The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 14-oct-54-Turquestein.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper L'Alsace for October 22, 1954, reported that a 25-year-old truck driver, Jean Schonbrenner, had been "paralyzed" by a "flying cone" in the Moselle on October 20, 1954.
Returning from Sarrebourg, he had been intrigued by a bright glow on the National Road 393 near Turquestein.
He continued to drive his truck towards the glow, and felt paralyzed, his hands stuck on the steering wheel. Arrived at 10 meters from the thing, the engine of the truck stopped and the yellow-orange glow rose slowly and headed north-west.
In the light, he then distinguished the form of a phosphorescent-based cone. This cone was fully lit and its tip was yellow-orange. Jean Schonbrenner felt a sensation of warmth while he was near the thing.
The gendarmerie of Sarrebourg lead an investigation but found no trace on the National Road 393.
The newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain of the same day added that it ocurred at 06:30 p.m., that the witness returned from Schirmeck. When he saw the gleam in front of him, he was worried, but continued on his way, slowing down.
He told the gendarmes:
"Arrived at about ten meters of the craft, I noticed that the light occupied the whole width of the road."
"I wanted to get closer still, but I felt paralyzed, my hands were like glued to the wheel and my engine stopped, and a few seconds later an orange-yellow cloud slowly rose to the north. The craft had the shape of an inverted con. The base was phosphorescent, the middle part was dull and the top of the cone, lighted, with a point, a kind of antenna of orange color..."
He also said he had not heard any noise.
In the 1970s, ufologists Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, quoting a newspaper, said that the witness stated that after the craft's departure, he had come down from his truck to see if it had left traces on the roadway but there was nothing.
As for the "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker, they claim to have contacted with the witness' exployer of the time and that Mr. "Shoubrenner" [sic] had died a few years after the events, and that in the words from his former boss "he was swimming in alcohol."
[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":
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Metz, Oct. 21. -- Yesterday evening, Mr. Jean Schonbrenner, 25 years old, driver, while returning from Sarrebourg, was intrigued by the appearance on National Road 393 close to Turquestein of a sharp gleam which barred all the road.
Continuing to advance his truck in direction of the gleam, Mr. Jean Schonbrenner felt like paralysed, the hands glued at the wheel. When he was within ten meters of the appearance, the truck's engine stopped and the driver saw the gleam of yellow-orange color rising slowly and take the direction of the NW. In the gleam he then distinguished a craft in the shape of a cone with a phosphorescent base. The cone was entirely lit and its point was yellow-orange. Mr. Jean Schonbrenner felt while he was near the "phenomenon" a sensation of heat.
The gendarmerie of Sarrebourg was in charge of an investigation but did not find any trace on R. N 393.
Brazzaville, Oct. 21. -- The flying saucers, if one believes the eyewitnesses reports, particularly haunted the sky of Equatorial Africa these last days, particularly in Brazzaville, Leopoldville, and Pointe-Noire.
In Leopoldville, capital of Belgian Congo, witnesses state to have seen "a brilliant object of round shape which was escorted by two flying saucers and moved towards the west in direction of Pointe-Noire."
This flotilla of saucers, according to reports arrived at Brazzaville, was seen at 06:45 p.m. in Leopoldville, 7 p.m. in Brazzaville and between 7 and 8 p.m. in Pointe-Noire.
This flowering of saucers in the sky made two victims: two French soldiers are said to have been sanctioned for having spread false stories of flying saucers...
Oran, Oct. 21. -- Yesterday morning, around 3 o'clock, Mr. Gaston Blanquère, Oran resident, returned with passengers on board his car. Little after the village of Jean-Mermoz, the attention of the motorists was attracted by a sharp gleam coming from the south and which quickly grew bigger. A luminous disc crossed the road above them, descended a few hundreds meters further and appeared to touch the ground. The craft had the size of a small car. It was composed of a higher cupola from which came out a yellow gleam. The lower part of the disc let escape a bluish luminous sheaf. Kinds of very powerful headlights swept the plain.
Ten minutes later the luminosity attenuated and the craft, taking height, moved away quickly and without noise.
The chief of the police force of the Sig, during his investigation, heard these statements confirmed by a fellah of a nearby duar.
[Ref. lrl1:] NEWSPAPER "LE REPUBLICAIN LORRAIN":
Metz (from our Press room). -- The luminous and mysterious machines which continue their dance in the sky, and even on the fields and the roads, appear in rather large number in our area. A new appearance had as a witness, Wednesday, towards 06:30 p.m., Mr. S... Returning from Schirmeck, on the road RN 393, when he arrived not far from the hamlet of Turquestein, he saw a gleam in front of him. Anxious, he however continued his travel, while slowing down.
"Arrived at ten meters of the machine, he was to declare with the gendarmes, I noticed that the gleam occupied all the width of the road."
And he continued: "I wanted to approach closer still, but I felt paralyted. My hands like were glued at the steering wheel and my engine stopped. A few seconds after, a yellow-orange cloud rose slowly in the North-western direction. The machine had the shape of a reversed cone. The base was phosphorescent, the part of the medium was matt and the top of the cone, lit, ended in a point, a kind of antenna of orange color..."
Mr. S... still specified that he did not perceive any noise, but that on the other hand he had a feeling of heat. On the place, no trace was found.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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A motorist from Cherbonnière (Charente-Maritime) was driving with his 3-year-old son, when he felt all over the body tingling similar to electric shocks that got worse as his car moved forward.
