Posted On: September 29, 2021

The year is 1943, the place, European Military Theatre of World War Two, Allied aircrews were reporting small remote controlled unidentified flying objects that would follow and mimic their planes during missions. This occurred on multiple occasions.

In 1943, Lieutenant General Massey of the British Military set up a small organization to investigate the foo fighters. The fear was that the Japanese or Germans had some new kind of advanced aircraft. The project investigated and determined that the objects were not German or Japanese in origin.  It was also learned that the Germans had set up a similar investigation into the same phenomenon.

The US 8^th Army had also setup an investigation of their own into the same phenomenon but never came to any kind of satisfactory explanation.

Suggestions of combat fatigue, ball lightening and Saint Elmo’s fire were given but do not even come close to explaining the phenomenon.

On August 10^th, 1944 in Sumatra, and American B-29 bomber commanded by Captain Alvah M. Redida of the 486^th Bomb Group, 792^nd Squadron, 20^th Bomber Command had an interesting experience.

“I was on a mission from Ceylon, bombing Palembang, Sumatra . . . shortly before midnight . . . the copilot reported a strange object pacing us about 500 yards off our starboard wing. At that distance it appeared as a spherical object, probably 5 or 6 feet in diameter, of a very bright and intense red or orange in color . . . My gunner reported it coming in from about 5 o’clock position at our level. It seemed to throb or vibrate constantly. Assuming it was some kind of radio controlled object sent to pace us, I went into evasive action, changing direction constantly as much as 90 degrees and altitude at about 2000 feet. It followed our every maneuver for about 8 minutes, always holding a position 500 yards out and about 2 o’clock in relation to the plane. When it left, it made an abrupt 90 degree turn, and accelerated rapidly, disappearing in the overcast . . . during the strike evaluation and interrogation following the mission, I made a detailed report to Intelligence thinking it was some new type of radio controlled missile or weapon.”

What type of aircraft could have had these capabilities in 1944?

Resources: Summary from Above Top Secret, Timothy Good, 1988, Prologue.

Posted On: September 29, 2021

The year is 1943, the place, European Military Theatre of World War Two, Allied aircrews were reporting small remote controlled unidentified flying objects that would follow and mimic their planes during missions. This occurred on multiple occasions.

In 1943, Lieutenant General Massey of the British Military set up a small organization to investigate the foo fighters. The fear was that the Japanese or Germans had some new kind of advanced aircraft. The project investigated and determined that the objects were not German or Japanese in origin.  It was also learned that the Germans had set up a similar investigation into the same phenomenon.

The US 8^th Army had also setup an investigation of their own into the same phenomenon but never came to any kind of satisfactory explanation.

Suggestions of combat fatigue, ball lightening and Saint Elmo’s fire were given but do not even come close to explaining the phenomenon.

On August 10^th, 1944 in Sumatra, and American B-29 bomber commanded by Captain Alvah M. Redida of the 486^th Bomb Group, 792^nd Squadron, 20^th Bomber Command had an interesting experience.

“I was on a mission from Ceylon, bombing Palembang, Sumatra . . . shortly before midnight . . . the copilot reported a strange object pacing us about 500 yards off our starboard wing. At that distance it appeared as a spherical object, probably 5 or 6 feet in diameter, of a very bright and intense red or orange in color . . . My gunner reported it coming in from about 5 o’clock position at our level. It seemed to throb or vibrate constantly. Assuming it was some kind of radio controlled object sent to pace us, I went into evasive action, changing direction constantly as much as 90 degrees and altitude at about 2000 feet. It followed our every maneuver for about 8 minutes, always holding a position 500 yards out and about 2 o’clock in relation to the plane. When it left, it made an abrupt 90 degree turn, and accelerated rapidly, disappearing in the overcast . . . during the strike evaluation and interrogation following the mission, I made a detailed report to Intelligence thinking it was some new type of radio controlled missile or weapon.”

What type of aircraft could have had these capabilities in 1944?

Resources: Summary from Above Top Secret, Timothy Good, 1988, Prologue.