The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 3-oct-54-Billom.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
Many French dailies for October 7, 1954, reported among mumerous other observations, that a saucer had been sighted, moving above Billom, by a group of 30 people.
The saucer, which emitted an intense light, "moved horizontally" and was visible for 3 to 4 minutes "before disappearing".
Later, the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit #125 of May 1973, indicated that it was on October 3, 1954, at 07:45 p.m., that the object was towards Coppel to the south of the witnesses who were more than 30, and that while it had flown horizontally, it had finally erected "vertically to disappear."
[Ref. lme1:] NEWSPAPER "LA MONTAGNE":
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SINCE the mysterious encounter of a farmer from Corrèze with "the man from space" the appearances of flying saucers in the sky of the Auvergne succeeded one another at an accelerated pace.
Not a day goes by without several disturbing testimonies reaching us with new statements from people of good faith on the curious evolutions of these craft which belong more to the field of dreams but not yet to that of the unknown.
Two residents of Clermont, MM. Brun and Martsarem [?] saw a flying saucer on Tuesday a few kilometers from Beaumont. Here is their story:
"It was during a walk in the company of Messrs. Dubois and M[?] that we were amazed to see an aerial vehicle moving; which in our opinion is a flying saucer.
"It was exactly 3:45 p.m. when we saw 500 meters from us a ball that was moving like [?] a few kilometers from Beaumont. But what was not our amazement when the craft approached us. It became less luminescent and gained in [...]. Arrived at 150 meters approximately, we felt a very particular sensation and we were like nailed on the ground. All around us there was an odor of nitro-benzene. A few seconds later, we [...] saw the luminous ball moving [...] above our heads. Then it disappeared."
Mr. Baurreux [?] Avenue de la [Braublieu] also witnessed this curious appearance.
"At [03? 05?]: 27 p.m., as I was about to close the shutters in my bedroom, my gaze was caught by two luminous objects which moved with great rapidity in the cloudy sky."
"Intrigued, I observed this phenomenon with intense curiosity."
"These two round-shaped shiny white craft circled over the city for a moment [...] then landed on the Chanturgue hill."
"More and more curious I took a pair of binoculars that I pointed in the direction of the two craft of which I already suspected the origin."
"Against all expectations and to my great disappointment [?] of these craft which hid almost instantly from my sight [...] then disappeared behind the hill at a very high speed."
NEVERS. -- According to the testimonies of five people whose sincerity cannot be doubted, a flying saucer crossed the sky of Château-Chinon on Sunday evening.
The strange apparition took place around 9 p.m. This time it is an oval-shaped luminous spot remaining motionless at very high altitude.
At one time the spot seemed to separate into two parts and each of the formed discs started spinning at full speed changing color several times, then everything went out and after a few minutes the luminous spot reappeared before splitting again and spinning.
The same phenomenon occurred several times before the eyes, more astonished than frightened, of the five Château-Chinon residents.
Sunday evening at 7:45 p.m. a flying saucer was seen by about twenty people all credible in the Billom sky south of the city in the direction of Coppel.
The craft, extremely bright, remained three to four minutes in its horizontal position while moving quite [...]. Then suddenly stood up vertically and disappeared leaving no trace.
Several people have had time to [...] for [...] the phenomenon because of the intense light that emanated from the saucer.
During the night of Monday to Tuesday shining objects were seen in the sky of Le Puy whose nature was not determined exactly.
Around 8:30 p.m. several of our compatriots saw a craft flying above the Place du Breuil and the Place Michelet which looked like a balloon to which a light would have been attached.
This craft which flew appreciably in the east / west direction passed at about fifteen meters above the sauqre and approximately at the same height above the newly built place Michelet buildings. Its speed could be 7 to 8 kilometers per hour.
Several people followed it for a while in its moves.
A little later, leaving the cinema around 11:30 p.m., several people also saw in the sky, another object whose luminous intensity was variable, of an apparent diameter smaller than that of a football. This craft which moved, it seems, rather quickly at high altitude followed a rectilinear trajectory.
Finally during the afternoon of Tuesday around 3:15 p.m. many passers-by and traders on Boulevard Maréchal Fayolle saw a shiny white object above their heads which rose vertically in the sky.
[Ref. lfo1:] NEWSPAPER "LE FIGARO":
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(CONTINUED)
Cigars, saucers, flying cylinders, fly again in the four corners of France.
Two saucers made an appearance in the sky of Clermont, the first, within ten kilometers of Clermont, moved in west-east direction. Witnesses stated that the machine approached within 150 meters of them while they felt a curious feeling and were "like frozen where they stood"... A strong nitrobenzene odor was perceptible.
The other saucer was seen above the hills of Chanturgues, close to Clermont. It evolved vertically and was of a brilliant white.
A saucer was also seen in Billom by a group of thirty people. The machine evolved above the city. It moved horizontally. It was visible during 3 or 4 minutes before disappearing. An intense light was produced by the apparatus.
(Continued on page 11, col. 7 and 8)
Note: the next part of the article can be read here.
[Ref. lml1:] NEWSPAPER "LE MERIDIONAL":
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CLERMONT-FERRAND. -- Two saucers were seen yesterday in the sky of Clermont. The first within 10 kilometers of Beaumont, at 03:45 p.m., it moved in a west to east direction.
