The 1954 French flap:

Balls, crescent or wickerwork circle...

FLYING SAUCERS
NEW MODEL

according to fertile imaginations

Last Friday, around 9 p.m., a resident of Saint-Just busy preparing the midday meal, saw a saucer near the bell tower; calling her children she pointed to the object. But all three soon realized that it was the sun reflecting in a skylight of the church steeple and with the light fog that remained gave the impression of a fireball suspended in the air.

In Yssingeaux, a merchant saw around 9 p.m., in the sky a large ball ending in a tail producing sparks. The craft descending at a dizzying pace, the observer believed that it was a plane falling in flames. But suddenly, it stopped its course, moved away and disappeared. The phenomenon lasted about 15 minutes.

A saucer
"captured"

But Holland is where the tastiest story comes from. Indeed, a flying saucer from Belgium landed in Limmel, near Masstricht [sic, Maastricht], in Limburg, during the last night.

This is a small unmanned saucer of about 80 centimeters in diameter bearing a number plate: "3 RX Mars" and whose structure is brilliantly simple, such as to shame experts.

It actually consists of a wicker circle covered with silver paper and held in suspension in the air by four large toy balloons. In a kind of basket, fixed to the wicker hoop, a Belgian-made flashlight illuminates the saucer, giving this craft a disturbing appearance at night.