The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 14-Oct-54-Apt.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The national newspaper Le Parisien Libéré for October 16, 1954, reported that "yesterday" at 06:30 p.m., about twenty people had seen in the sky of Apt a cigar-shaped craft with a big white glow in the front, which "disappeared suddenly leaving two green lights."
According to the GREPO ufology group of the Vaucluse, the observation, dated October 14, 1954, was also be published in the newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré, with, this time "about ten" witnesses.
In the 2000s, Luc Chastan indicated on his ufology website that this case of October 14, 1954, at 06:30 p.m., from Le Dauphiné Libéré, is about a couple who observes from the district of Tauvignan in Apt a cigar-shaped object with a big glow at the front; which "disappeared leaving two green gleams". Two other witnesses, one at the Mauragne bridge and one near the Laclés factories, also made this observation.
[Ref. del1:] NEWSPAPER "LE DAUPHINE LIBERE":
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Fontaine de Vaucluse, October 14 - 12 p.m. 30... A saucer... a saucer... a saucer!...
Alerted by children who were the first to see it in the sky, the population was soon in turmoil.
A white disc hovered slowly above Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
Large artillery binoculars at the eyes, it was possible to clearly distinguish a large white disc, surmounted by a spherical cap of the same color, quite similar to a silver bowler hat.
The lower circular border carried, intermittently, powerful lights, varying from white to purplish, passing through the red.
Oscillating on the axis of the large lower disc, the whole was sometimes in the shape of a bowler hat, sometimes of a diamond, sometimes of a simple disk with shiny edges, where the fixed fire, diametrically opposite, was intermittently, very clearly visible to the naked eye.
No smoke. No noise.
The Caritat air base, alerted, immediately directed two jets which, around 2 p.m., made their appearance in the sky over Vaucluse.
Our correspondent, being in telephone connection with the air base from where one communicated by radio, with the planes, it was easy to guide the apparatuses towards the "saucer".
After two turns on Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the planes gained altitude and dove down towards the reported object.
The aircraft radio announced that the "saucer" was in sight, that they were chasing it, but that it was escaping at a speed greater than theirs.
Indeed, from Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, one clearly saw the saucer go away with the two jets in pursuit.
Apt, October 14. Around 6:30 p.m. this evening, many spectators saw a flying cigar emitting a green glow.
Mrs. Odette Esperon [...missing part...]
[Ref. ple1:] NEWSPAPER "LE PARISIEN LIBERE":
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A big event faded yesterday on the front of the flying saucers.
The affair took place in the Vaucluse, in the limpid sky where Mount Ventoux dominates the relief, above Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. At 6:30 p.m., witnesses said that they had just seen a white disk surmounted by a spherical cap. The craft had two powerful lights alternating from white to red and purple colors. The comments went very fast and in good faith, it seems, several people gave reports that confirmed most of the countless phenomena already observed around the world. The nearby Caritat air base was alerted while the craft was still visible. Two jet planes took off and one waited impatiently for the pilots' report.
However, imprudents people ventured to publish premature news: the pilots had spotted the craft they were hunting. But it escaped at a speed much greater than theirs.
In fact, this was not the case, and yesterday the Air Ministry denied these fanciful claims. "Contrary to the information published by some newspapers Friday morning, the two pilots sent in pursuit of the saucer overflew Fontaine-de-Vaucluse at different altitudes and observed no unknown apparatus during their searches. These are experienced officers and their report is formal."
It was therefore necessary to mourn the saucer of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. But in a field which in the autumn of 1954 offers a vast unknown in the world, that is not enough to conclude that flying saucers do not exist. There remain, alas, too many unexplained cases, and the enigma that remains hardly seems to be resolved.
On the other hand, Mr. Gauffredy, deputy mayor of Roussillon, saw, around 6 p.m., a saucer of greenish color which disappeared in a few seconds. Mr. Pierre Hector, entrepreneur, saw the same craft at the same time at Coustellet.
***
-- At 6:30 p.m. yesterday a score of people saw in the sky of Apt a craft in the shape of a cigar with a big white glow at the front. The craft disappeared suddenly leaving two green lights.
-- In Vaison, in Bollène, at the Ponet and L'Isle-sur-Sorgue, between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., various credible people saw either a luminous disc or a cigar moving at a dizzying speed.
-- A baker, Mr. Elie Théry, aged 43, living on the road from Saint-Omer to Calais, on his way home at around 3:30 a.m. in the morning, saw on the Dunkerque-Calais railway, near the level crossing of Saint-Pierre-Halte, 50 meters from him, a spherical luminous craft about 2 meters high and 4 meters wide. The object was extremely bright.
