0/10 clouds at 13,000 ft. Visibility 1-2
miles.. Flak: Intense light (Acc) …Observed 5 or 6 red and green lights in T form, seemed
to be following A/C for short time, about 20 miles north of Breisach.

WAR DIARY 415TH NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON
JANUARY 1945
OCREY AIR BASE, FRANCE

…Foo-Fighters were at it again last night. This is The Operations report: “Halfway between Wissembourg and Landau sighted amber lights at 2000 feet. One light was 20 to 50 feet above the other and of about 30 seconds duration. Lights were about a foot in diameter, 1000 ft. away and following Beau. Lights disappeared when Beau turned into them.”

HEADQUARTERS VII Bomber Command
MISSION REPORT NO. 11-327
DATE: 2 MAY 1945 (GCT).
OBSERVATIONS: The crew of plane #616 over FALA ISLAND, TRUK ATOLL, at 021802Z observed 2 airborne objects at their 11,000 foot altitude changing from a cherry red to an orange, and to a white light which would die out and then become cherry red again. These objects were out on either wing and not within range of caliber .50 machine guns. Both followed the B-24 through all types of evasive action. A B-24 took a course for GUAM and one of the pursuers dropped off at 021900Z after accompanying the B-24 for an hour. The other continued to follow, never approaching closer than 1000 yards and speeding up when the B-24 went thru the clouds to emerge on the other side ahead of the B-24. In daylight it was seen to be bright silver in color. As the B-24 let down at GUAM, the pursuer took a course of 330 degrees at 15, 000 feet to 20,000 feet altitude at 022130Z. ONe B-24 encountered eight intense flames light green in color, one of which burst and hung at 5,000 feet at 021013Z. There was no trail or warning until the actual burst. A B-24 reported 9 to 10 red tracer type trails of fire up to 5,000 feet. They came in pairs and one pair came within 50 to 100 yards of the tail of the B-24 at 021010Z. Source of each pair was at a different location.

{[} Source: Seventh Bomber Command Mission Reports, 742.332 – 8 February-
16 May 1945 {]}

WAR DIARY 415 NIGHT FIGHTER SQUADRON
OCHEY AIR BASE, FRANCE DECEMBER 1944

The following is an excerpt from the operations report:
“Saw a brilliant red light at 2000 feet going E at 200 MPH
in the vicinity of Erstein. Due to AI failure could not pick
up contact but followed it by sight until it went out. Could
not get close enough to identify object before it went out.”

I quote from the operations report: “In Rastatt area sighted
five or six red and green lights in a ‘T’ shape which followed
A/C thru turns and closed to 1000 feet. Lights followed for
several miles then went out. Our pilots have named these
mysterious ? which they encounter over Germany at
night “Foo-Fighters.”

War Diary Page 2 December 1944

23 Dec
More Foo-Fighters were in the air last night. The Ops.
Report says: “In vicinity of Hagenau Saw 2 lights coming
Toward A/C from ground. After reaching the altitude of the
A/C they leveled off and flew on the tail of Beau for 2 minutes
And they peeled up and turned away. 8th mission – sighted
2 orange lights. One light sighted at 10,000 the other
climbed until it disappeared.

24 Dec
The Foo-
Fighters were active again according to the pilots report:-
“Observed a glowing red object shooting straight up. It
changed suddenly to a plan view of an A/C doing a wing-over
and going into a dive and disappearing.”

28 Dec
We have only seven operational aircraft now as replacements
are snow-bound at Setif, North Africa. The Ops. Report says:
“1st patrol saw 2 sets of 3 red and white lights. One
appeared on port side, the other on starboard at 1,000 to
2,000 feet to rear and closing in. Beau peeled off and lights
went out, nothing on GCI ? at the time.” And then again:
Observed lights suspended in air, moving slowly in no general
Direction and then disappeared. Lights were orange, and
Appeared singly and in pairs. These lights were observed 4
Or 5 times throughout the period.”