About Ghost rockets
Ghost rockets were rocket- or missile-shaped unidentified flying objects reported mainly over Sweden, Finland, and other parts of Scandinavia. The sightings occurred primarily between February and December 1946, with a revival from January to March 1948. Investigators concluded that many sightings were meteors, but the episode was never fully explained.
- Swedish name
- Spökraketer
- Date
- 26 February – December 1946, with a revival in January–March 1948
- Place
- Mainly Sweden and Finland; also Norway, Denmark, Greece and elsewhere in Europe
- Reports
- About 2,000 sightings, May–December 1946
- Investigators
- Swedish Defence Staff and Ghost Rocket committee, British Air Ministry, U.S. Central Intelligence Group, Greek government
- Best-known event
- Lake Kölmjärv crash, 19 July 1946
- Also known as
- ghost rocket, Scandinavian ghost rockets
- Location
- Sweden and Scandinavia
The full story, section by section
The story of Ghost rockets in 8 parts. Tap any part to read it in full.
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BackgroundThe development and testing of Germany's V-weapons had taken place at Peenemünde, on the island of Usedom on Germany's Baltic coast, where Wernher von Braun was technical director of the army's ballistic missile work and the Luftwaffe developed the V-1 flying bomb.Read this part →
RAF reconnaissance photo of V-2 rockets at Peenemünde, which many suspected as the launch site. · Photo: British Sortie N/853[2] by Flight Lieutenant R. A. Lenton and Sergeant R. S. Haney[3] took this photograph of Peenemünde, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
The 1946 waveThe first reports came from Finnish observers on 26 February 1946.Read this part → Illustration drawn for this site — not a photograph.
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Lake KölmjärvCrashes were not uncommon, and almost always into lakes; some objects were said to skim across the surface before sinking.Read this part →
The Swedish military search of Lake Kölmjärv, July 1946. · Photo: Swedish military photo, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
Swedish investigationsOn 15 July 1946 a special Ghost Rocket committee held the first of twelve meetings at the Swedish Royal Air Administration, chaired by Air Commodore Bengt Jacobsson; its members included Henry Kjellson and representatives of the Air Staff, the signals intelligence agency and the defence research institute.Read this part →
Search for "ghost rocket" seen crashing July 19, 1946, in Lake Kölmjärv, Sweden. Search conducted July/August 1946, by Swedish Air Force officer Karl-Gösta Bartoll (pictured). · Photo: Swedish military photo, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
U.S. interestOn 14 August 1946 The New York Times reported that Under Secretary of State Dean Acheson was "very much interested" in the reports, and later documents show that U.S.Read this part →
Top Secret USAF Europe document about extraterrestrial opinion for origins of flying saucers Licensing History of Image:1948 Top Secret USAF UFO extraterrestrial document.gif 2008-07-18T05:06:10Z Remember the dot (Talk · Photo: United States Air Force, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
Greece and beyondSimilar objects were reported in early September 1946 by British Army units in Greece, especially around Thessaloniki, and on 5 September the Greek Prime Minister, Konstantinos Tsaldaris, said projectiles had been seen over Macedonia and Thessaloniki on 1 September.Read this part →
Paul Santorini, who led the Greek investigation. · Photo: Unknown Author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
The 1948 returnAccording to Ruppelt, the reports died out in 1947 without any firm conclusions, but returned in January 1948, when U.S.Read this part →
The 1948 USAFE document mentioning Swedish views on the ghost rockets. · Photo: United States Air Force, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
ExplanationsInvestigations concluded that many ghost rocket sightings were probably meteors; the peaks of 9 and 11 August 1946, for example, fell within the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.Read this part → Illustration drawn for this site — not a photograph.
Key people
The people at the centre of the story — witnesses, investigators, officials and sceptics:
- Raymond FowlerRaymond Fowler is an American UFO investigator and author born in Massachusetts in 1933. He served in the U.S.
- John LearJohn Lear was an American aviator and UFO conspiracy theorist born in 1942 who set flying records and later promoted claims about government cover-ups of extraterrestrial life. He became a prominent …
- George GarrettGeorge Garrett was a US Army Air Forces lieutenant colonel who served as the Air Force's chief collector of flying-disc reports in 1947. During the summer 1947 flying-saucer wave, he worked with the …
Related cases & events
Events and sightings linked to Ghost rockets:
🗓️ Event · 11 min readRudolf Lusar and the Nazi disc claimsThe article is about a book published in West Germany in the mid-1950s by Rudolf Lusar, which claimed that German and Italian engineers built and flew flying saucers during the Second World War. The claims sparked press coverage in 1957 and led the U.S.
🗓️ Event · 7 min readProject Windfall claimThe article is about the "Project Windfall claim," an unverified assertion made by American writer and ufologist John Keel that the CIA operated a covert investigation into UFO contactees during the late 1950s. Keel mentioned the project in passing within a m…Programs, organizations & documents
The official programs, groups and papers involved:
🏢 Organization · 13 min readU.S. Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the air service branch of the U.S. armed forces that became an independent service in September 1947.
