File 086 · 1944–1945
Foo fighters, European theater
Rhine valley, Germany, Germany · Region, not street
Opened 9/4/2026
Ledger illustration of the file — not a photograph of the object. Ledger illustration of the report. Night air of the kind those crews were flying. — Night Ledger illustration of the file
Standing
Unidentified
On the public record, and still open. A claim, paper, or film — not a finding that it was ours, and not a finding that it was not.
What was claimed
Allied night-fighter crews reported balls of light that paced bombers and fighters over Europe and the Pacific. Intelligence never found a weapon that matched.
What is on the record
This file is a working record — a report, not a verdict. Official paper, if any, is linked where we have it.
In November 1944, airmen of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron told a reporter about “foo fighters” — glowing orbs, sometimes in formation, that flew with their Beaufighters over the Rhine, matched speed, and could not be shaken or shot. Similar reports came from B-29 crews in the Pacific. Both sides assumed the other had a secret device.
Postwar intelligence found no German or Japanese weapon that behaved that way. St. Elmo’s fire, flak, and fatigue were offered. The crews were combat veterans describing lights that held station on a fighter. The name stuck. The file is a wartime pattern, not a single night.
Could this have been ours?
The known sky, that night.
Before Sputnik the known lights were planets, meteors, aircraft, and balloons. No station. No Starlink.
Always
Venus and the bright planets
A fixed brilliant point. Does not streak. Does not hover over a street then leave. Often the first misread light in a rural report.
Always
Aircraft, balloons, meteors
Landing lights, flares, lanterns, reentries, fireballs. They are on the known sky. They do not close a file by themselves — they are what a serious look has to hold the claim against.
Orbit · Space — the desks for lights that are already named.
Sources
Related files
Same craft, same place, same years. A neighbor in the catalogue — not a conclusion.
Same craft · 11 October 2026
Black orb over Saltillo
Saltillo, Coahuila · Mexico
Unidentified
A dark orb was filmed over Saltillo, descending then climbing. Witnesses said it stayed in view for about five hours.
Same craft · October 9, 2026, 03:45
Red orb rising and hovering outside Buffalo motel
Buffalo, New York · United States
Unidentified
While smoking outside a motel at 3:45 AM, a traveler filmed a red ball of light that rose slowly then remained stationary. Witness regularly observes the sky and noted it as unique.
Same craft · October 8, 2026, early morning
Orange orbs moving irregularly near Paintsville Walmart
Paintsville, Kentucky · United States
Unidentified
Witness observed a large orange glowing orb that dimmed, followed by two additional orange objects moving irregularly in the northern sky.
Same craft · 2 October 2026
Bright orb rising over the hills, Snohomish
Snohomish, Washington · United States
Unidentified
A witness reported a bright round orb that came up over a hillside and kept rising for about three minutes.
Same craft · October 2026
Purple object over a roof, Elmendorf
Elmendorf, Texas · United States
Unidentified
Two people in a hot tub reported a silent purple object that crossed a roof; a second one was filmed. Enigma case 337148.
Same craft · September 24, 2026
Mysterious Three-Pointed Object or Orb in Night Sky
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA · USA
Unidentified
While walking to the bus station, a witness observed an object in the sky with three distinct points. It was not a reflection, plane, or the moon and disappeared after about 3 minutes. Video captured the event.