The child who felt the same stings began to cry. Soon the engine of the car stopped and the headlights went out.
At the same time, a bright glow passing from bright red to orange blinded the motorist who was however able to make out a motionless craft in space for a few moments, then it soon disappeared. Immediately afterwards the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
On the national road 393, near Turquestein (Moselle), the engine of a truck was again suddenly stopped by a bright apparition. The driver, Mr. Schonbrenner, his hands riveted to the wheel as if he were paralyzed, saw a sort of phosphorescent-based cone, the tip of which was yellow-orange. Mr. Schonbrenner said he had felt a sensation of warmth, as already other people had in similar circumstances.
Many witnesses, inhabitants of the municipalities of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thoméry, stated they had seen, at nightfall, a strange phenomenon: an oval-shaped craft, yellow-orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at an altitude of 300 or 400 meters.
The craft stood still for a while and vanished at breakneck speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L., weather specialist, who lives in Thoméry, estimates that the speed of the craft was of the order of 10,000 kilometers per hour, quite simply.
Mr. L. clarified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I am familiar with this issue, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon."
Several workers at a factory in Pozzuoli, near Naples, said a Pekinese dog died of fright upon seeing a "flying saucer."
The workers and the dog saw a motionless silver object in the sky. Suddenly the object rose vertically, with a shrill hissing sound. The Pekinese dog barked and fell dead to the ground.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Few flying saucers have appeared in France in the past 24 hours, and those that have appeared, according to people who have seen them, were moving without much fantasy. One of them, near Luzy, even contented itself, affirm a pensioner of the Nevers railways, his wife and his son, to take the form of a metal airship flying at a very low altitude, but, it is true, at a "dizzying" speed...
Near Ham (Somme), the passage of a mysterious craft was marked by a curious phenomenon. Two inhabitants of the region were traveling side by side, one on a motorbike, the other on a moped, when they saw an orange mass moving in the sky. When this mass was above them, the two engines suddenly failed and did not resume until the mass had moved away.
On national road 393, near Turquestein, the engine of a truck was suddenly stopped again by a "luminous apparition." The driver, Mr. Schonbrenner, hands riveted at the wheel as if he was paralyzed, saw a kind of cone with a phosphorescent base, the tip of which was yellow-orange, which moved in the sky while lighting the ground.
Mr. Schonbrenner said he felt a warm feeling, as did other people in similar circumstances.
- Also in Lorient, a retired navy worker, Mr. Jean Roignant, saw a circular white craft which emitted white and purple gleams. It is a disc, orange in color this time, that was seen by Mr. Leonard Roumy, deputy mayor of Raveau. In Chevenon, near Imphy, Guy Chevrier only saw a kind of rocket.
Melun, 22. - Many witnesses, inhabitants of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery, said they saw a strange phenomenon after dark: an oval-shaped object, yellow orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at 300 or 400 meters of altitude. Note: the 20 meters would be the real measure of the object and not its size as it appeared to them.
The craft remained motionless for a while and disappeared at breakneck speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L..., weather specialist, who lives in Thomery, believes that the speed of craft was in the order of 10,000 kilometers an hour, quite simply. M. L... clarified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this question well, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon."
For their part, several riders from a horse center in La Rochelle claim to have seen a character flee from their park. "He was strange, they say. It could only be a Martian."
[Ref. ler1:] NEWSPAPER "L'EST REPUBLICAIN":
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METZ (From our newsroom). -- The luminous and mysterious machines which continue their dance in the sky, and even on the fields and the roads, appear in rather great number in our area.
A new appearance, Wednesday, towards 06:30 p.m., had as a witness Mr. Jean Schoubrenner, 25 years old, driver in Sarrebourg (the Moselle).
Mr. Schoubrenner returned from Schirmeck, on the road RN 393, when arrived not far from the hamlet of Turquestein, he saw a strong gleam in front of him. Anxious, he nevertheless continued his driving, while slowing down.
"Arrived at about ten meters of the machine, he stated to the gendarmes, I noticed that the gleam occupied all the width of the road."
And he continued: "I wanted to approach even more, but I felt paralyzed. My hands were like glued at the wheel and my engine stopped. A few seconds after, a yellow-orange cloud rose slowly in the north-western direction. The machine had the shape of a reversed cone. The base was phosphorescent, the part in the middle was matt and the top of the cone, lit, ended in a point, a kind of antenna of orange color..."
Mr. Schoubrenner also specified that he did not perceive any noise, but that on the other hand he had a feeling of heat. On site, no trace was found.
[Ref. ppe1:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-PRESSE":
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VERY numerous witnesses, residents of the communes of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery declared to have seen, at nightfall, a strange phenomenon: an oval shaped object, of orange yellow color, measuring more than twenty meters, at 300 or 400 meters of altitude.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L ..., weather specialist, who lives in Thomery, estimates that its speed was of bout 10,000 kilometers per hour.
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this question well, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon," he said.
In Melun itself, several young girls coming out of an evening class, claim to have seen in the sky an almost similar machine which, after having stopped for ten minutes, would have risen very quickly in the sky.
Also, a luminous ball resembling a car headlight would have appeared, six times, to two industrialists from Melun who were traveling on the Melun-Rubelles national road. The appearance of this luminous source would have caused each time a very large flash illuminating the region.
