It's not uncommon for mechanics, originating with pilots and aircraft mechanics in World War

2 to blame problems on gremlins, little monstrous beasts that like to cause trouble.

Well, of course, it's just a joke for dealing with problems nobody actually thinks they

were real animals.

Except for one thing we can't ignore, the internet tells us that the British RAF officially

acknowledged their existence and published a training manual explaining how to deal with

them.

Gremlins are coming right up next on Skeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid.

I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.

Gremlins.

Although most people know them only from the Twilight Zone, stories of airplane dwelling

creatures known as Gremlins have a long history.

Although our initial reaction may be to classify them alongside leprechauns and fairies and

other denizens of folklore, Gremlins are in our literature today as actual physical

beings, with official written reports describing sightings aboard military aircraft.

Most incredibly, according to today's accounts of Gremlins during World War 2, the Royal

Air Force even officially acknowledged their existence and published a training manual

explaining how to deal with them.

And we'll examine that as well.

Today we're going to put the existing evidence for Gremlins to the test.

It is this trait of being supported by actual official accounts that sets Gremlins apart

...