The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 2-Dec-54-Ainay-le-Château.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Le Berry Républicain of December 4, 1954, reported that on the morning of December 2, 1954, something mysterious was seen in the sky over Ainay-le-Château, which sparked many comments: some thought it was Venus, which, that morning, was shining with an unusual brilliance.
The following morning, Mr. Maurice Thévenin, a farm worker, discovered in a field on the Pont-Charrault property, on the edge of the Tronçay forest, the parachute of a weather balloon from the Technical Experimentation Establishment of Bourges, along with all the associated equipment.
The entire set was deposited at the town hall for forwarding to the sending organization. The newspaper therefore wondered whether there was a correlation between the phenomenon observed on Thursday and the device discovered at Pont-Charrault.
[Ref. brn1:] NEWSPAPER "LE BERRY REPUBLICAIN":
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The mystery surrounding the phenomenon observed Thursday morning in the sky over Ainay-le-Château has sparked much commentary. Some claim—perhaps rightly—that it was simply the star [sic] Venus, which on that morning shone with unusual brightness.
Nevertheless, on Friday morning, Mr. Maurice Thévenin, an agricultural worker, discovered in a field on the Pont-Charrault property, at the edge of the Tronçay forest, the parachute of a weather balloon originating from the Technical Testing Establishment in Bourges, along with all the corresponding equipment.
The whole set was delivered to the town hall for return to the sending organization. There may be a connection between the phenomenon observed on Thursday and the device discovered at Pont-Charrault.
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The information about the observation itself is insufficient; therefore, any explanation is equally valid at this stage.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Ainay-le-Château, Allier, Maurice Thévenin, balloon, Venus, morning, multiple
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
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| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | July 10, 2025 | First published, [brn1]. |
