The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 19-Oct-54-Criteuil-la-Magdeleine.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
From October 23, 1954, there appeared in the press more or less detailed versions of an incident that took place on October 19, 1954, in Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, in the Charente.
The most detailed accounts come from an Angoulème pressroom, on October 22, saying that a mason of the Charente, Mr. Fillonneau, residing in Critreuil-la-Magdeleine, had seen "last night", around 8 p.m., a huge ball of fire while he was driving his car.
The headlights of his car went out immediately, the engine stopped, while the ball rose slowly without noise.
Mr. Fillonneau, still under the influence of emotion, reportedly said "I felt a violent draught... When I was able to restart my car, the battery was completely discharged and all my bulbs burned."
The press reports that the Segonzac gendarmerie opened an investigation.
In another newspaper, Mr. Fillonneau becomes Mr. Sion - actually a witness to another case. To complicate matters, Jean Sider indicated in 1997 that according to another Press source, the name was "Sionneau".
According to Jacques Vallée's catalog in the 1960s, citing the Paris newspapers France-Soir and Le Soir for October 24, 1954, "the thorough investigation, carried out by the police", did not allow to identify the cause of the phenomenon. Vallée considers moreover the case like a UFO "landing".
In 1979, skeptical ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker commented on the case by assuring that it could not have been an extraterrestrial craft "since the witness told them that he never observed an object on the ground but a 'thing' that went very quickly in the air, it was very brief."
All ufological sources used the date of October 21, 1954, given by Vallée; but I date the case to October 19, 1954, date given in a newspaper.
[Ref. lnr1:] "LA NOUVELLE REPUBLIQUE" NEWSPAPER:
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Melun. -- Hundreds of witnesses, living the communes of the areas of the Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret and Thoméry say they have seen, Thursday evening, a strange phenomenon: a machine of oval shape, orange yellow color, measuring more than twenty meters, at 300 meters of altitude.
The machine remained motionless during a certain time and disappeared at a vertiginous speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L..., a weather specialist, who lives in Thoméry, estimates that the speed of the machine was about 10.000 kilometers per hour, quite simply. Mr. L... specified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this matter well, that this was neither a plane nor a weather balloon."
A motorist of Cherbonnières (Charente-Maritime), drove on the road of Souzou in company of his three year old son, when he felt on all the body tickling similar to electric discharges which were accentuated as his car advanced.
The child, who felt the same annoying sensation, started to cry. Soon the engine of the car stopped and the headlights died out. At the same time, a sharp gleam passing from a sharp red to the orange color dazzled the motorist who could nevertheless distinguish a craft, motionless in space during a few moments. Then, the latter soon disappeared. At once afterwards, the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
Same phenomenon in Critreuil-la-Magdeleine (Charente), where Tuesday around 8 p.m., Mr. Sion had the headlights of his car extinct and his battery emptied by a red ball of two meters in diameter, which rose from road causing a violent displacement of air volume.
In Italy, saucers and cigars are reported everywhere, while in Sweden, a "disc in rotation" was seen in various points of the area. It was said to be a meteor.
[Ref. fso1] "FRANCE-SOIR" NEWSPAPER:
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VALENCIENNES, October 23 (A.F.P). - The "War of the Worlds" has not occurred in Anzin, where many people believes the other night, in an invasion of Martians.
It was about 10 p.m. when some walkers circulating on the Anatole France avenue saw "luminous dots" in the sky. A person seized with fear, gave the alarm to the police station, while firefighters, on duty in a movie theater, flocked to the cries of witnesses in the street.
The saucers were going faster and faster and led a hellish round at the great excitement of passersby who expected their landing. A firefighter even prevented motorists to drive with their headlights on.
Ten minutes later, it was discovered that it was luminous reflections on glass insulators placed at the top of the mast of a high voltage power line.
BREST, October 23 ("France-Soir" telegram). -- The mystery of the hairy Martian of Loctudy (Finistère) is finally solved. And the bakery worker who, at night, was followed in the courtyard of the bakery by a being with a face covered in hair and enormous eyes, recovered from his emotions, as well as the people of the town. The Martian was a learned goat belonging to a circus passing in the area and it had wandered into the yard of the baker.
[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":
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Rome, Oct. 25. -- Many "flying saucers" were again observed today in Italy. From Catanzaro, in the south of Calabria, to Pesaro, on the Adriatic in the north of Italy, strange flying machines were reported.
Fishermen cruising off San Benedetto, Fiano, Pesaro and even Ostie [Rome's harbor] near Rome, stated to have seen a red and green "object" crossing the sky at a terrifying speed.