Other "flying saucers" were seen yesterday. One near Luzy, the second on the RN 393, near Turquestein; the last ones finally near Ham, in Lorient and in Chevenon.
Near Altkirch, a motorist thought he had seen one too, but it was only the moon.
[Ref. jgu1:] JIMMY GUIEU:
Jimmy Guieu indicates that in the evening of October 20, 1954, Jean Schonbrenner, 25-year-old, driver, returned from the Bas-Rhin to his residence in Sarrebourg in the Moselle when he was intrigued by a sharp gleam which barred all the national road RN 393 near Turquestein.
He drove on his truck towards the gleam and all of a sudden felt paralyzed, the hands stuck at the steering wheel.
Arrived at 10 meters of the "thing" the truck engine stopped and he saw the gleam rise slowly and take the direction of the North-West.
In the gleam, he then distinguished a conical apparatus with a phosphorescent base. The cone was entirely lit and with a point which radiated a yellow-orange light.
While he was close to "the spacecraft, Mr. Schonbrenner clearly felt an increase in the ambient temperature.
The gendarmerie of Sarrebourg was in charge of the investigation and did not find any trace on the road RN 393, Jimmy Guieu explaining that that is normal since the flying discs often hover a little above ground-level.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Aimé Michel indicates that in the evening of October 20, 1954, Jean Schoubrenner, of Sarrebourg, drove by car between Schirmeck and Saint-Quirin in the Moselle and was within one kilometer of the hamlet of Turquenstein in the forest of Turquenstein when he saw a luminous body rather far in front of him on the road.
He slowed down and approached the object. When he arrived at a score of meters of the object, he felt as paralyzed, with the hands glued at the steering wheel. At the same time, the car's engine stopped, the car continuing to roll on its impetus, and the effect of paralysis increasing. A feeling of increasing heat invaded the body of the witness.
After a few seconds, the machine flew away towards the direction of the North-West and all the symptoms disappeared.
[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:
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[... other cases...]
October 20, 1954: Turquestein (at 1 km of,on Rte,Nale. 393, i.e. approx.22 km ISL in the SSE of Sarrebourg--Moselle): Mr. Jean Schonbrenner, of Sarrebourg (lumin. craft on the ground/paralysis/car engine stop/heat
[... other cases...]
[Ref. mcs1:] "MICHEL CARROUGES":
The author notes that the observation of Mr. Schubrenner [sic] on October 20, 1954 in the Moselle, lasted a few seconds.
He indicates: "Car. Luminous apparatus posed on the road at some twenty meters in front of the witness. In addition to an impression of heat the witness feels like paralyzed, 'the hands glued on the steering wheel'. Engine stops."
The source is given as "M. II. p. 340".
Elsewhere he notes that the observation distance was 20 meters.
[Ref. jve4:] JACQUES VALLEE:
We will report here on two clusters of special interest: the Mezieres cluster and the Saint Quirin cluster. * Of the three observations near Mezieres, none has ever been reported in a national newspaper or a specialized publication. Two come from obscure local papers; the third one is a police report. They were unknown to Michel and Carrouges when they wrote their books. They have received no publicity. The sightings took place on October 4, 16, and 27 - roughly twelve days apart. The first case was reported by a child who said he saw an object "shaped like a tent" and an unknown individual near it. In the second case, a woman fainted as she saw an object land within thirty meters of her. In the third case, policemen in the immediate vicinity of the two other sightings saw a flying object that took off at dawn.
The same pattern is observed in the dense woods of Alsace, near Saint Quirin, Schirmeck, and Moussey: six days after the observation by a Mr. Schoubrenner (who was driving in the area when he saw a luminous object on the highway, felt a sensation of heat, and was overcome by a sort or paralysis when his car stalled about twenty yards away from the object) a tractor was stopped in the same manner as an object flew over it at low altitude. The next day a boy and a school director saw a "craft" on the ground; it left marks forming a triangle.
[...]
* A special investigation of this point is in progress within the framework of a complete study of the distribution of the landing sites over the French territory.
[Ref. ask1:] A. SCHOPICK:
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On Wednesday evening, Oct. 20, Mr. Jean Schoubrenner of Sarrebourg, was driving his automobile between Schirmeck and St.Quirin-en-Moselle. Travelling on Route N-393, approximately 1/2 mile from the village of Turquenstein in the forest of Turquenstein, Mr. Schoubrenner noticed a luminous body on the highway some distance ahead of him. He slowed down as he approached the object resting on the road. But then, when he got about 60 feet away from it, he suddenly felt paralyzed; his hands frozen to the steering wheel. At this moment his car motor went dead and, as the car's momentum carried him forward, a sensation of increasing heat spread through his body. After a few seconds, the object flew away toward the northeast and Mr. Schoubrenner and his car returned to norma1. 11
[Ref. lcp1:] LEONARD G. CRAMP:
On the evening of 20 October, M Jean Schoubrenner of Sarrebourg, was driving on the road between Schirmec [sic, Schirmeck] to St-Quirin-en-Moselle, about half a mile from the village of Turquenstein, when he suddenly noticed a luminous body on the highway some distance ahead of him. Instinctively he slowed down, and when he was about twenty yards from it, he suddenly felt as if he had been paralysed, his hands froze to the steering wheel. At the same instant the engine stopped, but the momentum carried the car onwards. As it did so a sensation of increasing heat spread through M Schoubrenner's body. Then the object sped away and the symptoms left him.
