The 415th Night Fighter Squadron Foo Fighter Reports

Record summary

U.S. Army Air Forces crews of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron reported glowing or dark objects accompanying aircraft over Europe in late 1944 and early 1945. The term “foo fighter” referred to several kinds of unexplained lights or visual phenomena, not a single standardized craft. The reports matter for aviation comparison because pilots observed them under combat conditions and sometimes changed tactics in response. Contemporary explanations included flak, reflections, weather, electrical effects and enemy devices. Squadron records, intelligence reports and memoirs should be compared carefully.