The Foo Fighters
Allied (and, files later showed, Axis) aircrews reported glowing balls of light pacing their aircraft through evasive maneuvers. Each side suspected the other's secret weapon. The name came from the Smokey Stover comic…
- Region
- European and Pacific theaters of WWII
- Approx. reports
- Hundreds of aircrew reports (never centrally counted)
Historical context
Allied (and, files later showed, Axis) aircrews reported glowing balls of light pacing their aircraft through evasive maneuvers. Each side suspected the other's secret weapon. The name came from the Smokey Stover comic strip. Militarily investigated and never resolved, foo fighters open the modern era: trained observers, wartime instrumentation, and no cultural 'saucer' template yet in place.
Skeptical note
St. Elmo's fire, ball lightning, reflections on canopies, and combat-stress misperception are the standard suite; none covers every report.
Anchor cases
- foo-fighters-1944