[Ref. lcp2:] LEONARD G. CRAMP:
("Fig 48. Table of some typical UFO effects on cars and people at varying distances.")
| PLACE. | DATE. | EFFECTS. | APPROX. DISTANCE FROM UFO. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turquenstein France. | October 1954 | Engine lost power. Paralysis, sensation of heat & engine stalled. | 60 feet. |
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 381 | -007.10721 | 48.56400 | 20 | 10 | 1954 | TURQUENSTEIN-MOSEL. | F | 001133 | G |
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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294 October 20, 1954, 06:00 p.m., Turquestein (France).
Mr. Schoubrenner [sic], 25, a truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine died, and he felt paralyzed: "My hands were as though glued to the wheel." The craft looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, the top luminous with a yellow or orange point. (76; M 204) (France-Soir, 23 oct 1954).
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
Jacques Vallée indicates that in the evening of October 20, 1954, Jean Schoubrenner, of Sarrebourg, was driving near the village of Turquenstein when he noticed a luminous body on the highway ahead of him. He slowed down as he approached this object but when he was about 20 yards from it, he suddenly felt as if he had been paralyzed. At the same moment his motor stopped and, as the car's momentum carried it forward, a sensation of increasing heat spread through his body. A few seconds later the object flew away and these symptoms disappeared.
[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
In a list of cases that the magazine called for investigation or re-investigation, there was:
294 10/20/54 Turquestein
[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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October 20, 1954, 06:30 p.m. Turquestein (France):
Mr. Schoubrenner [sic], 25-year-old, a truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine died, and he felt paralyzed: "My hands were as though glued to the wheel." The craft looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, the top luminous with a yellow or orange point. (France-Soir, 23 oct 1954).
[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:
These authors and ufologists note that on October 20, 1954, at 06:30 P.M., a truck driver, Mr. Schonbrenner, who returned from Schirmeck to reach again Sarrebourg by National Road RN 393 saw an intense gleam in front of him while arriving close to the hamlet of Turquestein in the Moselle. He slowed down, and discovered a machine which occupied all the width of the road. The witness stated:
"I wanted to approach more. But I felt paralyzed at my steering wheel. My hands were like glued on the steering wheel. My engine stopped. A few seconds later, the craft disappeared in an yellow-orange cloud which rose in the north-western direction. The machine had the shape of a reversed horn, the base being phosphorescent, with a matt central part. The top of the lit cone ended in a point, a sort of antenna of orange color. I did not hear any noise. On the other hand, I had an impression of heat. After the departure of this craft, I got out of my truck to see whether it had left traces on the roadway. There was nothing."
The machine left after a few seconds. The witness was at 18 meters of the craft.
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
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472 20 October 1954 18.30 hrs.
TURQUENSTEIN [sic] (FRANCE) On Route N393t 800m from this village, Jean Schoubrenner (25) a truck-driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. When he was about 20m from it the engine died and he felt paralysed - "My hands were as though glued to the wheel". The craft looked like an inverted cone with the lower part phosphorescent and the top luminous with a yellow or orange point. As the car rolled forward the witness felt a sensation of increasing heat through his body. All these symptoms disappeared a few seconds later when the object flew away towards the north-west. (M294; France Soir 23 Oct 54; Michel II, 204; Cramp 152)
[Ref. pdl1:] PIERRE DELVAL:
In his chapter on the cases of paralysis or drowsiness of UFO witnesses during their experience, Pierre Delval indicates 12 cases from the French flap of 1954, among those, that in Shirmeck in the department of the Bas-Rhin on October 20, 1954 at 06:30 p.m..
J. Schoubrenner, aged 25, chauffeur, was going back home by car, when he had the surprise to find National Road 393 barred by a conical luminous apparatus.
He slowed down and approached the object which was with less than 50 meters.
He then felt "paralysed", the hands stuck to the wheel, at the same time as his engine stalled.
The impression of paralysis increased while a feeling of increasing heat invaded his body.
The machine flew away, and all these effects disappeared.
[Ref. ufa1:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "UFOLOGIA":
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October 20, 1954 MOSELLE
A motorist feels as paralyzed by an object placed on the road about 20 meters in front of him. Engine stopped.
(ref. Aimé MICHEL - "M0C")
[Ref. hjn1:] HENRI JULIEN:
The author indicates that in October 1954, Mr. Schoubrenner meets on a road in Turquenstein in France a craft of the shape of a reversed cone, point to the bottom, which emitted light upwards and downwards.
[Ref. gab1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "G.A.B.R.I.E.L.":
Sensation of heat
10/20/1954 Schirmeck (Moselle) [1]
Around 6:30 p.m., while he was driving his car (truck), Mr. Schoubrenner discovered a luminous craft blocking the road. He slowed down and approached, at 20m he was paralyzed and the engine of his car stalled... The car traveled another few meters on its momentum and the witness was then invaded by a feeling of increasing heat. (A. Michel)
Here again, we are in the presence of a case where the heat was felt but not "materially proven" by an undeniable physical phenomenon. As we will see later, our senses are very likely to mislead us because this observation involves a human judgment on a biological phenomenon.
Note [1]: Schirmeck is not in Moselle department but in the Bas-Rhin department. The case did take place in the Moselle department.
