ALSACAT-1954-10-16-STRASBOURG-2
The regional newspaper L'Alsace for October 19, 1954, reported that at 09:35 p.m., in Strasbourg, nine people "who were enjoying the warmth of the evening at the bar of the flying club, at the Polygone, also saw the same craft through the night sky from east to west."
"Same craft" refers to other observations so far documented elsewhere in this catalog. Another newspaper said it was "a shining machine, having the shape of a melon, and leaving a trace of two meters of white-orange color, that flew above the area of the Bas-Rhin."
| Date: | October 16, 1954 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 09:35 p.m. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | October 19, 1954 |
| Reporting delay: | 3 days. |
| Department: | Bas-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Strasbourg |
| Place: | From the Flying Club bar at Le Polygone, UFO in the sky. |
| Latitude: | 48.550 |
| Longitude: | 7.766 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 200 m |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 9 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Witness(es) ages: | Adults. |
| Witness(es) types: | ? |
| Reporting channel: | Regional Press. |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | From the Flying Club bar in a big city, UFO in the sky. |
| Visibility conditions: | Night |
| UFO observed: | Yes |
| UFO arrival observed: | Yes |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes |
| Entities: | ? |
| Photographs: | ? |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Hynek: | NL |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: | Probably the meteor of October 16, 1954 at 09:35 p.m. |
[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":
After cigars, brooms, barrels, it is now the "melons" that appear in the sky of Alsace. In fact, many people claim to have seen a shining machine on Saturday night, in the form of a melon, and leaving a white-orange trail of two meters, flying over the Bas-Rhin.
This has indeed been observed not only in Strasbourg but also Niederhaslach, Haguenau and Wissembourg. Finally, in the Haut-Rhin, people also saw a craft that seems to be the same crossing the Bas-Rhin sky at a frightening speed.
It is at 07:30 p.m. that the phenomenon was observed for the first time on Saturday night in Strasbourg. Three people near the EDF plant on the street of Hobsheim saw a craft shining with light and in the shape of a bowler hat who spun in the sky.
At 9:35 p.m. nine people were enjoying the warmth of the evening at the bar of the flying club, at the Polygone, also saw the same craft cross the night sky from east to west. The same description was given by a dozen young people in Niederhaslach awaiting the results of the election of the new mayor on the village square. A craft flew over them at 09:35 p.m., at an estimated altitude of very roughly fifteen thousand meters. The assumption that this would be a balloon lit by the last rays of the sun was rejected given the extraordinary speed at which the "flying melon" crossed the sky from one side of the horizon to the other. An investigation was opened by the police. A quarter of an hour before, that is to say, at 09:20 p.m., a flying saucer flew at low altitude, in a burst of sparks, on the Stanislas hospital in Wissembourg. The craft was seen by the local police and residents.
Finally in Haguenau, at 07:30 p.m., a round and red machine crossed the sky from north to south, followed by a bright white and orange trail. At 11:30 p.m., another craft was seen. In Masevaux, seven people who saw between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. a craft that was shaped like a cigar and was followed by a green trail. From the Hundsrück, the "flying cigar was heading to the Sundel."
In Eguisheim, at 10:30 p.m., a few people were surprised by the appearance of a spherical apparatus that at a breathtaking speed and in total silence, crossed the sky in the direction of the Trois-Châteaux.
[Ref. lml1:] NEWSPAPER "LE MERIDIONAL":
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STRASBOURG. -- After the cigars, the brushes, the barrels, it is now the "melons" that make their appearance in the sky of Alsace. Indeed, several people, among them pilots of the flying-club of Strasbourg, claim to have seen Saturday evening a shining machine, having the shape of a melon, and leaving a trace of two meters of white-orange color, that flew above the area of the Bas-Rhin.
This machine is said to have been seen almost at the same hour in Strasbourg, Haguenau and Wissembourg.
The "melon" evolved at a high altitude and moved according to some in a south-eastern direction, according to the others in an East-West direction.
A similar phenomenon was observed in Niederhalslach (valley of the Bruche).
CHAUMONT. -- During more than one hour, Sunday afternoon, the 400 witnesses of the soccer game in Langres could follow the evolutions of an unknown apparatus which was at very high altitude.
Some believed that it was a weather-balloon, which, say the others, appears not very probable, for before disappearing, the machine moved in opposite direction of the wind.
In addition, in Chaumont, a mechanic, Mr. Auguste Poulot and his three children noticed at the beginning of the night the passage of a flying cigar.
DIJON. -- Ten days ago, Mr. André Narcy, aged 47, roadmender, arrived at his work very breathless: "I saw a flying saucer", he claimed.
