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Ghost Rockets
Before flying saucers, there were ghost rockets. In 1946, over 2,000 sightings of rocket-shaped objects were reported across Sweden, Finland, and Norway. 200 were confirmed by radar. Some crashed into lakes—but nothing was ever recovered. They predated the modern UFO era.
1946
Scandinavia
2000+ witnesses
Ghost rockets were the first modern UFO wave.
The Wave
Summer 1946:
- Over 2,000 reports
- Scandinavia primarily
- Sweden, Finland, Norway
- Some Portugal, Greece
- Pre-dating Arnold sighting
The Objects
What was seen:
- Rocket or cigar-shaped
- Sometimes winged
- Glowing or fiery
- High speed
- Silent or roaring
The Radar
Confirmed tracks:
- 200 radar confirmations
- Swedish military
- Tracked by defense
- Real physical objects
- No explanation
The Lake Crashes
Water impacts:
- Several crashed into lakes
- Searches conducted
- Divers sent
- Nothing recovered
- Where did they go?
The Investigation
Government response:
- Swedish Defense investigated
- British involvement
- US intelligence aware
- Soviet weapons suspected
- Never confirmed
The Mystery
Unsolved aspects:
- What were they?
- No debris ever found
- Not V-2 rockets
- Too many sightings
- Pre-Cold War mystery