[Ref. ous1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "OURANOS":
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"On October 20, 1954, Turquenstein / France, when he was driving home, Mr. Schoubrenner was surprised to find the N. 393 barred by a luminous apparatus. Approaching the object, he felt "paralyzed", hands glued to the steering wheel, still getting closer, the feeling of paralysis increased as a feeling of increasing heat invaded the witness. Let's add to this, that the engine of the car stalled (3).
Tingling, ankyloses, paralysis are symptoms that can resemble those of electrocution. Indeed the human body, being slightly conductive, allows the Foucault currents to develop. They will be all the stronger as the witness gets closer to the object, so "electrocution" will be stronger and its effects will be better felt: tingling goes to ankyloses and paralysis. If one gets closer, the heat dissipation of the currents becomes noticeable. Note also, in these two examples, the stopping the engine of the vehicles.
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
These authors indicates that in the case of Tursquestein, they say that they "talked with his employer of the time" and learned that Mr. Shoubrenner [sic] was deceased a few years after the events, and that according to terms of his former boss "he swam in alcohol."
Elsewhere in the book, they indicate that the effects noted in certain cases are "hypothetical" and give the summary of the case by Jacques Vallée in example.
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that in Turquestein in the Moselle, on October 20, 1954, at 06:30 p.m., whereas he drove his vehicle on National Road N393, Jean Schoubrenner saw a sharp gleam which barred the road to him.
He then felt as paralyzed, the hands stuck to the wheel. He then observed a conical object with a phosphorescent base, whose cone was entirely lit, with a point which irradiated a light yellow-orange, posed on the ground.
When he came to be at 10 to 20 meters of the thing, the engine of his car failed and while his vehicle continued on its impetus, the impression of paralysis increased and a feeling of increasing heat invaded the witness' body.
The sources are indicated as case 294 of the Vallée catalogue; Jimmy Guieu in Black-Out sur les S.V. page 228; C. Garreau and R. Lavier in Face aux ET pages 105-106; Aimé Michel in Mystérieux Objets Célestes page 340 and A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes page 244; France-Soir for October 23, 1954; Groupe G.A.B.R.I.E.L.; Article on paralysis in Ouranos magazine.
[Ref. mrr1:] MARK RODEGHIER:
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Oct. 20, 1954
Evening
FRANCE, Turquestein: While driving in his automobile in a wooded region, the single witness notices a luminous shape resting on the road ahead. He slowed, but when he was within 60 feet, he felt paralyzed. His hands were frozen to the steering wheel. His car motor also went dead, but as the car coasted to a stop, he noticed an increasing sensation of heat. The UFO quickly rose and left to the northeast; the sensation of heat vanished, the witness could move, and the engine was restarted. (Michel)
[Ref. mft1:] FRANCAT - MICHEL FIGUET:
In an extract of his Francat catalogue, Michel Figuet recorded that the case in Turquestein is explained, as the witness was a "know alcoholic" according to Barthel and Brucker, page 122.
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
October 20th. Turquenstein, France. (6:30 p.m.)
"Road blocked."
Truck driver Jean Schoubrenner noticed that the road ahead was lit up by a bright glow as he drove along Route N393 near the village of Turquenstein. As his truck approached the area of radiant energy, M. Schoubrenner could see that the illumination was coming from a big "inverted cone-shaped object that was glowing all over. At the top of the object was a yellow-orange tip. As his vehicle approached within 30 feet of the object, Schoubrenner felt paralyzed and an increase in heat the closer he got. Much to his relief, the object moved away in a northwest direction and with its departure the high temperature in the truck cab dropped to normal and feeling returned to his arms and legs. 171.
[Ref. pbh1:] PETER BROOKESMITH:
The author indicates that on October 20, 1954, in France, in Turquenstein, Jean Schoubrenner was driving near the village when a huge light glowed on the road ahead. About 20 yards - 18 meters - away from it he felt paralyzed and his car's engine failed. He felt heat suffuse his body. A few seconds later the UFO flew away and he and his car returned to normal.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
96 - October 20, 6:45 p.m., Turquestein, Moselle.
Mr. Jean Schoubrenner, 25 at the time.
The witness returned from Schirmeck and drove towards Sarrebourg in a van on the N393. Shortly after Turquestein, he sees an intense glow on the road which dazzles him. Then his engine stalled. In front of him, there is like a phosphorescent wall stretched across the width of the road. The witness finds himself in a state of virtual paralysis and without reaction, his hands clenched on his steering wheel. Then a sort of orange-yellow luminous cloud, elliptical in shape, rises slowly, to finally take the form of an immense cone with a phosphorescent base. The witness experiences a sensation of heat, then the apparition disappears. The witness then presented himself to the Sarrebourg gendarmerie, which carried out an investigation which established that the incident had occurred at kilometer marker No. 6.
Local source: Le Républicain Lorrain, Metz, October 22, 1954, p. 7.
Note: Figuet, p. 192, says that a conical object was placed on the ground. False! My source only mentions a "phosphorcent wall" on the ground. Then the witness sees a luminous cloud of elliptical shape which goes up. And moving away it takes the form of an inverted cone. So, nuance.
[Ref. jsc1:] JOHN SCHUESSLER:
1954/10/20 FRANCE, TURQUENSTEIN Night
Source: UFO Reports Involvina Vehicle Interference, CUFOS
Official UFO, Feb. 76
Michel
A man encountered a cone-shaped object resting on the road. When he approached to about 60 feet from the object, he was paralyzed. His hand froze on the wheel. The car motor stopped. He felt heat.