"Saucers" [or meteors, according to the descriptions] were also observed in Urbino, Chieti, and Forlimpopoli.
According to some witnesses, they were followed of a green trail. According to others, they had the shape of a mushroom with a tail.
In Chieti, the observed craft was circular, of a diameter of ten meters and moved at low altitude.
In Pesaro, in the north of Anconia, on the Adriatic, many people stated to have seen an incandescent red sphere, with a bluish trail.
In Trieste, about twenty witnesses stated to have observed this morning a flying disc at high altitude, in direction of the North-East and leaving a luminous trail behind.
The testimonies collected since more than one month about the "flying saucers" and flying "cigars" seen in the sky of the peninsula, were the topic of an official statement from the Italian ministry of the air forces.
"Until now, the official statement specifies, the radar devices did not detect any machine of this kind, except for the planes and weather balloons, whose characteristics are known."
Special instructions were given to the chiefs of the detection stations, in order to intensify the monitoring during the twilight and nocturnal hours, during which according to the witnesses, the "flying discs" were seen, the official statement adds.
As of documentation on the "flying discs" that the Italian Air Force owns, it is only, the official statement specifies, some testimonies coming from officers who reportedly saw these machines above the Thyrrenian littoral, moving in a south-north direction at a speed higher than 2.000 kilometer-hour".
Vienna, Oct. 25. -- This morning at 0:20, a kind of flying cigar, of yellow and violet color and leaving in its wake a trail of fire, flew over the northern part of Vienna, moving at high speed towards the east.
Scores of Viennese saw it, and they are ready to testify about this.
At the observatory, the possibility of a weather balloon is discarded, and it is thought it is a meteor.
Angouleme, Oct. 22. -- A mason from the Charentes, Mr. Filloneau, resident of Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, saw yesterday evening, towards 8 p.m., an enormous ball of fire as he was driving his car.
The headlights died out at once and the engine stopped while the ball rose slowly without noise.
"I felt a violent draught", the mason, still under the blow of the emotion, said.
"When I was able to restart my car, the battery was completely empty and all the light bulbs were roasted."
The Segonzac gendarmerie opened an investigation.
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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299) Oct. 21, 1954, 08:00 p.m., Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic], (France):
The car driven by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonnau, stopped as a large ball of fire flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out." Thorough police investigation failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon. (79) (France-Soir, Le Soir, 24 oct 1954).
[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
In a list of cases that the magazine called for investigation or re-investigation, there was:
299 10/21/54 Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic]
[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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October 21, 1954, 08:00 p.m.. Critreuil-la-Madeleine [sic] (France):
The car driven by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonnau, stopped as a large ball of fire flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out." Thorough police investigation failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon. (France-Soir, Le Soir, 24 oct. 1954).
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
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478 21 October 1954 2000 hrs
CRITEUIL-LA-MADELEINE [sic] (FRANCE ) The car driven by a bricklayer, Mr Filloneau, stopped as a large ball of fire flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out". Thorough police investigations failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon. (M299; FranceSoir, Le Soir 24 Oct 54)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that on October 21, 1954 at 08:00 p.m. in Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, Mr. Filloneau, mason brick-maker, saw a large ball of "fire" which stopped its car. He felt a violent displacement of air volume. "The battery of the car was emptied and the bulbs of the headlights burned." The authors add that the police forces performed a thorough investigation.
The sources are given as the Vallée catalogue and France-Soir for 24/10/54.
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors provide this text which they say comes from "Jacques Vallée's catalogue" [jve1]:
"A mason of the Charente, Mr Fillonneu, resident of Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, saw an enormous ball of fire, whereas he was at the steering wheel of his car."
"The headlights died out at once and the engine stopped while the ball rose slowly without noise."
"- I felt a violent draught - stated the mason, still under the blow of the emotion."
"- When I wanted to restart my car, the battery was completely discharged and all the bulbs were roasted."
"The Segonzac gendarmerie opened an investigation."
They then say that it is not an extraterrestrial machine since the witness told them that he never observed an object on the ground but a "thing which passed very quickly in the air, it was very brief."
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET - "FRANCAT":
This ufologist noted:
| CASE Nr | CLASSIFICATION | DATE | HOUR | PLACE | ZIP CODE | CREDIBILITY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | CE0-2 | 21 10 1954 | 20.00 | Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic] | 16300 02 | E (bolide + inv) B.B 12 |
[Ref. mft2:] MICHEL FIGUET - "FRANCAT":
| N° CAS | CLASSIFICATION | LIEU | CREDIBILITES SOURCES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | CE 0-2 | Criteuil la Madeleine [sic] | Bolide + invention : B.B. p. 122 |
[Ref. mrr1:] MARK RODEGHIER:
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Oct. 21, 1954
2000
FRANCE, Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic]: A bricklayer's car engine and lights failed when a ball of fire passed nearby. The witness felt a violent displacement of air as it passed. The car could not be restarted--it was found to have a dead battery and burned-out headlight bulbs. (Passport to Magonia, Vallee; The Humanoids, Bowen)
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
October 21st. Criteuil-La-Madeleine [sic], France. (8:00 p.m.)