The witnesses stated that the machine approached them and became less and less brilliant.
When it was not any more than within 150 meters they felt a "weird feeling" and were like nailed on the spot.
At this time an odor of nitro-benzene emerged. Soon the machine moved away, faintness ceased and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the hills of Chanturgu close to Clermont. It moved vertically and was of a brilliant white color.
A saucer was also seen in Billom by a group of 30 people. The machine moved above the city. It moved horizontally. It was visible during three or four minutes before disappearing. An intense light emerged from the apparatus.
In St-Brieux [sic] several people saw a flying saucer which took the shape of a cigar before disappearing. They were able to observe it during more than one hour.
The same phenomenon was noted in Trégueux where a cyclist returned home frightened by what he had seen.
In Thouare-sur-Vie, (the Vendée) witnesses saw in the sky ten luminous objects having a lengthened shape and passing at a very high speed and high altitude.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 under the title SAUCERS AND CIGARS
[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":
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Quimper, October 6. -
- Around 4 yesterday morning, Mr. Pierre Lucas, worker-baker in Loctudy (Finistère), who was busy fetching water from the courtyard of the bakery, suddenly saw in the night a machine in the shape of a 2.50 m. to 3 m. of diameter saucer. He saw an individual about 1.20 m. tall come out of it, who approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, articulating unintelligible words. The worker-baker managed to keep his cool and went back to the bakery where the stranger followed him.
In the light, Mr. Lucas could stare at the visitor: he had an oval face, all covered with hair and eyes the size of a crow's egg. The young man called his boss, but before he had time to go down, the stranger had disappeared, as had his saucer, of which no trace was found.
A Concarneau beer merchant said that he saw two luminous discs in the sky in the shape of round tables extended by a kind of tail. One of the disks was stationary while the other was moving nearby. The two discs disappeared after ten minutes after launching a rocket.
Mantua, October 6. -
Traffic was interrupted for more than an hour in central Mantua by people gathered to observe a strange "white object" which, at a high height, stood out clearly against the background of the blue sky.
After having carried out extremely rapid moves the machine, of spherical shape - and which according to certain witnesses, was part of "a formation of flying saucer" -, remained for some time motionless in the sky, before it disappeared on the horizon.
On the other hand, the "Martians" seem to want to also visit Italy. In fact, a fisherman from Roverbella, in the province of Mantua, said that he had been approached last night by a "mysterious individual", dressed in red, who allegedly addressed "unintelligible words" to him, and who quickly walked away before the fisherman has had time to call his wife.
Clermont-Ferrand, Oct. 6 -
Two saucers were seen yesterday in the Clermont sky. The first, 10 km from Beaumont, at 3:45 p.m. It was moving west-east. The witnesses declared that the object approached them and became less and less brilliant. When it was only 150 meters away they felt a "curious feeling" and were nailed to the spot. At that time there was an odor of nitro-benzine. Soon the craft moved away the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the hills of Chanturgue, near Clermont. It moved vertically and was bright white.
A saucer was also seen in Billom by a group of 30 people. The craft was flying above the city. It was moving horizontally. It was visible for 3 or 4 minutes before disappearing. Intense light was emitted from the craft.
[Ref. hmr1:] NEWSPAPER "LE HAUT-MARNAIS REPUBLICAIN":
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Quimper. At about four o'clock on Tuesday morning Mr. Pierre Lucas, a baker at Loctudy (Finistere), who was busy getting water from the bakery yard, suddenly saw in the night a machine in the shape of a saucer of 2 m. 50 to 3 meters in diameter. He saw an individual measuring about 1 m. 20 who approached him and patted him on the shoulder, uttering unintelligible words. The baker's workman managed to keep his cool and went back to the bakery where the stranger followed him.
In the light, Mr. Lucas was able to stare at the visitor: his face was oval, covered with hair, and eyes as large as a corbel's egg. The young man called his boss, but before the latter had the time to come down, the stranger had disappeared as well as his saucer, of which there no trace was found.
A beer-dealer of Concarneau, for his part, declared that he saw in the sky two luminous disks of the form of round tables extended with a sort of tail. One of the discs was motionless while the other was maneuvering nearby. The two disks disappeared after ten minutes after launching a rocket.
Mantua. -- The traffic was interrupted for more than one hour in the center of Mantova by groups of people gathered to observe a strange "white object" which moved, at a high altitude, clearly visible on the background of the blue sky.
After performing extremely rapid maneuvers, the sphere-shaped apparatus - which, according to some witnesses, was part of a "flying saucer formation" - stood motionless in the sky for some time before it disappeared on the horizon.
On the other hand, the "Martians" seem to want to visit Italy too. Indeed, a fisherman from Roverbella, in the province of Mantua, said he was approached last night by a "mysterious individual", dressed in red, who reportedly told him "unintelligible words", and who reportedly quickly moved away before the fisher had the time to call his wife.
Saint Brieuc. -- Several residents of Saint-Brieuc saw last night, a flying saucer that took the form of a cigar before disappearing. They were able to observe it for over an hour.
