Modern Mysteries

MI5 spent years investigating crop circles

By T.K. Randall
January 26, 2015

Image: Inside a crop circle, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, England
Credit: Rodhullandemu / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) These days crop circles are generally regarded to be a harmless enigma, but during World War II British intelligence officials perceived them to be a serious threat to the country's security.

New files uncovered at the National Archives detail how British spies had suspected Nazi sympathizers of using these crop formations to send signals to German aircraft. One of the formations investigated for example was designed in a 'G' shape with the tail pointing towards a nearby munitions factory.

Reconnaissance planes photographed dozens of these markings all across the country after intelligence officials learned of similar techniques being used to guide aircraft in mainland Europe. Efforts were also made to investigate sightings of unexplained lights in the sky."In 1940, everyone in Britain thought "we're next", and that Germany would have recruited spies in England as well who would be sending messages to the Germans and marking places out where landings could be made," said Dr David Clarke of Sheffield Hallam University.

Many of the formations however turned out to have innocent explanations, raising criticism over the amount of resources MI5 put in to investigating them. The 'G' shaped formation for instance turned out to be nothing more than an innocuous barley plantation.

"The amount of time and energy that MI5 put into investigating these reports is astonishing," said Dr Clarke. "They had three officers full time based in the Eastern counties looking for lights in the sky they thought were agents signalling to German aircraft 'this way to Norwich'."

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Crop Circles, World War II