NARA RG331: SHAEF Foo Fighter Reports - 415th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1945)
Date
December 1944 - March 1945
Document Type
Military Incident Report
Authentication
VerifiedRedaction Status
✓ Fully ReleasedIssuing Authority
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) / XII Tactical Air Command / First Tactical Air Force (Provisional) / 415th Night Fighter Squadron, U.S. Army Air Forces
Summary
NARA Record Group 331 (Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II), Entry 120752, SHAEF file S.37153 — a 17-page collection of original WWII "foo fighter" military reports covering December 1944 through March 1945. The collection contains: (1) the original 415th Night Fighter Squadron sortie reports documenting crews being followed by lights "that blink on and off changing colors" that "come very close and fly formation with our planes," specifically naming the phenomena "Foofighters" in the original documents; (2) the XII Tactical Air Command escalation chain from Lt. Colonel Leavitt Corning Jr. to SHAEF Air Staff; (3) a March 1, 1945 USAAF Ninth TAC report of an "aluminum colored cylinder shaped object about 12 ft long and 1 ft in diameter" observed floating at 9,000 feet that was attacked by U.S. aircraft — "a red flame resulted without smoke" but the cylinder did not disintegrate; (4) the SHAEF request for photographs that were reported as unsuccessful; (5) British Air Ministry response (March 13, 1945) acknowledging "the whole affair is still something of a mystery." Declassification authority NND947020. Released via PURSUE Release 1, February 25, 2026.
Significance
The primary source document for the WWII foo fighter phenomenon. This SHAEF file contains the original military records where U.S. combat pilots first coined and formally documented the term "Foofighters" — defined in the document itself as "the name given these phenomenon by combat crews of this Squadron." The document establishes multiple verified facts: (1) lights followed Allied aircraft in tight formation while GCI ground radar consistently returned negative bogey readings — eliminating the German aircraft explanation; (2) a metallic cylindrical object was directly engaged by U.S. pilots and survived being shot at without smoke or disintegration; (3) SHAEF, XII TAC, First TAF, and the British Air Ministry all formally investigated and concluded "there must be something more than imagination behind the matter" while being unable to explain it; (4) the Scientific Investigation Section of the Air Ministry was directed to assess the phenomenon. Released via PURSUE Release 1, this file completes the evidentiary record for the foo-fighters-wwii case by providing the actual original chain-of-command military documents rather than secondary accounts.