EFFECTS:
Paralysis
Heat sensation
EM effects on car
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates in her chronology that in 1954, on October 20 in France in Turquestein in the Moselle, "a road driver Schonbrenner who returns from Schirmeck and regains Sarrebourg by the RN 393 sees while arriving close to the hamlet of Turquestein, a strong gleam in front of him. He slows down and discovers an apparatus which occupies all the width of the road. In addition to an impression of heat, the witness feels paralyzed, the hands stuck at the steering wheel - the engine of his vehicle stops."
She indicates that this comes from a "gendarmerie report (Daniel BUKENS list, Remicourt, Belg.)"
She indicates that another version says: "Mr. Schoubrenner (25-year-old), truck-driver, saw a brilliant light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine stopped and he felt paralyzed: 'My hands like were stuck at the steering wheel.' The machine resembled a reversed cone, with a phosphorescent lower part, a dull middle part, a luminous top, with a yellow and orange point".
The source for this is given as "France-Soir, 23 oct 1954".
[Ref. kbd1:] KEITH BASTERFIELD:
The Australian ufologist indicates that on 20 October 1954 at 18:30 in Turquenstein, France, male witness Schoubrenner, driving along, saw a luminous body on the road ahead, and he slowed as he approached. 20m away from it he felt paralyzed, and the car engine stopped. There was a sensation of increasing heat, then the object flew away and the symptoms ceased.
The source is indicated as "Michel, A. 1958. Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery. New York Criterion Books. p204."
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4226: 1954/10/20 18:30 10 7:07:00 E 48:33:40 N 3332 WEU FRN MSL 8:8
TURQUENSTEIN [sic] FR:CAR EMEs:DRIVER PRLZED+FEELS HEAT:LUM UFO FLIES+SYMPTOMS GONE.
Ref# 2 VALLEE:UFOS IN SPACE:Anatomy/phenon. Page No. 101 : FOREST
[Ref. fbn1:] FABRICE BONVIN:
Fabrice Bonvin notes:
Case #007: 20/10/1954, p. 192 (Turquestein)
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
On this Day
October 20
[...]
1954 - In Turquenstein, France at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Schoubrenner, a 25-year-old truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine died, and he felt paralyzed: "My hands were as though glued to the wheel." The craft looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, the top luminous with a yellow or orange point. (Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 204; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 235).
[...]
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
Wednesday, October 20, 1954
[...]
18:30 : Between Sarrebourg and Turquenstein [sic] (Mozelle) [Sic, Moselle], Jean Schoubrenner drives near the village when a huge light shines on the road ahead of him. When he arrives at 18 m of this strange object in the shape of a reversed cone barring the road to him, he feels paralysed, the hands like stuck to the steering wheel and the engine of his vehicle ceases functioning. He feels a heat spreading in his body. The UFO flies away a few seconds later, and he and his vehicle are back to normality.
[...]
The case is noted a second time:
Wednesday, October 20, 1954
[...]
18:30 : In Turquenstein (France), Mr. Schoubrenner (25-year-old, truck-driver) sees 1 brilliant light in the distance and soon finds his road blocked by a strange object. The engine stops and he feels paralysed: My hands were like stuck on the steering wheel. The craft resembled a reversed cone, with a phosphorescent lower part, a dull middle part, a luminous top, with a yellow and orange point.
[...]
Jérôme Beau indicates as source: "France-Soir, October 23, 1954".
[Ref. cft1:] "WATERUFO" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that in 1954 on "the evening of October 20, a car was travelling on Route N-393 between Schirmeck and St-Quirin-en-Moselle; the driver was Mr. Jean Schoubrenner of Sarrebourg. About half a mile from the village of Turquenstein, in the forest of the same name, Mr. Schoubrenner suddenly noted, on the highway some distance ahead of him, a luminous body. He slowed down as he approached this object. When he was about 20 yards from it, he suddenly felt as if he had been paralyzed; his hands froze to the steering wheel. At the same moment his engine stopped and, as the car's momentum carried it forward, a sensation of increasing heat spread through his body. A few seconds later the object flew away toward the northwest and all these symptoms disappeared."
And: "This heat sensation was reported again on that same afternoon in the department of l'Aube, 125 miles west of Turquenstein. It was raining hard that evening in the Lusigny forest, not far from Troyes. Mr. Roger Réveillé, a lumber dealer, was walking along a wood (-ed?) road when his attention was attracted by a loud rustling sound such as would be made by a flight of pigeons. Looking up, he noted, at tree-top height, an oval-shaped object perhaps 20 feet long. At the same time, he felt an ever more intense heat. In a few seconds the machine disappeared upward. In the woods, the heat was now intolerable and was producing a thick fog. It was almost a quarter of an hour before Mr. Réveillé was able to approach the site. He then found that, in spite of the rain, the ground and trees at that spot were as dry as if they had been exposed to full sunshine."
The reference for the above is indicated as "Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery by Aimé Michel, p 203-4".