The same phenomenon was observed in Trégueux where a cyclist returned home frightened by what he had seen.
Two saucers were seen in the sky of Clermont. The first, 10 kilometers from Beaumont. It moved west to east. Witnesses said the craft moved closer to them and became less and less brilliant. When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a "curious sensation" and were nailed to the spot. At this time, there was an odor of nitro-benzine. Soon the craft moved away, the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the hills of Chanturgues, near Clermont. It moved vertically and was of a brilliant white.
A saucer was also spotted in Billom by a group of 30 people. The craft moved over the city. It moved horizontally. It was visible for three or four minutes before disappearing. An intense light emanated from the craft.
The newspaper of Coulommiers "Le Pays Briard" publishes a letter sent by one of its readers, Mr. E. Farnier, member of the Society of Civil Engineers of France, about a flying saucer.
In this letter Mr. Farnier stated that he saw above his property at Jouy-sur-Morin a large disc of 8 to 10 meters in diameter, rotating on the spot, with red-violet lights, making a whistling sound a bit similar to that of the arrival of a jet plane. The craft was about 400 meters high and hovered for more than 20 minutes above me", Mr. Farnier said, "so had all the time to check it out. The machine then disappeared in the direction of Coulommiers."
In his letter, Mr. Farnier specified:
"Former commissioner with the Aero-Club of France, having served in the aviation, I was not the victim of a hallucination and this machine was not a sounding-balloon, but a thick circular wing hovering on the spot and moving at very high speed gradually taking altitude."
[Ref. pce1:] NEWSPAPER "LE POPULAIRE DU CENTRE":
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Paris, October 6 (A.F.P) - Several Parisians said they saw yesterday afternoon flying saucers moving in the sky of the capital, passersby claimed to have seen one around 4:30 p.m., near the Porte Dorée.
Mr. Pierre Allouis, a cartoon trader, went to his business by taxi, when the vehicle was stopped by a red traffic light. Hearing, he said, a hissing whistling sound, he looked through the door and saw a flying machine flying high, leaving in its wake a plume of smoke.
Mr. Allouis describes the saucer as a disc larger than a normal plane, silver-colored.
The same testimony was given by Mr. Gilbert Bacon, residing at 25, Faubourg Saint-Antoine, and by Mr. Paul Julien, a painter, who lives at 3, rue de la Pompe. The latter, however, believes that it is not a flying saucer but a flying wing that has the shape of a triangle with rounded edges.
At Le Bourget, it is explained that, given the intensity of air traffic, it is impossible to confirm by radar the passage of the craft at the insufficiently precise hour. On the other hand, the radar cannot record the passage of a heavier than the air more than by a luminous spot whatever the nature of the craft is.
[Missing part]
time. The first 10 kilometers from Beaumont at 3:45 p.m. It was moving in a westerly direction.
Witnesses said the craft moved closer to them and became less and less brilliant.
When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a curious sensation and were nailed to the spot. At this point there was an odor of nitro-benzine. Soon the craft moved away, the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared. The other saucer was seen above the coasts of Chanturges, near Clermont. It moved vertically and was of a brilliant white.
A saucer was also spotted in Billom by a group of 30 people. The craft moved over the city. It moved horizontally. It was visible for three or four minutes before disappearing. An intense light emanated from the apparatus.
Mr. Desbordes of St-Bonnet-de-Bellac said he had seen last Sunday a luminous disk heading for Mézières-sur-Issoire. The machine stopped for several minutes before disappearing to the west. Several people have observed the phenomenon.
[Ref. nmn1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-MATIN":
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Around 4 a.m. yesterday morning, M. Pierre Lucas, a baker in Loctudy (Finistère) who was busy fetching water from the bakery courtyard, suddenly saw a machine in the shape of a 2 m saucer overnight. 50 to 3 meters in diameter. He saw an individual about 1 m tall come out of it. 20 who approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, articulating unintelligible words. The worker-baker managed to keep his cool by going back to the bakery where the individual followed him.
In the light Mr. Lucas was able to stare at the visitor: he had an oval face, all covered with hair and eyes the size of a crow's egg. The young man called his boss but, before he had time to come down, the stranger had disappeared as well as the saucer of which no trace was found.
A Concarneau beer merchant stated that he saw in the sky two luminous discs in the shape of round tables extended of a kind of tail. One of the disks was stationary while the other was moving nearby. The two discs disappeared after ten minutes after launching a rocket.
Two saucers were seen on Tuesday around 6:45 p.m. near Clermont-Ferrand, the first, 10 kilometers from Beaumont. The witnesses declared that the object approached them and became less and less brilliant. When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a "curious feeling" and were frozen on the spot. At that time there was a smell of nitro-benzine. As soon as the craft moved away, the discomfort ceased and the "saucer" disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the Chanturgue hill, near Clermont. It moved vertically and was bright white.
A saucer was also seen in Billom by a group of 30 people.
- Several residents of Saint-Brieuc saw on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, a flying saucer which took the shape of a cigar before disappearing. They were able to observe it for over an hour.
The same phenomenon was observed in Trégueux where a cyclist returned home frightened by what he had seen.
- Several people from Thouare-sur-Vie (Vendée) also saw in the sky a dozen luminous objects having an elongated shape and passing at a very high speed and at high altitude.
