Classification: Mythical Beasts & Cryptids

Temporal Range: World War II

Geographic Range: Hiding in aircraft machinery, particularly military aircraft

Diet: Metal, oil and machinery

Horde: Urban Legends

During World War II, a pilot’s worst nightmare wasn’t necessarily the threat of bombings or midair dogfights, but rather that their aircraft might be infested with Gremlins. These fiendish little creatures are very small and imp-like, with sharp claws, teeth, and devilish grins. They are responsible for destroying engines, wings, and, well, pretty much any other part of a plane. Not favoring either side during WWII, they attacked both Allied and Axis planes, staying as neutral as Switzerland but in a much more destructive manner.

There was no way for a pilot to know their craft was blighted by the little pests until in the air, and more often than not, it was too late. While they have not been attributed to any pilot deaths, they have been blamed for all manner of inexplicable problems and damage to planes.

Children’s writer Roald Dahl’s first published work was his own historical account of his encounters with Gremlins. This was published as a children’s novel and even proved popular with Walt Disney, who supported the work and thus made the story known worldwide. With several serious eyewitness accounts and reports from other pilots detailing these menaces of the skies, Dahl’s sillier interpretation of the creatures sits alongside genuine cases of malfunction by way of Gremlin destruction. So if you’re flying, we recommend that you don’t look out the window, lest you see a small grinning devil ripping into the wings.