A series of references is indicated as:
UFOCAT PRN – 23848
UFOCAT URN – 023848 Flying Saucers & the Straight Line Mystery by Aimé Michel, p. 204, © 1958
UFOCAT URN – 023845 FSR, Special Edition No. 1, "The Humanoids," p. 17, © 1966
UFOCAT URN – 023843 Preliminary Catalog (N=500) by Jacques Vallee, #380, © 1966
UFOCAT URN – 179995 Challenge to Science by Jacques Vallee, p. 216-380, © 1966
UFOCAT URN – 087711 Piece for a Jig-Saw by Leonard Cramp, p. 153, © 1966
UFOCAT URN – 023846 A Century of Landings by Jacques Vallee (N=923), #0292, © 1969
UFOCAT URN – 082084 Physical Traces Associated with UFO Sightings by Ted Phillips, p. 86, © 1975
UFOCAT URN – 172133 *U* UFO Computer Database by Larry Hatch, # 04023, © 2002
UFOCAT URN – 023842 Computerized Catalog (N=3173), #0791 by L. Schoenherr, no © date
UFOCAT URN – NONE Delphos by Ted Phillips, p. 57, © 2002
UFOCAT URN – 064215 Ted Phillips investigation files
UFOCAT URN – 023844 Computerized Catalog (N=3073) by Jacques Vallee, #1747, publishing date unknown
Geographical coordinates follow:
"Europe – France, Aube, Alsace"
"Troyes Latitude 48-17-60 N, Longitude 04-04-60 E (D-M-S)"
"Saint-Quirin Latitude 48-37-00 N, Longitude 07-04-00 E (D.%) (St-Quirin-en-Moselle)
Reference: http://www.fallingrain.com/world/
"Schirmeck Latitude 48-29-00 N, Longitude 07-13-00 E (D-M-S)"
"Aube Latitude 48-15-00 N, Longitude 04-05-00 E (Département de l’Aube)"
"Lusigny Forest Latitude 48-15-00 N, Longitude 04-15-00 E (Bois de Lusigny)"
"Turquenstein Closest I could find on a Google search was 'Forêt de Turquestein'"
"(Missing the "n" which is correct) –CF-"
"Turquestein Forest Latitude 48-33-00 N, Longitude 07-05-00 E (Forêt de Turquestein)"
"Sarrebourg Latitude 48-44-00 N, Longitude 07-03-00 E"
"Reference: http://gnswww.nga.mil/geonames/GNS/index.jsp"
"UFO location (UFOCAT) Latitude 48.27 N, Longitude 4.29 E (D.%)"
Then, there is an area map, and these notes:
"The following information was provided to me par a friend of my professional translator who lived in Troyes for many years:"
"There is an error in the spelling of the name. It is the village of Turquestein (now Turquestein-Blancrupt since the very small communes were often grouped together these last twenty years to simplify administrative management) in department #57 which is Moselle (in the northeastern part of France). It is located in the Forest of Turquestein, northwest of Donon, near Schirmeck, about 20 km west of Obernai. On the whole, it is located in the triangle formed par the cities of Saverne, Sarrebourg, and Molsheim (roughly between Nancy and Strasbourg). It is the D 393 (which means a departmental/secondary road and not a national/state road, which would be N 393, but maybe in 1954, it was a national road; it is possible) which goes from Schirmeck to Saint-Quirin (it has a section which is called D 392)."
"In regards to the Forest of Lusigny, it was used in part for the establishment of an artificial lake with an ornithological reserve and a sports and recreation park in the 1960's called "Lac de la Forêt d'Orient" (Lake of the Forest of the Orient). It is located 10 km east of Troyes between the communes of Lusigny-sur-Barse, Géraudot, and Mesnil-Saint-Père. There remains, to the east of the lake, a large forest now called Parc Régional de la Forêt d'Orient (Regional Park of the Forest of the Orient) between Vendeuvre-sur-Barse and Brienne-le-Château, which certainly must have been called Forêt de Lusigny (Forest of Lusigny) at that time."
"One must take into account the date and the change of local names in fifty years."
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the Moselle in Turquestein on October 20, 1954 at 18:30 hours, "Whereas he drives his vehicle on N393, the witness sees a sharp gleam which bars the road to him. He then feels 'paralyzed ', the hands stuck to the steering wheel. He discovers a conical object with a phosphorescent base, whose cone was entirely lit and its point irradiated a yellow-orange light, posed on the ground. When he is at 10 to 20 meters of the thing, the engine stalls and, while his vehicle continues on its impetus, the impression of 'paralysis ' increases while a feeling of increasing heat invades the witness' body."
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 20 October 1954 at 18:30, in Turquenstein, France, "A craft that looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, the top luminous with a yellow or orange point, blocked the road."
The website adds: "In Turquenstein, France at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Schoubrenner, a 25-year-old truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine died, and he felt paralyzed: 'My hands were as though glued to the wheel.' The craft looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, the top luminous with a yellow or orange point."
And: "Mr. Schoubrenner, 25, a truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine died, and he felt paralyzed: "My hands were as though glued to the wheel." The craft looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, the top luminous with a yellow or orange point."
And: "An object was observed. Electromagnetic and physiological effects were noted." "One yellow-orange cone-shaped object, about 20 feet across, about fifty feet away, was observed by one male 25-year-old witness in a forest briefly (Schonbrenner)."
The sources are indicated as: "Guieu, Jimmy, Flying Saucers Come from Another World, Citadel, New York, 1956; Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500), (in JVallee01); Vallee, Jacques, Anatomy of a Phenomenon, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1965; Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Cramp, Leonard G., Piece for a Jig-Saw, Somerton, Isle of Wight, 1966; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Carrouges, Michel, Les Apparitions de Martiens, Fayard, Paris, 1963; Rodeghier, Mark, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, CUFOS, Chicago, 1981; Falla, Geoffrey, Vehicle Interference Project, BUFORA, London, 1979; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".