Last Monday, around 8:10 p.m. while he was maneuvering the American S8, doctor Leven, in the airlock of the Watier lock in Dunkirk, captain Emmanuel Dubois, 20-year-old, 34 rue Carnot in Mers-les-Bains saw a white glow that ran along the coast, heading from East to West.
Observing this phenomenon for several seconds, he suddenly thought of the flying saucers and called his crew to make them check out what he saw. But when the first sailor arrived, the glow had suddenly disappeared.
Yesterday around 10:15 a.m., while waiting for the bus, 3 residents of Cassel, MM. Guy Ver[?]ghe, 27, Grand-Place, Romain Scheerf, rue de Lille and Guy M[?] rue Constant Moncelay, saw a reddish disc in the shape of a saucer which moved a few hundred meters above their heads.
After observing the phenomenon for a good minute, they saw it suddenly disappear on the horizon.
In the evening of Sunday an orange "disc" moving at near ground level was seen and observed at length by several residents of Boves and Demuin near Amiens. The statements of these individuals, collected separately, are absolutely consistent. The "orange disc" followed almost at ground level, a west-east direction.
Another testimony confirms the presence of this saucer in the Picardy sky. It is a baker from Moreuil, this time, who reports it. Mr. and Mrs. Dedier, indeed returned from Moreuil, with their children Mr. and Mrs. Quenneben, when, around 9:15 p.m., between Foucaucourt and Estrées, they saw the luminous object.
Same description as that given by previous witnesses, same observations on the direction of travel.
But the most astonishing tale is that of a shopkeeper from Amiens, Mrs. Nelly Mansart, grocer, 8 rue de la Mari[]e who, Sunday returned from Hérissart. Mrs. Mansart was accompanied by neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Delaf[?]rée.
Motorists had just left Hérissart when they saw a bright ball in the sky which, when better observed, then appeared to them like a rim of a bright orange mushroom. The diameter was about 6 to 8 meters. The "mushroom" let escape from its upper part, flames turning from purple to greenish, while some kind of cables hung below.
Mrs. Mansart, who was driving the car, was frightened, all the more so since the "saucer" seemed to follow the progress of the car, standing at a distance of about 130 meters and flying at low speed.
When we crossed a village, Mrs. Mansart said, the craft bypassed it and reappeared at the exit, It followed us like this for ten kilometers approximately.
When I left Pierregot, I stopped. The saucer stopped and waited, turning in a spiral for three or four hundred meters. As I restarted, it followed us again.
It was only in Raineville, near Amiens, that the craft left us definitively, heading west to get lost in infinity at a prodigious speed."
You will agree that this is an impressive story. We must also add that of a butcher of Rue (Somme), Mr. Galland who with his wife and son, was returning from Berck by car. They too were followed, for a time, by a mysterious craft of elongated shape and orange in color.
The object was flying at low altitude at a speed not exceeding 30 per hour. It finally disappeared in the direction of St-Quentin-en-Tourmont, towards the sea.
Other people also observed the phenomenon, always at the same time, around 9 p.m., Sunday evening.
The discovery of generous distributions of (fake) saucers by a Beuvry retiree caused a stir and the police, like the gendarmerie, endeavored to seek yesterday the disturbances which could have been caused by the persistent joke of Mr. D'Oliveira.
How many people have mistaking the paper balloons, cleverly adjusted by the Portuguese, for mysterious spacecraft from Mars? We will probably never know.
It was possible that the numerous Sunday appearances throughout northern France were caused by the Beuvry resident. But no, we have to find another explanation for these. Because, that Sunday, Mr. D'Oliveira had not devoted to his favorite pastime. This point could be quickly verified. What could have troubled the brave Santennese?
Certainly, if one of these craft had struck against a haystack, it caused the risk of causing a fire. Mr. D'Oliveira protested moreover forcefully: he uses, as he says, asbestos, thus taking all precautions. And yet the hot air balloon landed at Sailly-Labourse was indeed starting to burn, three meters from a haystack by the way.
And that's why Mr. D'Oliveira will "benefit" from a fine. Could this be the end of his invention? An old law of May 31, 1924, rules the use of aircraft, establishing that they can only be launched into the sky with the authorization of the prefect, on the advice of the mayor.
And the legal requirements define that any object capable of rising in the air must be considered as an aircraft.
These are therefore 5,000 aircraft that Mr. D'Oliveira has delivered to the clouds!
Rest assured that he will not be a fined for all of them, he began his exploits before 1918, at a time when that law did not exist. And there is prescription for crimes prior to 1931.
This being stated very seriously, of course.
[Ref. jps1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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Paris, 6. -- Several Parisians have seen flying saucers moving in the sky of the capital. Passers-by claimed to have seen one near the Porte Dorée.
Mr. Pierre Allouis, a cardboard representative, was on his way to his business by taxi when the vehicle was stopped by a red traffic light. Hearing, he said, a shrill whistling sound, he looked out of the door and saw a flying object escaping high, leaving in its wake a plume of smoke.
Mr. Allouis describes the saucer as a disc larger than a normal plane and silver in color.