As M. Filloneau drove near Criteuil-La-Madeleine [sic] he got the fright of his life. A "ball of fire" dove at his auto, passing so close a rush of wind shook the vehicle. The close pass had other effects too. The man told the press: "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out." 189. The police conducted an enquiry but found nothing that could explain the damage.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
French ufologist and author Jean Sider discovered the case in the newspaper La République de Bordeaux et du Sud-Ouest for October 23:
On October 19, 1954 at 08:00 P.M. in Criteuil-la-Magdeleine in Charente, Mr. Sionneau was driving in his car and saw a big red ball of two meters in diameters suddenly rising from the road with a sharp displacement of air. The car's headlights died out and the battery was emptied.
Jean Sider notes that for this case Michel Figuet indicates "Mr. Fillonneau" as the name for the witness and that it is likely an erroneous name that Michel Figuet may have picked in the national press, rather careless with respect of spelling of people's names.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4237: 1954/10/21 20:00 10 0:13:00 W 45:32:20 N 3333 WEU FRN CHN 8:8
CRITEUIL-la-MAGDELEINE,FR:FBL STOPS CAR:BIG EME:VIOLENT GUSTS:/r217p31
Ref# 8 VALLEE, Jacques: PASSPORT TO MAGONIA. Case No. 299 : FARMLANDS
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on October 19 in France in Criteuil Magdeleine (Charente), "At the time of the appearance of a flying saucer, the battery of Mr. Sionneau's vehicle was emptied of his electric power."
The source is indicated as "Jean SIDER : 'Ovni, les envahisseurs démasqués', RAMUEL pub. 1999, p 140".
[Ref. goe2:] GODELIEVE VAN OVEMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on October 21, in France, in Criteuil la Madeleine [sic], "At 20:00 the engine of the car driven by Mr. Filonneau stalled, at the approach of a large ball of fire. A violent displacement air volume was felt. The battery had died and the headlights roasted. The in depth investigation, carried out by the police force, did not manage to identify the cause of this phenomenon".
The sources are indicated as "France-Soir, Le Soir, 24 oct 1954", "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 287, 288".
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
October 21
1954 - At 8:00 p.m. a car being driven in Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic], Charente, France by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonneau, stopped running when a large fiery ball flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out." A thorough police investigation failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon. (Sources: France Soir, October 14, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 236, case 299; Gregory Falla, BUFORA Vehicle Interference Report, p. 8; Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, p. 4).
[Ref. jve1:] JEROME BEAU:
Jérôme Beau reproduces the [mrr1] source.
[Ref. jbu2:] JEROME BEAU:
Thursday, October 21, 1954
[...]
8 p.m.: In Criteuil-la-Madelaine (France), the engine of a car driven by Mr. Fillonneau, mason by profession, stalls at the approach of a large ball of fire. A violent displacement of air volume is felt. The battery died and the headlights roasted. The in depth investigation, carried out by the police force, will not manage to identify the cause of this phenomenon.
[...]
The sources are indicated as "France-Soir, Le Soir, October 24, 1954".
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Charente in Criteuil la Magdeleine on October 21, 1954 at 20:00 hours "the engine of the vehicle driven by the witness stalled when a large ball of fire came to fly near him. A violent displacement of air volume was felt. The battery had died and the headlights roasted. The investigation carried out by the police force, did not manage to identify the cause of this phenomenon."
The sources are indicated as "List of the cases Magonia by Jacques Vallée" and "Les OVNI vus de près by Gross Patrick ** http://ufologie.net" (This being the old URL of my website's home page).
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 21 October 1954 at 20:00 in Criteuil-La-Madeleine [sic], France "A mysterious phenomena was reported by one male witness on a farm."
The source is indicated as "Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002."
[Ref. uda2:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 21 October 1954 at 20:00 in Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic], France, "The car driven by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonnau [sic], stopped as a large ball of fire flew near it."
And: "Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic], France. The car driven by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonnau, stopped when a large fiery ball flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. 'The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out. ' Thorough police investigation failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon."
And: "The car driven by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonnau, stoped as a large ball of fire flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out." Thorough police investigation failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon."
