A pilot spotted a dark object overhead. Behind the scenes, Swedish military officials suspected Soviet missiles were crossing the sky. The public got a different explanation.
A Swedish pilot saw a dark object in the sky. Military officials suspected Soviet missiles, but told the public most sightings had a celestial origin. Some may have been actual missiles.
He said he saw a dark, cigar-shaped object with no visible wings or other protrusions.
The military believed the Soviets were testing German missiles they had captured, and some witnesses reported hearing what sounded like a missile engine.
No. No fragments or direct evidence were found, and the American assessment concluded that most reports probably stemmed from natural phenomena or fireworks.
A Swedish Air Force pilot was flying over central Sweden when he saw a dark, cigar-shaped object pass overhead. He described it as about the length of a bus, with no wings or other visible protrusions.
In private, Swedish military officials said they believed Soviet missiles were flying over the country. The public, however, later heard a different explanation: a celestial object, such as a meteor. The gap between the two accounts was more than a matter of wording. The military feared the reports could damage relations with the Soviet Union.
The sightings began in May 1946 and spread across Scandinavia. Most witnesses described a fireball with a tail or a long, bright object. There were also accounts of objects falling to the ground or into lakes, but no missile fragments were found to confirm the reports.
In August, the pilot saw the object about a kilometer away and roughly 60 meters above him. He saw no flame or light. The object held a steady altitude, and the report noted no wings or other visible parts that could be used to steer it.
Swedish defense staff told an American military representative that they suspected Soviet missiles had been launched from Germany. They thought the Soviets were testing German missiles they had captured after World War II. The suspicion was fueled in part by reports of engine noise described as resembling that of a particular type of German missile.
But they had no fragments, impact site, or other direct evidence. In August, Sweden announced that almost all the sightings were not meteors. By October, the wording had changed: most incidents were described as having a celestial origin. According to the American assessment, the shift was meant to reduce the risk of a diplomatic confrontation with the Soviet Union.
The American assessment concluded that most reports probably stemmed from natural phenomena or fireworks. It considered that some cases might have involved low-flying missiles, but did not prove it. It is also unclear exactly what the pilot saw.
One question lingered over Sweden: Had a real missile also passed among the lights in the sky?