🏢 Organization · 7 min readAir Technical Intelligence CenterThe Air Technical Intelligence Center was a United States Air Force organization based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio that analyzed foreign weapons and aircraft from 1951 to 1961. It was also responsible for hosting the Air Force's official UFO in…
🏛️ Program or study · 6 min readProject SignProject Sign was the United States Air Force's first official study of unidentified flying objects, active for most of 1948 at Wright Field in Ohio. The project investigated various UFO sightings and allegedly concluded in an unproven top-secret report that t…Books, films & documentaries
Where to read and watch more:
Related topics & places
Ideas, terms and places that come up in the story:
📖 Term · 17 min readUnidentified flying objectAn unidentified flying object, or UFO, is an unexplained phenomenon or object seen in the sky, with the modern craze originating in the United States in June 1947. While popular culture often equates UFOs with alien spacecraft, most investigations reveal them…
📖 Term · 5 min readFoo fightersFoo fighters were unidentified glowing lights and objects that followed Allied aircraft during the Second World War over Europe and the Pacific, particularly in late 1944. The term was coined by the U.S.
📖 Term · 5 min readPsychosocial hypothesisThe psychosocial hypothesis is a skeptical approach that explains UFO reports through psychological and social factors rather than alien craft. The term gained prominence in English in 1984, drawing on earlier French debates and research from the 1970s. Suppo…
📖 Term · 4 min readNazi UFOsNazi UFOs are claims from ufology, conspiracy theories, and science fiction that Nazi Germany developed working flying saucers or spacecraft before and during the Second World War. These stories grew from real wartime suspicions and aviation research, later e…🏛️ Official records
- Air Intelligence Information Report, Sweden, 1953Department of War · 1953-12-17This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (AIIR), a standardized U.S. Air Force reporting form used to record raw information of potential intelligence value for later analysis. The form served as a primar…
- Intelligence Review of “Ghost Rocket” Incidents, 1947Department of War · 1947-01-09This document is a U.S. Department of War General Staff intelligence review assessing incidents involving unidentified “Ghost Rockets” reported over Sweden and other Scandinavian countries beginning in May 1946. The rev…
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Sightings that mention Ghost rockets
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Questions & answers
What is Ghost rockets?
Ghost rockets were rocket- or missile-shaped unidentified flying objects reported mainly over Sweden, Finland, and other parts of Scandinavia. The sightings occurred primarily between February and December 1946, with a revival from January to March 1948. Investigators concluded that many sightings were meteors, but the episode was never fully explained. Read: Ghost rockets →
Where is Ghost rockets?
Ghost rockets is in Sweden and Scandinavia. Read: Ghost rockets →
What else is Ghost rockets called?
Ghost rockets is also known as ghost rocket, Scandinavian ghost rockets.
Who is Raymond Fowler?
Raymond Fowler is an American UFO investigator and author born in Massachusetts in 1933. He served in the U.S. Read: Raymond Fowler →
Who is John Lear?
John Lear was an American aviator and UFO conspiracy theorist born in 1942 who set flying records and later promoted claims about government cover-ups of extraterrestrial life. He became a prominent figure in the 1980s by circulating statements and helping launch the careers of figures like Bill Cooper and Bob Lazar. He died on March 29, 2022. Read: John Lear →
Who is George Garrett?
George Garrett was a US Army Air Forces lieutenant colonel who served as the Air Force's chief collector of flying-disc reports in 1947. During the summer 1947 flying-saucer wave, he worked with the FBI and compiled the first informal Air Force intelligence estimate on the discs. His study concluded that something was really flying around and eventually led to the creation of Project Sign. Read: George Garrett →
What was Rudolf Lusar and the Nazi disc claims?
Rudolf Lusar and the Nazi disc claims: The article is about a book published in West Germany in the mid-1950s by Rudolf Lusar, which claimed that German and Italian engineers built and flew flying saucers during the Second World War. The claims sparked press coverage in 1957 and led the U.S. Read: Rudolf Lusar and the Nazi disc claims →
What was Project Windfall claim?
Project Windfall claim: The article is about the "Project Windfall claim," an unverified assertion made by American writer and ufologist John Keel that the CIA operated a covert investigation into UFO contactees during the late 1950s. Keel mentioned the project in passing within a magazine article, providing no sources, documents, or supporting evidence. No other sources corroborate the existence of the project, leaving the claim completely unverified. Read: Project Windfall claim →
What is U.S. Air Force?
U.S. Air Force: The United States Air Force is the air service branch of the U.S. armed forces that became an independent service in September 1947. Read: U.S. Air Force →
What is Air Technical Intelligence Center?
Air Technical Intelligence Center: The Air Technical Intelligence Center was a United States Air Force organization based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio that analyzed foreign weapons and aircraft from 1951 to 1961. It was also responsible for hosting the Air Force's official UFO investigations, including Project Blue Book. Over the years, the organization underwent several renamings and eventually became known as the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. Read: Air Technical Intelligence Center →
What is The New York Times?
The New York Times is a major American daily newspaper best known in UFO history for its December 2017 article revealing the Pentagon's secret Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program and publishing Navy videos of unidentified objects. This coverage and subsequent reporting by the newspaper sparked intense public interest and speculation, though it also drew criticism from some experts for being thinly sourced and slanted. Read: The New York Times →
What is Unidentified flying object?
Unidentified flying object: An unidentified flying object, or UFO, is an unexplained phenomenon or object seen in the sky, with the modern craze originating in the United States in June 1947. While popular culture often equates UFOs with alien spacecraft, most investigations reveal them to be known objects, natural phenomena, hoaxes, or mirages, and no government investigation has ever concluded they are extraterrestrial. Read: Unidentified flying object →
What is Foo fighters?
Foo fighters were unidentified glowing lights and objects that followed Allied aircraft during the Second World War over Europe and the Pacific, particularly in late 1944. The term was coined by the U.S. Read: Foo fighters →