The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 13-Oct-54-Romans-sur-Isère.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In his 1958 book on the French wave of 1954, pioneer ufologist Aimé Michel told that on October 13, 1954, three out of nine sightings were on a straight line, including a case at "Romans".
The two other cases help to find out that it was Romans-sur-Isère, in the Drôme department.
In 2025, I was only able to find a mention in the newspaper France Soir for October 16, 1954, which, among many very summarized observations, indicated that a "cigar" had been seen in Romans, among other places.
[Ref. fso1:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE SOIR":
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Above the Vieux-Port, a luminous spherical object leaving a bright trail was seen around 6 p.m. yesterday by several people.
A luminous cigar was seen in Mallemort (Bouches-du-Rhône) by multiple witnesses. A "red ball" also swirled above Arles before disappearing in the direction of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Exploding in midair above Graulhet (Tarn), a saucer reportedly disintegrated before the eyes of Mr. Jean Carcenac, 43, who was observing the phenomenon through binoculars. Debris from the object (silver filaments clumped together that break on contact) was collected by the gendarmerie, which opened an investigation.
A disc with 12 portholes was seen in Besse-sur-Braye (Sarthe). In the same department, a garage owner from Coulaires and a driver from Allennes saw a disc spinning in the sky.
Near Trappes, a driver, Mr. Richard Baudens, living in Adaimville (Seine-et-Oise), saw a fixed red light whose brightness gradually increased. The witness, a former pilot (4,000 flight hours), observed the craft as it moved from right to left and up and down for 20 minutes.
A weather balloon intrigued residents of the Hautes-Alpes all afternoon yesterday, who mistook it for a flying saucer. It was actually a stratospheric balloon carrying scientific equipment for the study of cosmic rays, launched from Milan.
A "blinding flame" was seen by Mr. Corre, a professor in Bourg (Ain), and other residents of the region. Additionally, a "cigar" was seen in Nantua, in Bellegarde, and in Romans.
On the railway line, at the location Saint-Pierre-Halte, near Saint-Omer, a shiny yellow object reportedly landed, 2 meters high.
A fiery egg was seen by a traveling salesman driving between Niffer and Kembs (Haut-Rhin).
A farmer from Angles (Vendée) saw a craft that changed shape and color as it moved forward. When the witness tried to approach the object, it emitted beams of light forming a screen behind which it silently vanished.
A small being in a shiny suit was seen in the Mamora Forest by a French engineer from Meknès. The "Martian" moved toward a craft parked by the roadside, which then took off at high speed.
Fifteen workers from the military supply depot in Casablanca saw an elongated, orange-white object that, for a minute, descended over the city like a falling leaf before suddenly changing direction and vanishing quickly on the horizon.
No flying saucer in Vaucluse: the Secretariat of State for the Armed Forces (Air) clarified that, contrary to some reports, the two pilots from the Orange airbase who flew over Fontaine-de-Vaucluse on the afternoon of October 14 at various altitudes observed no unknown object during their investigation. The two pilots are experienced officers and their report is conclusive.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Reporting on the cases of October 13, 1954, which would be 9 according to him, Aimé Michel indicates that only two are aligned with a third, at Romans.
Aimé Michel gave no source and no other information on that case.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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October 13 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
? [=unknown hour]: Romans (Ain): lumin.obj.
[... other cases...]
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541013 | 13.10.1954 | Romans Isere | France |
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So all I have was "Romans" and "October 13, 1954" and the information that the place is in line with the cases of Cortevaix and Trévoux. Thus:
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To note that Cortevaix occurred on the 12th, not the 13th, and that whereas Michel said there were 9 cases on the 13th, I counted 14 cases so far with that date, plus 3 that are at that date or on the nearest date, plus dozens where only the month, October, is known to me.
Of course the conclusion for this case for now can only be "Uncertain date, totally insufficient information."
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Romans-sur-Isère, Drôme
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | July 24, 2019 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | February 1, 2021 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | May 9, 2022 | Addition [gqy1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | September 6, 2025 | Addition [fso1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [fso1]. |