The same testimony is given by Mr. Gilbert Bacon, living at 25, faubourg St-Antoine, and by Mr. Paul Julien, house painter who lives at 3, rue de la Pompe. The latter, however, believes that it is not a saucer but a flying wing that takes the shape of a triangle with rounded edges.
At Le Bourget, it is explained that, given the intensity of air traffic, it is impossible to confirm by radar the passage of the craft at an insufficiently specified hour. Also, the radar can only record the passage of a heavier-than-air by a luminous spot regardless of the nature of the craft.
Clermont - Ferrand. -- Two saucers were seen in the Clermont sky. The first 10 kms from Beaumont. It was moving West-East. The witnesses declared that the object approached them and became less and less brilliant. When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a "curious feeling" and were like
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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(Continued from the first page)
nailed on the spot. At that moment there was a smell of nitro-benzine. Soon the craft moved away, the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the hills of Chanturgues near Clermont. It moved vertically and was bright white.
A saucer also appeared in Billom to a group of 30 people. The craft was flying above the city. It was moving horizontally. It was visible for 3 or 4 minutes before disappearing. A bright light was emitted from the craft.
Saint - Brieuc. -- Several residents of Saint-Brieuc saw a flying saucer which took the shape of a cigar before disappearing. They were able to observe it for over an hour.
The same phenomenon was observed in Trégueux where a cyclist went home frightened by what he had seen.
La Rochelle. -- Several people from Thouare-sur-Vie (Vendée) saw in the sky ten luminous objects having an elongated shape and which passed at very high speed and high altitude.
La Rochelle. -- Mr. and Mrs. Guillemoteau were in front of their farm when they saw, about a meter from the ground, a spherical saucer which might have measured 2 to 3 meters in height and with a diameter of 5 meters. The craft, which produced no noise, stopped for a few minutes, then climbed vertically. Mr. Guillemoteau, the next day, went to the place where he had seen the craft and was able to find oily traces on the grass.
Finally, saucers, discs, cigars, spheres and other flying objects were seen in Quend (Somme), Grandvilliers (territory of Belfort), in Magnac-Laval (Haute-Vienne), in Saint-Jean-d'Angély (Charente-Maritime), in Forges (Corrèze), Perros-Guirec (Côtes du Nord), etc., etc.
Mantua, 6. -- Traffic was interrupted for more than an hour in central Mantua by groups of people gathered to observe a strange "white object" which, at a high height, was clearly visible on the blue sky background.
After having carried out extremely rapid moves, the craft, of spherical shape - and which according to certain witnesses, was part of "a formation of flying saucers" - remained for some time motionless in the sky, before disappearing on the horizon.
Also, the "Martians" seem to also want to visit Italy. Indeed, a Roverbella fisherman in the province of Mantua, said that he had been approached by a "mysterious individual", dressed in red, who reportedly talked to him in "unintelligible words" and who reportedly quickly moved away before the fisherman had time to call his wife.
[Ref. ads1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ARDENNAIS":
A few days ago, a French radio broadcaster complained bitterly of the disdain that the "Uranids" and their heavenly vehicles were showing towards the capital. Only the inhabitants of the countryside seemed to interest the interplanetary travelers who approached them willingly and even tried to enter into conversation with them. Well, it was not an arbitrary privilege. Injustice is repaired. Paris, the big city, had its flying saucers!
Several Parisians have indeed said they saw, Tuesday afternoon, a craft moving in the sky. Passersby claimed to have seen one around 04:30 p.m., near the Porte Dorée.
Mr. Pierre Allouis, salesman in carboard, went to his business by taxi, when the vehicle was stopped by a red light; Hearing, he said, a shrill whistling sound, he looked out of the door and saw a flying craft escaping high, leaving a plume of smoke in its wake.
Mr. Allouis describes the saucer as a disc bigger than a normal plane and silver. The same testimony is given by Mr. Gilbert Bacon and Mr. Paul Julien, a house painter. The latter, however, believe that it is not a saucer but a flying wing that affects the shape of a triangle with rounded edges.
At Le Bourget, it is explained that given the intensity of the air traffic, it is impossible to confirm by radar the passage of the craft at the insufficiently specified time. On the other hand, the radar cannot record the passage of a heavier than air more than by a bright spot regardless of the nature of the craft.
(Continued from the first page.)
LEZIGNAN. -- Two inhabitants of Lezignan, Messrs. André Garcia and André Darzens, who were driving in a truck on the departmental road D3, claimed to have seen a disc-shaped machine land in a field between the village of Lagrasse and the hamlet of Villemagne (Aude).
The craft, they said, was about ten meters in diameter. Before they could get close, it surrounded them in a bright glow and disappeared.
BERGERAC. -- Mr. Jean Defix, firefighter at Bergerac, and Mr. Jean Labonne, said that they saw a luminous disk about 3 meters in diameter, supported by three crutches, in the garden of the latter.
DINAN. -- In Megrit (Côtes du Nord), a young farmer, Mr. Henri Leherissé, said he saw in the yard of his farm a craft with a diameter of about 1 meter, around which appeared two human forms, immobile and the size of a child.
