(
Swedish:
Spökraketer, also called
Scandinavian ghost rockets) were
rocket- or
missile-shaped
unidentified flying objects sighted in 1946, mostly in
Sweden and nearby countries like Finland.
The first reports of ghost rockets were made on February 26, 1946, by
Finnish observers.
[1] About 2,000 sightings were logged between May and December 1946, with peaks on 9 and 11 August 1946. Two hundred sightings were verified with
radar returns, and authorities recovered physical fragments which were attributed to ghost rockets.
Investigations concluded that many ghost rocket sightings were probably caused by
meteors. For example, the peaks of the sightings, on 9 and 11 August 1946, also fall within the peak of the annual
Perseid meteor shower. However, most ghost rocket sightings did not occur during meteor shower activity, and furthermore displayed characteristics inconsistent with meteors, such as reported maneuverability.
Debate continues as to the origins of the unidentified ghost rockets. In 1946, however, it was thought likely that they originated from the former
German rocket facility at Peenemünde, and were long-range tests by the Soviets of captured German
V-1 or
V-2 missiles, or perhaps another early form of
cruise missile because of the ways they were sometimes seen to maneuver. This prompted the
Swedish Army to issue a directive stating that newspapers were not to report the exact location of ghost rocket sightings, or any information regarding the direction or speed of the object. This information, they reasoned, was vital for evaluation purposes to the nation or nations assumed to be performing the tests.