Mr. Thery, who passes for a very serious and conscientious man, has been deeply moved by this discovery.
-- In Vignory and Brottes, villages of the Haute-Marne, an orange-colored object was seen by different witnesses.
In the first case, it rose at a vertiginous pace towards the sky; the second time, Mr. Taillandier, an employee of the Chaumont buses, his wife and daughter, living at Brottes, saw an identical gleam moving from Neuilly to Vignory, moving very quickly.
In both cases, no noise was perceived.
[Ref. vau1:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "VAUCLUSE UFOLOGIE":
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Thursday, October 14, 1954
06:30 p.m. - Apt.
The Dauphiné Libéré reports also: "A cigar-shaped object of green color is observed by about ten witnesses, above Apt, at 06:30 p.m.".
The details are meager; an indication of trajectory would have allowed us to establish a possible link between the observation of Vaison, at 6 p.m., and this one. Is this still the object observed by all the villagers of Fontaine de Vaucluse and above Vaison at 1 p.m.? Or, each time of a different craft?
[Ref. vau2:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "VAUCLUSE UFOLOGIE":
[... other cases...]
15) 10/14/54 - 06:30 p.m. - Apt (Vaucluse Ufologie n°3)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. vau3:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "VAUCLUSE UFOLOGIE":
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17° - 10/14/54 - 06:30 p.m. Apt. 1 cigar-shaped object (V.U. nr. 3).
[Ref. vau4:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "VAUCLUSE UFOLOGIE":
THE SECTION OF THE FIFTIES.
With Vaucluse Ufologie #7, we gave you the list of all the cases of observation that we had for the period of the fifties, from 1950 to 1959. But since this publication we have been able to update this list, complete it and, sometimes, specify it further. It is above all because Jean Pierre Troadec endeavored to update his file for this period, with the aim of compiling a catalogue of all the cases of UFO sightings on the Vaucluse that GREPO will make known in some time in a special issue of our bulletin, which I can give you today a new list. This new list obviously eliminates the previous one which contained many date errors, but it is still imprecise in certain cases. I hope that it can serve you usefully, or even generate investigations or counter-investigations; and, if you have new elements or other cases that we do not have, let us know and I will communicate them in this section with your references.
[... other cases...]
25° - 11/14/54 - 08:30 p.m. - Apt. A ball of fire.
[Ref. vau5:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "VAUCLUSE UFOLOGIE":
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THURSDAY OCTOBER 14, 1954 - 06:30 P.M.
APT
Reference 6
"A green cigar-shaped object is observed by a dozen witnesses, on Apt, at 06:30 P.M.".
The details are meager, an indication of trajectory would have allowed us to make a connection between these last two manifestations of Vaison and Apt. Maybe it is the same machine observed at Fontaine de Vaucluse and at Vaison at 13 Hours? seen from different angles, exploring our rich region all day...
"Reference 6" refers to "Le Dauphiné Libéré".
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the Vaucluse in Apt on October 14, 1954 at 18:30 hours, "a couple observes from the district of Tauvignan an object having the shape of a cigar having a large gleam. The object disappeared by leaving two green gleams. Two other witnesses one being at the bridge of Mauragne and the other close to the Laclés factories also made this observation."
The source is noted: "Le Dauphiné Libéré".
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Probably the 06:10 meteor that day.
There is no "Tauvignan" district in Apt; it is called "Taulignan".
The newspaper Le Parisien Libéré for October 16, 1954, did not give a specific date, simply titling it was "yesterday" for some of the listed sightings. But it must be understood that the national press republished information of the local press from the day before, on October 15th, 1954, so that "yesterday" is quite likely was October 14th, 1954.
This is verified by other cases mentioned in this newspaper; which have the specific date given in other sources.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Apt, Vaucluse, couple, anonymous, cigar, gleam, green, multiple, Mauragne, Laclé, white
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | April 13, 2009 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | October 14, 2014 | Explanation changed from "Not looked for yet. The 06:15 meteor that day" to "06:15 meteor that day" and addition of the paragraph "There is no ..." |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | December 5, 2016 | Addition [ple1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | July 7, 2019 | Addition of the Summary. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | August 10, 2019 | Additions [vau1], [vau3], [vau5], Summary. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | March 6, 2021 | Addition [del1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | July 18, 2022 | Additions [vau2], [vau4]. |