NEVERS. -- In Nevers, five residents of Château-Chinon said they saw Monday evening, at very high altitude, a kind of bright spot that split into two discs. These, they say, began to turn by changing color several times.
DUNKIRK. -- A Dunkirk merchant had, several days ago, said to have seen strange luminous objects in the sky of Bray-Dunes. An investigation had been opened. It concluded that they were two military planes whose metal coating had been misleading.
CLERMONT-FERRAND. -- Two saucers were seen Tuesday in the sky of Clermont. The first 10 kilometers from Beaumont at 03:45 p.m. It was moving west-east. Witnesses testified that the craft got closer to them and became less and less brilliant.
When they were only 150 meters away, they felt a "curious sensation" and were nailed to the spot. At that moment there was a smell of nitro-benzene. Soon the machine moved away, the discomfort ceased, and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was sighted over the hills of Chanturgue, near Clermont. It was moving vertically and was bright white.
A saucer was also sighted in Billom by a group of 30 people. The craft was moving over the city. It was moving horizontally. It was visible for 3 to 4 minutes before disappearing. An intense light emanated from the craft.
SAINT-BRIEUC. -- Several residents of Saint-Brieuc saw, during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, a flying saucer that took the shape of a cigar before disappearing. They could watch it for over an hour.
The same phenomenon was noted in Trégueux where a cyclist returned home frightened by what he had seen.
LA ROCHELLE. -- In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, several people from Thouare-sur-Vie (Vendée) saw in the sky a dozen luminous objects having an elongated shape and passing at a very high speed and high altitude.
LA ROCHELLE. -- Mr. and Mrs. Guillemoteau were standing in front of their farm when they saw about one meter from the ground, a spherical saucer measuring 2 to 3 meters in height and 5 meters in diameter.
The machine, which produced no noise, stopped for a few minutes, then climbed vertically. Mr. Guillemoteau went to the place where he had seen the machine the next day and was able to note oily traces on the grass.
QUIMPER. -- Around 4 o'clock Tuesday morning, Mr. Pierre Lucas, baker worker in Loctudy (Finistère), who was busy drawing water from the bakery yard, suddenly saw in the night a craft of the shape of a saucer 2 m 50 to 3 m in diameter. He saw an individual about 1m20 come out of it and hit him on the shoulder while uttering unintelligible words.
The baker's worker managed to keep his cool and returned to the bakehouse where the stranger followed him. In the light, Mr. Lucas could stare at the visitor. His face was hairy and his eyes were the size of a raven's egg. The young man called his boss, but before he had time to go down, the stranger had disappeared as well as his saucer of which no trace was found.
A Concarneau beer merchant, for his part, said he saw in the sky two luminous discs of the shape of round tables prolonged by a kind of tail. One of the disks was motionless while the other was moving nearby. Both disks disappeared after ten minutes after having launching a rocket.
MANTUA. -- The traffic was interrupted for more than an hour in the center of Mantua by groups of people gathered to observe a strange "white object" which, at a high height stood out clearly on the background of the blue sky.
After making extremely rapid maneuvers, the spherical machine - which according to some witnesses, was part of "a flying saucer formation" - remained motionless for some time in the sky, before disappear on the horizon.
On the other hand, the "Uranids" seem to want to visit the whole peninsula. Indeed, a fisherman from Roverbella, in the province of Mantua, said he was approached during the night by a a mysterious individual, dressed in red, who would have told him "unintelligible words" and who would have moved away quickly before the fisherman had time to call his wife.
Finally, a host of testimonials of saucers, disks, cigars, spheres and other flying objects having been seen in Quend (Somme), in Grandvillars (Belfort territory), in Magnac-Laval (Haute-Vienne), in Saint-Jean-d'Angely (Charente-Maritime), in Forges (Corrèze), in Perros-Guirrec (Côtes-du-Nord).
Finally, to a host of testimonials that may be doubted can be added some information such as the one we produce below, the indisputable seriousness of which leaves the most skeptical speechless.
MELUN. -- The Coulommiers newspaper, "Le Pays Briard", publishes a letter sent by one of their readers, Mr. Eugène Farnier, a member of the Society of Civil Engineers of France, about a flying saucer.
In this letter, Mr. Farnier states that he saw above his property, in Jouy-sur-Morin, a big disc of 8 to 10 meters in diameter "turning on itself", letting out red-violet gleams, with a tail reminding a little of the arrival of a jet plane. "The craft was about 400 meters above the ground and it was more above me for than 20 minutes," said Mr. Farnier, "so I had the opportunity to examine it well." The craft then disappeared in the direction of Coulommiers."
In his letter Mr. Farnier said: "Former Commissioner of the French Flying Club, having been in the aviation, I could not be a victim of hallucination. This machine was not a balloon but a thick wing hovering on the spot and moving at a very high speed while gradually taking height."
[Ref. rln1:] NEWSPAPER "LE REPUBLICAIN LORRAIN":
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Quimper. -- Around 4 o'clock in the morning, Mr. Pierre Lucas, a bakery worker in Loctudy (Finistère), who was busy drawing water from the courtyard of the bakery, suddenly saw in the night a craft in the shape of a saucer of 2 meters 50 to 3 meters in diameter.
The baker managed to keep his cool and returned to the bakery, where the stranger followed him.