And: "An object was observed. It buzzed a witness. Electromagnetic effects were noted."
And: "One orange ball was observed by one male witness on a farm (Fillonneau)."
The sources are indicated as "Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Rodeghier, Mark, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, CUFOS, Chicago, 1981; Falla, Geoffrey, Vehicle Interference Project, BUFORA, London, 1979."
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Oct. 21, 1954 - At 8:00 p.m. a car being driven in Criteuil-la-Madeleine [sic], Charente, France by a bricklayer, Mr. Fillonneau, stopped running when a large fiery ball flew near it. A violent air displacement was felt. "The battery was dead and the headlights were burned out." A thorough police investigation failed to identify the cause of the phenomenon. (Sources: France Soir, October 14, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 236, case 299; Gregory Falla, BUFORA Vehicle Interference Report, p. 8; Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, p. 4).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case four times instead of one time:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541021 | 21.10.1954 | Criteuil Madeleine [sic | France | 20.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541021 | 21.10.1954 | Criteuil Madeleine [sic | France | 20.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541021 | 21.10.1954 | Criteuil Madeleine [sic | France | 20.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541021 | 21.10.1954 | Critieul Madeleine [sic] | France | 20.00 | CE II |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 19 1954. 2100hrs.
CRITEUIL-LA-MAGDALENE [sic] (CHARENTE : FRANCE)
A mason, Mr Sioneau or Filloneau was out driving when a ball of fire 2m diameter took off the from the ground and flew off nearby. His car stopped or he stopped it, he felt a violent blast of air and the battery and headlights died. It appears that the battery was flat. There was a gendarme investigation but no details were released.
Vallee Case 299 citing France Soir + Le Soir 24 October 1954 + Gross 1954. citing Sider 1999 citing La Republique de Bordeaux et Sud Ouest [sic 23 October 1954. p6
Evaluation - Possibly another misperceived meteor
Note: "Gross 1954" is supposed to refer to my page on this case. No link is given and its content is not really reflected.
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According to the newspaper La Nouvelle République of Bordeaux for October 23, 1954, reproduced in this file in [lnr1], the sighting occurred "Tuesday" which would be October 19 and not October 21 as indicated by Vallée and Figuet.
Barthel and Brucker are like usually quite surprising in their "explanation". They indeed affirm that the witness told them that he had never observed an object on the ground, and that it was not slow but fast, and that for this reason this observation is not that of an extraterrestrial machine.
If Jean Sider has the correct witness name, "Sionneau", one may wonder how they managed to get in touch with the witness as they use yet another name, "Fillonneu"!
The only source they quote from is indicated as "catalogue Jacques Vallée" but the quotation has more information than Vallée gave. It seems obvious that what is allotted to "catalogue Jacques Vallée" is actually an extract of a newspaper article and not the entry in Vallée's listing, and that Barthel and Brucker again showed a lack of care in the referencing of their sources, a criticism they often address to others.
In any events nobody ever really talked of an object on the ground, if it were not, indirectly, for Jacques Vallée, since as for other cases he puts it in his list of "UFO landings" It nevertheless remains that the "explanation" of Barthel and Brucker is not an explanation. The only thing which seems to arise here is that a person made an interesting observation and that neither Vallée, neither Figuet, nor Barthel and Brucker documented this seriously. The correct information is possibly in the Segonzac gendarmerie file, but that is classified at least until 2014, if not lost already.
It is possible that the "ball" was a meteor; but that is not obvious. The engine stall could be commonplace, but why did the bulbs of the headlights "burn"?
The "invention" part, cited first by Figuet, is just an misunderstanding of what Barthel and Brucker said or clumsily formulated. when the witness tld them - if he did at all - that the object had not been on the ground, he does not at all admit or ivent something, he just contradicts Vallée's "landing" interpretation. Figuet apparently thought there was something "invented" there, and if there was, it was not by the witness.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Criteuil-la-Magdeleine, Charente, road, headlight, battery, effect, landing, ball, red, Sionneau, Filloneau, Fillonneau, Sion, bricklayer, mason, car, engine, stall, failure, sphere, fire, electric, electricity, police
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | February 5, 2007 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | January 3, 2010 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1], [uda2]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | January 12, 2010 | Additions [goe2], [jbu2]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | June 7, 2010 | Addition [lae1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | September 18, 2014 | Additions, [fso1], [nip1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | December 14, 2016 | Additions, [lgs1], [ubk1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | December 30, 2018 | Additions [prn1], [mft1], [lhh1], [prn2]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | May 10, 2022 | Addition [ldl1]. |