[Ref. uda2:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that in October 1954 in Turquestein, France, "An object was observed. Electromagnetic and physiological effects were noted. One object was observed."
The source is indicated as Cramp, Leonard G., Piece for a Jig-Saw, Somerton, Isle of Wight, 1966.
[Ref. act1:] "MY LORRAINE" WEBSITE:
That year [1954], some witnesses even went so far as to tell how their vehicles stalled near one of these mysterious devices, such as on October 20, 1954, in Turquestein and then Saint-Quirin (the Moselle) the next day. The paralysis of witnesses is also a recurring element. In Bois-de-Champ, in the Vosges, on April 24, 1954, a woodcutter attempted to cut a saucer with his axe, which had stood before him when he was thrown back and immobilized against a rock. On October 20, 1954, on his way to work at night in Saint-Rémy (near Raon-l'Etape-Vosges), a worker of Slovak origin reported more surprisingly than a silhouette, holding what resembled a revolver, immobilized him before turning to him in an unknown language and then talking... in Russian! Funny "third kind"... When he could finally leave, the stunned man passed in front of a gray vessel with an antenna in the form of a corkscrew. This astonishing testimony of course suffered from the controversy...
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
(142) Oct. 20, 1954 - In Turquenstein, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Schoubrenner, a 25-year-old truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found his road blocked by a strange object. The engine died, and he felt paralyzed: "My hands were as though glued to the wheel." He also felt a sensation of heat inside his vehicle. The craft looked like an inverted cone, the lower part phosphorescent, the middle dull, and the top luminous with a yellow or orange point. (Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, pp. 203-204; Flying Saucers, September 1962, p. 34; Richard Hall, The UFO Evidence, p. 74; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 235, case 294).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case 15 times:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541000 | 00.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | CE II | ||||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | |||||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | |||||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Turquestein | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19540000 | 00.00.1954 | Schirmeck | France | |||||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Schirmeck | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Schirmeck | France | 18.30 | CE II | |||||
| 19541020 | 20.10.1954 | Jarrebourg [sic, Sarrebourg] | France |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 20 1954. 1830hrs.
TURQUESTEIN (MOSELLE : FRANCE)
On Route N-393, 800m from this village, Jean Schoubrenner (25), a truck driver, saw a bright light in the distance and soon found the road blocked by a strange object. When he was within 20m of it, his engine died and he felt paralysed, his hands feeling glued to the wheel. The object looked like an inverted cone, with a phosphorescent lower part, the middle part dull, and the top luminous, with a yellow or orange point. As the car rolled forward Jean felt a sensation of increasing heat in his body. All these symptoms disappeared a few seconds later when the object flew away towards the northwest.
|
Note 1: Jacques Vallée or his typist indicated "Schoubrenner" for patronym for the witness, while Garreau and Lavier indicate "Schonbrenner." Indeed "Schonbrenner" is a common Alsatian (Germanic) patronym while "Schoubrenner" is not so common, but it does exist in the department of Moselle.
Note 2: I wrote what precedes on April 21, 2003, and on May 19, 2010, I got the source [lae1], which indeed spelled "Schonbrenner", which confirms my preceding note.
I would like to point out first of all that the case, as interesting as it is, is the story of a single witness, without "hard evidence", and that it should not therefore be concluded that he really lived what he said he had lived.
Nevertheless, what he describes does not, in my opinion, have an obvious ordinary explanation.
I would give little credit to Barthel and Brucker's statements for the following reasons:
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Turquestein, Turquestein-Blancrupt, Moselle, Schoubrenner, truck, driver, light, bright, road, landing, object, engine, stall, failure, motor, paralyzed, cone, phosphorescent, yellow, orange, point, antenna, silent, heat, Schonbrenner, cone
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 21, 2003 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 24, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lrl1], [jgu1], [goe1], [kbd1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1], [uda2]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | February 27, 2010 | Addition [cft1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | March 6, 2010 | Additions [lcp1], [pbh1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | March 18, 2010 | Addition [hjn1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | May 19, 2010 | Additions [lae1], "Note 2" paragraph. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | June 14, 2010 | Addition [ler1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | June 24, 2010 | Addition [jsc1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | June 30, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | July 3, 2010 | Addition [lcp2]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | October 25, 2014 | Addition [nip1]. |
| 2.0 | Patrick Gross | November 20, 2016 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 2.1 | Patrick Gross | December 14, 2016 | Addition [lgs1]. |
| 2.2 | Patrick Gross | January 26, 2017 | Additions [ask1], [mrr1], [act1]. |
| 2.3 | Patrick Gross | January 7, 2019 | Additions [ous1], [prn1], [lhh1], [prn2], Summary. |
| 2.4 | Patrick Gross | January 3, 2020 | Addition [ppe1]. |
| 2.5 | Patrick Gross | February 26, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. |
| 2.6 | Patrick Gross | January 4, 2021 | Addition [lcx1]. |
| 2.7 | Patrick Gross | September 22, 2021 | Addition [ufa1]. |
| 2.8 | Patrick Gross | May 10, 2022 | Addition [gqy2], [ldl1]. |
| 2.9 | Patrick Gross | June 8, 2022 | Addition [jve4]. |
| 3.0 | Patrick Gross | June 29, 2022 | Addition [jsr1]. |
| 3.1 | Patrick Gross | July 13, 2022 | Addition [gab1]. |