In the light, Mr. Lucas was able to stare at the visitor. He had an oval face, all covered with hair and eyes the size of a crow's egg.
The young man called his boss, but before he had time to come down, the nocturnal stranger had disappeared, as well as his saucer, of which no trace was found.
A beer merchant from Concarneau, for his part, declared having seen in the sky two luminous discs in the form of extended round tables with a kind of tail.
One of the discs was stationary while the other was moving nearby. Both disks disappeared after 10 minutes after launching a rocket.
A "curious sensation in Clermont
Clermont-Ferrand. -- Two saucers were seen in the Clermont sky. The first ten kilometers from Beaumont, at 4:45 p.m.. It was moving in a west-east direction. Witnesses said the craft approached them and became less and less bright. When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a "curious sensation" and were like rooted to the spot. At this moment there was a smell of nitro-benzine. Soon the craft moved away, the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the hill of Chanturgue near Clermont. It moved vertically and was of a brilliant white.
A saucer was also seen in Billom by a group of thirty people. The craft was flying above the town. It was moving horizontally. It was visible for three or four minutes before disappearing. An intense light emanated from the craft.
A group of ten
La Rochelle. -- Last night, several people from Thouare-sur-Vie (Vendée) saw about ten shiny objects in the sky [...?...] MM. André Gardin and André Darsens, who were driving in a truck on the road [...?...] claimed to have seen a disc-shaped craft land in a field between the village of Lagrasse and the hamlet of Villemagne (Aude).
The craft, they said, was about ten meters in diameter. Before they could approach it, it surrounded itself with a blinding glow and disappeared.
Everywhere
Bergerac. -- Mr. Jean Defiz, firefighter in Bergerac, and Mr. Jean Labonne, claimed to have seen landing in the garden of the latter, a luminous disc about three meters in diameter, [...?...] by three crutches.
Dinan. -- In Mégrit (Côtes-du-Nord), a young farmer, Mr. Henri Lehérissé, claimed to have seen in the yard of his farm a craft with a diameter of about one meter inside which appeared two human shapes, motionless and the size of a child.
Nevers. -- At [?], Five residents of Château-Chinon (Nièvre) declared having seen, at very high altitude, a sort of luminous spot; which split into two disks. The object, they say, began to rotate, changing color several times.
Dunkirk. -- A resident of Dunkirk had, several days ago, declared having seen strange luminous objects in the sky of Bray-Dunes. An investigation had been opened. It concluded that they were two military aircraft whose metallic coating could have caused the illusion.
Finally, saucers, discs, cigars, spheres and other flying objects were seen at Granvillars (Territoire de Belfort), at Magnac-Laval (Haute-Vienne), at Saint-Jean-d'Assé (Charente-Maritime), at [...?...], (Côtes-du-Nord).
[Ref. las1:] NEWSPAPER "LIBRE ARTOIS":
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Around 4 a.m. yesterday morning Mr. Pierre Lucas, a baker in Loctudy (Finistère), who was busy fetching water from the bakery courtyard suddenly saw a machine in the shape of a saucer 2.5 to 3 meters in diameter in the night.
He saw an individual about 1.20 m tall come out of it, who approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, articulating unintelligible words. The worker baker managed to keep his cool and returned to the bakery where the stranger followed him.
In the light, Mr. Lucas could stare at the visitor: his face was oval, all covered with hair and eyes the size of a crow's egg. The young man called his boss but, before he had time to go down, the stranger had disappeared as well as his saucer, of which no trace was found.
A Concarneau beer merchant said that he saw two luminous discs in the sky of the shape of an extended round table with a kind of tail. One of the disks was stationary, while the other was moving nearby. The two discs disappeared after ten minutes after launching a rocket.
Saucers were seen on Tuesday around 3:15 p.m., near Clermont-Ferrand, the first, 10 kilometers from Beaumont.
The witnesses said that the craft approached them and became less and less brilliant. When it was only 150 meters away, they felt a "weird sensation" and were like nailed in place. At this time a smeel of nitro-benzine was released. Soon the craft went away, the discomfort ceased and the saucer disappeared.
The other saucer was seen above the hill of Chanturgue, near Clermont. It moved vertically and was bright white.
A saucer was also spotted in Billom by a group of 30 people.
- Several residents of Saint-Brieuc saw in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, a flying saucer which took the form of a cigar before disappearing. They were able to observe it for over an hour.
The same phenomenon was observed in Trégueux where a cyclist returned home frightened by what he had seen.
Several people from Thouars-sur-Vie (Vendée) also saw in the sky a dozen luminous objects having an elongated shape and passing at very high speed and high altitude.
Last Monday, around 8:20 p.m., while he was maneuvering the American S.S. "Doctor Lyren" in the lock of the Wattier lock in Dunkirk, captain Emmanuel Dubois, aged 30, 34, rue Carnot, in Malo-les-Bains, saw a white glow running along the coast, heading east to west.
Observing this phenomenon for several seconds, he suddenly thought of the flying saucers and called his crew to make them check what he was seeing. But when the first sailor arrived, the glow had suddenly disappeared.
