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The 1954 French flap:

The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.

October 2, 1954, Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme:

Reference number for this case: 2-oct-54-Clermont. Thank you for including this reference number in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Reports:

[Ref. lm1:] "LE MERIDIONAL" NEWSPAPER:

SAUCERS HERE
...CIGARS THERE

CLERMONT-FERRAND. -- Two saucers were seen yesterday in the sky of Clermont. The first within 10 kilometers of Beaumont, at 03:45 p.m., it moved in a west to east direction.

The witnesses stated that the machine approached them and became less and less brilliant.

When it was not any more than within 150 meters they felt a "weird feeling" and were like nailed on the spot.

At this time an odor of nitro-benzene emerged. Soon the machine moved away, faintness ceased and the saucer disappeared.

The other saucer was seen above the hills of Chanturgu close to Clermont. It moved vertically and was of a brilliant white color.

A saucer was also seen in Billom by a group of 30 people. The machine moved above the city. It moved horizontally. It was visible during three or four minutes before disappearing. An intense light emerged from the apparatus.

In St-Brieux several people saw a flying saucer which took the shape of a cigar before disappearing. They were able to observe it during more than one hour.

The same phenomenon was noted in Trégueux where a cyclist returned home frightened by what he had seen.

In Thouare-sur-Vie, (the Vendée) witnesses saw in the sky ten luminous objects having a lengthened shape and passing at a very high speed and high altitude.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 under the title SAUCERS AND CIGARS

[Ref. pc1:] "LE POPULAIRE DU CENTRE" NEWSPAPER:

Several Parisians saw "saucers" evolving in the sky of the capital

Paris, October 6 (A.F.P) - Several Parisians said they saw yesterday afternoon flying saucers moving in the sky of the capital, passersby claimed to have seen one around 4:30 p.m., near the Porte Dorée.

Mr. Pierre Allouis, a cartoon trader, went to his business by taxi, when the vehicle was stopped by a red traffic light. Hearing, he said, a hissing whistling sound, he looked through the door and saw a flying machine flying high, leaving in its wake a plume of smoke.

Mr. Allouis describes the saucer as a disc larger than a normal plane, silver-colored.

The same testimony was given by Mr. Gilbert Bacon, residing at 25, Faubourg Saint-Antoine, and by Mr. Paul Julien, a painter, who lives at 3, rue de la Pompe. The latter, however, believes that it is not a flying saucer but a flying wing that has the shape of a triangle with rounded edges.

At Le Bourget, it is explained that, given the intensity of air traffic, it is impossible to confirm by radar the passage of the craft at the insufficiently precise hour. On the other hand, the radar cannot record the passage of a heavier than the air more than by a luminous spot whatever the nature of the craft is.

[Missing part]

time. The first 10 kilometers from Beaumont at 3:45 p.m. It was moving in a westerly direction.

Witnesses said the craft moved closer to them and became less and less brilliant.

When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a curious sensation and were nailed to the spot. At this point there was an odor of nitro-benzine. Soon the craft moved away, the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared. The other saucer was seen above the coasts of Chanturges, near Clermont. It moved vertically and was of a brilliant white.

A saucer was also spotted in Billom by a group of 30 people. The craft moved over the city. It moved horizontally. It was visible for three or four minutes before disappearing. An intense light emanated from the apparatus.

Our readers write to us

Mr. Desbordes of St-Bonnet-de-Bellac said he had seen last Sunday a luminous disk heading for Mézières-sur-Issoire. The machine stopped for several minutes before disappearing to the west. Several people have observed the phenomenon.

[Ref. am1:] AIME MICHEL:

Aimé Michel reports that there was a sighting on October 2, 1954, in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

[Ref. ld1:] "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" MAGAZINE:

The magazine indicates that on October 2, 1954, in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, an object has been seen above Puy-de-Chanturges, and left in the North-North-East direction under the eyes of numerous witnesses including Mrs Lacoste and college students.

The magazine indicates Aimé Michel and the regional newspaper La Montagne for October 4, 1954, as sources.

[Ref. fr1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The two authors indicate that in Clermont-Ferrand in the Puy-de-Domes on October 2, 1954 at 10:00 a.m., several people observed a luminous machine of metallic color which oscillated in the sky. After having remained motionless a few moments, it fled at a high speed in the North-western Northern direction.

[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

Belgian ufologist Godelieve van Overmeire notes in her catalogue that in France, in 1954, on October 2, in Clermont-Ferrand, around 10 o'clock several people see a luminous machine oscillating slightly in the sky, shining like metal, which, after having hovered a few moments, quickly sprang in space in direction of the NNW.

The source is indicated as M. Figuet / J.L. Ruchon in "Ovni, Premier dossier complet..." Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 107.

[Ref. lc1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the "Puy de Dômes (63)" in Clermont Ferrand, on October 2, 1954, at 10:00 hours, "Several witnesses observed a luminous machine color metal which oscillated in the sky. After having remained motionless a few moments, it sprang at a high speed in the North North-West direction."

The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".

[Ref. ni1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

*Oct. 2, 1954 - At 10:00 o'clock in the morning several people in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dome department, France saw a luminous, metallic object oscillating in the sky, then fly off rapidly to the north-northwest. (Source: Michel Figuet & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 107).

[Ref. ub1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database recorded this case 4 times:

N° de cas	Nouveau N° de cas	Enquêteur	Date d'observation	CP	Lieu d'observation	Pays d'observation	Heure d'observation	Classification	Commentaires	Identification
19541002			02.10.1954		Clermont	France
19541005			05.10.1954		Cotes Chanturgus	France
19541005			05.10.1954		Chanturgue	France		NL
18">19541005			05.10.1954		Chanturgue	France		NL

Explanations:

Not looked for yet.

Keywords:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, Puy-de-Chanturges, multiple, Lacoste, students, object

Sources:

[---] indicates sources which I have not yet checked.

[---] Article in the regional newspaper La Montagne, Clermont-Ferrand, France, October 4, 1954.
[lm1] Article in the regional newspaper Le Méridional, France, October 7, 1954.
[pc1] Article in the regional newspaper Le Populaire du Centre, France, October 7, 1954.
[am1] "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Seghers publisher, France, page 148, 1958.
[am1] "Flying Saucers and the Straight Lines Mystery", book by Aimé Michel, English version of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", S.G. Phillips publisher, USA, 1958.
[am1] "A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes", book by Aimé Michel, reprint of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes" Planète publisher, France, 1972.
[ld1] "Les Archives de 1954 pour le Puy-de-Dôme", in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit (LDLN), France, #125, page 26, May 1973.
[fr1] "OVNI, Premier Dossier Complet des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, page 107, 1979.
[go1] "Chronologie OVNI", compiled by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 1999, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/chron13.html
[lc1] Base OVNI France, website by Luc Chastan, France, circa 2005, at baseovnifrance.free.fr/detobs.php?numobs=472
[ni1] List on The NICAP Website, USA, found in 2014, at http://www.nicap.org/reports/1954_ufocat.htm
[ub1] Online database UFO-Datenbank, Germany, found in 2016, at ufodatenbank.de

Document history:

Version:	Created/Changed by:	Date:	Change Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	April 16, 2003	First published.
1.0	Patrick Gross	February 27, 2009	Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [go1], [lc1].
1.1	Patrick Gross	August 15, 2010	Addition [lm1].
1.2	Patrick Gross	October 2, 2014	Addition [ni1].
1.3	Patrick Gross	January 2, 2017	Addition [ub1].
1.4	Patrick Gross	january 4, 2017	Addition [pc1].

This page was last updated on January 4, 2017.