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This article was published in the daily newspaper Var-Matin - République, France, on September 24, 1954.
Lodève, September 23. -- The mysterious apparatus, commonly called "flying cigar" reported in the Puy de Dôme and in the sky of Rome was seen last Saturday September 18 at 7 p.m. very precise by three residents worthy of faith of Lodève, in the north of the department of the Hérault whereas it moved at 1.500 meters of altitude approximately. The object moved towards the south.
The witnesses managed to observe during nearly five minutes a pointed front, towing a brilliantly lit sphere enlightened in fire red and moving without noise roughly at the speed of an ordinary plane.
Returning from a patrol during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, two gendarmes of Chateauroux, Misters Courtaud and Peninon stated to their chief to have seen between 09:15 p.m. and 09:45 p.m., above of Fleuranderie, community of Montierchaume (the Indre), a reddish luminous machine, immobilized in the sky at a height of approximately 1.500 meters; then two others of greenish color at greater altitudes. The three mysterious objects, after having veered at a right angle had taken the north-western to south-eastern direction.
M. Louis Moll, rural officer in Oberdoff (the Moselle), stated to have seen Sunday around 09:15 p.m., an intense gleam coming from space and touching the ground in the east of Tromborn.
This gleam similar to that of a neon tube, added the guard, and coming from an object to the rather vast proportions, changed color. It became reddish and Mr. Moll affirms to have seen "black dots" evolving silently.
The object, motionless during nearly 40 seconds, was put in rotation and carried out an almost vertical rise, taking the aspect of an orange ball and becoming flattened before taking the direction of the south-east at a vertiginous speed. The total duration of the phenomenon was one minute approximately.
The authorities which recorded this statement opened an investigation.