Yesterday around 10:15 a.m., while waiting for the bus, three residents of Cassel, MM. Guy Verbruggue, 17, Grand'Place; Romain Schoerf, rue de Lille, and Guy Hennion, rue Constant-Moncelay, saw a reddish disc in the shape of a saucer which moved a few hundred meters above their heads.
After observing the phenomenon for a good minute, they suddenly saw it disappear on the horizon.
In the evening of Sunday, an orange "disc" moving at near ground level was seen and observed for a long time by several residents of Boves and of Démuin, near Amiens. The statements of these individuals, collected separately, are absolutely consistent. The orange disc followed almost at ground level, an west - east direction.
Another testimony confirms the presence of this saucer in the Picardy sky, the evening of last Sunday. It is a baker from Moreuil, this time, who brings it. Mr. and Mrs. Dédié, indeed returned from Moreuil, with their children, Mr. and Mrs. Quenehem, when, around 9:15 p.m., between Foucaucourt and Estrées, they saw the luminous object.
Same description as that given by previous witnesses, same observations on the direction of travel.
But the most astonishing tale is that of a shopkeeper from Amiens, Mrs. Nelly Mansart, grocer, 5, rue de la Marlière, who returned from Hérissart on Sunday. Mrs. Mansart was accompanied by neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Delarouzée.
The motorists had just left Hérissart, when they saw, in the sky, a dazzling ball which, better observed, appeared to them enormous like a rim of bright orange mushroom. The diameter was around 6 to 8 meters. The mushroom let escape from its upper part, flames turning from purple to greenish, while some kind of cables hung below.
Mrs. Mansart, who was driving the car, was frightened, all the more since the "saucer" seemed to follow the moves of the car, standing at a distance of about 150 meters and flying at near ground level.
"When we passed through a village, declared Mrs. Mansart, the object bypassed it and reappeared at the exit. It followed us like this for approximately 10 kilometers.
"On leaving Pierregot, I stopped. The saucer stopped and waited, turning in a spiral, for three or four hundred meters. As I started again, it followed us again.
"It was only in Rainneville, near Amiens, that the craft left us definitively in the direction of the West to get lost in infinity at a prodigious speed."
You will agree that this is an impressive story. We must also add that of a Rue (Somme) butcher, M. Galland, who with his wife and son returned from Berck by car. They too were followed, for a time, by a mysterious craft of elongated shape and orange in color.
The object was flying at low altitude at a speed not exceeding 50 per hour. It finally disappeared in the direction of Saint-Quentin-en-Tourmont, towards the sea.
Other people also observed the phenomenon, always at the same hour, around 9:00 p.m., Sunday evening.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
about October 5 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
? [=unknown hour]: Billom (Puy-de-Dôme)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
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6°) October 3. - Billom (07:45 p.m.).
More than 30 witnesses see an object in the S towards Coppel, moving horizontally and standing vertically to disappear.
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that in Billom in the Puy-de-Dome, on October 3, 1954, at 07:45 p.m., about thirty people saw "an extremely shining machine, evolving during three to four minutes in the horizontal position then, after having put itself vertically, disappeared without leaving traces."
They say the source is a newspaper article.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
3936: 1954/10/03 19:50 4 3:20:40 E 45:44:00 N 3333 WEU FRN PDD 6:B
BILLOM,FR:30+OBS:BRILL OBJ CCLS+MNVRS:^+AWAY:TYPE UNK:NO TRACES:/LDLN#125
Ref# 30 FIGEUT[sic]&RUCHON: OVNI: Le 1er Dossier Page No. 115 : TOWN &CITY
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that in 1954, on October 3 in France in Billom (Puy de Dôme), about thirty people see towards 19:45, an extremely shining machine, evolving during 3 to 4 minutes in the horizontal position, then, after having taken a vertical position, disappear without leaving any trace.
The source is indicated as "M. FIGUET/ J.L. RUCHON: "Ovni, Premier dossier complet..." Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 115."
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the "Puy de Dômes" [sic] in Billom on October 3, 1954 at 19:45 hours, about thirty people see "an extremely shining machine, evolving during three to four minutes in the horizontal position then, after taking a vertical position it disappears without leaving traces".
Luc Chastan indicates as source "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded the case 4 times:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541005 | 05.10.1954 | Billom | France | NL | ||||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Billom | France | |||||||
| 19541003 | 03.10.1954 | Clermont Ferrand | France | 21.00 | NL | |||||
| 19541003 | 03.10.1954 | Clermont Ferrand | France | NL |
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Possible jet fighter plane.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Billom, Puy-de-Dôme, Coppel, object, multiple, manoeuvers, horizontal, duration, luminous
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | June 25, 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | January 9, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | August 15, 2010 | Addition [lml1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | January 9, 2017 | Additions [hmr1], [pce1], [ubk1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | May 21, 2019 | Additions [ads1], [ldl1], [lhh1], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | April 14, 2020 | Addition [nmn1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | May 15, 2020 | Addition [las1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | June 7, 2020 | Addition [nll1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | July 7, 2020 | Addition [jps1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | February 10, 2021 | Addition [lme1]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | March 9, 2022 | Addition [rnl1]. |
| 2.0 | Patrick Gross | May 5, 2022 | Addition [gqy1]. |
