A Department of War file documenting unexplained aerial phenomena observed by American pilots over Germany in the final year of World War II has been made public. The document was released on May 8, 2026, under the PURSUE declassification program, exactly 81 years after Victory in Europe Day.
The file, bearing the bureaucratic title “331_120752_Numeric_Files_1944–1945_37153_German_Armament_Equipment_Documents,” contains SHAEF messages and memorandums. Rather than addressing bombs or troop movements, the records discuss “night phenomena (foofighters),” flak rockets, unidentified cylindrical objects, and blinking lights. The document centers on observations by the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, with a specific incident date of March 18, 1945, in Germany.
Multiple references to this squadron appear throughout the file. These pilots were trained to operate in darkness, using radar and instinct to locate enemy aircraft.
Their reports moved up the chain of command, through SHAEF, and into a file that remained classified for over eight decades. The document does not include any analysis, conclusions, or explanations. The official summary provides limited detail about the types of phenomena and the squadron involved. The government recorded the observations without explaining them.
The sightings were not isolated. The document indicates multiple observations across different locations.
References to “flak rockets” and “unidentified cylindrical objects” appear alongside the more well-known “foo fighters”—glowing orbs that pursued Allied aircraft across Europe. The file’s existence confirms that military intelligence at SHAEF considered these reports significant enough to collect and preserve, rather than dismissing them as weather balloons or misidentified aircraft. The timing of the release is notable.
PURSUE systematically declassifies historical documents, and the May 8, 2026 date marks the 81st anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. According to a Wikipedia summary of UFO sightings in the United Kingdom, many alleged sightings have been reported there, with London having the highest count.
However, these war records shift the geography east, documenting sightings over Germany at night during the conflict’s final months. The file is a 15.2-megabyte PDF that requires downloading to view, as the browser viewer does not function. This presents a small technical barrier to accessing the information.
What remains unknown is what other similar files may exist. This Department of War document references the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, March 18, 1945, and foofighters, cylindrical objects, and blinking lights.
It does not identify what these phenomena were or what happened next. The record captures a moment when pilots over a burning continent observed things they could not explain, and their superiors considered the observations worth recording. No analysis.
No conclusion. Just the fact of the observation, preserved, released, and read again by a world still lacking answers.