And he gave much details: a machine of orange color stopped in a field, a small being dressed of a hairy cape, a beautiful vertical take-off of the mysterious apparatus. Moreover Mr. Narcy could show the place. With two of his comrades, Misters Riel and Henry, he went back there. All three stated that indeed the dew had dried on a great surface, that the grass had taken "a milky colour", that one saw traces of "round feet", etc...
In short, questioned again by the gendarmerie, Mr. Narcy comes to acknowledge that he made up this story entirely to excuse his late arrival at work.
FOIX. -- Following the many appearance of flying machines of unknown type currently reported in all the areas of France, Mr. Rene Dejean, deputy of Ariège (socialist) addressed to the president of the Council a written question asking him among other questions:
- "Whether were created or not a service missioned to gather the existing documentation on this matter and to study the nature and the origin of the said machines.
- "Whether the information currently collected and gathered makes it possible to absolutely exclude the assumption of machines piloted or controlled by living beings of unknown species and origin.
- "Whether the government has, on the contrary, sufficient information to allot the production of these machines to the industry of a foreign Country.
- "Whether in this last case the international agreements signed by France already allowed consultations relating to the use of such machines in a possible conflict.
[Ref. lme1:] NEWSPAPER "LE MIDI LIBRE":
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(Continued from the first page)
ernational treaties signed by France already allowed consultations relating to the use of such machines in a possible conflict".
A "cigar" near Alès
Sunday, around 15 o'clock, Mr. Soulier, shoe-maker in Vézenobres, was hunting in the commune of Bouquet, close to Alès, when he suddenly heard a noise similar to that of a chain going down at the bottom from a well. Intrigued, he looked up and saw 30 meters high only a machine of cylindrical form going down vertically. This "cigar", of a metallic blue, 5 to 6 meters in height, by 3 meters in diameter, carried four crutches at its base.
The craft remained motionless more than one minute, then climbed back vertically to a vertiginous pace. And Mr. Soulier again the same noise of chain heard.
A luminous ball in the Lozère
A resident of Saint-Privat-de-Vallorgue (the Lozere), absolutely worthy of faith, stated he saw a luminous ball from 3 to 6 meters in diameter, which suddenly rose in the sky while changing color.
Mr. Maillet adds that the sphere hovered without any noise and that it left behind a light whitish cloud.
A "melon" in Alsace
After the cigars, the brushes, the barrels, the rugby balls, "melons" are appearing, this time in the sky of Alsace. Several people, including pilots of the Flying Club of Strasbourg, claim to have seen a shining machine, melon-shaped, and leaving a trace of two meters white-orange in color, flying over the area of the Bas-Rhin.
It is said this craft was seen almost at the same hour in Strasbourg, in Haguenau and in Wissembourg.
Soccer unthroned by the "saucers"
Sunday afternoon, in Langres, the show was not on the ground, but in the sky.
During more than one hour, the 400 attendees of the soccer game managed to follow the moves of an unknown apparatus which was at very high altitude. Some believed that it was a sounding-balloon but, others say, it does not look very likely, because, before disappearing, the craft moved in opposite direction of the wind.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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MM. Jean Augard, farmer in Sisternes-la-Forêt [sic] (Puy-de-Dôme), and Jean Chanzotte, former miner, declared to have seen, in a field by the roadside, a craft of ovoid shape surmounted by a dome of a brilliant white color. As the two men approached the "saucer", it rose vertically and disappeared in a northeast direction, leaving behind a reddish trail.
In Gelles, a neighboring town, several people had seen a similar craft, also posed in a field.
In the Vendée, [Error: in Charente-Maritime] in Pont-l'Abbé-d'Arnoult, a mysterious craft that was rising vertically behind a hedge, was seen by Mr. Meunier, foreman in a masonry company.
Several people were running through fields in Moyaux (Calvados), in the direction of a flying saucer which had been pointed out to them by a child.
One of them, a farmer, Mr. Filate, who never took his eyes off the sky, fell into a deep pond where he almost drowned. Fortunately, his companions managed to save him.
A "melon" made its appearance this time in the skies of Alsace. Indeed, several people, including a few pilots from the Strasbourg Aero-Club, claim to have seen on Saturday evening a shiny craft, having the shape of a melon, and leaving a trace of two meters of white-orange color, fly over the region of the Bas-Rhin.
Two residents of St-Cirgues (Haute-Loire), saw in the sky, at very high altitude, two luminous balls which seemed interconnected by a rod. The craft remained motionless for a quarter of an hour then disappeared at very high speed.
Monday evening, around 9:25 p.m., in Pommier (Pas-de-Calais), the brigadier head of the gendarmerie and a gendarme saw an orange luminous craft moving at a very high speed from East to West at about 500 meters of altitude.
One also reports the passage of saucers in the Italian sky, above Milan, Trento, Genoa and the Po delta.
One of these craft reportedly even have landed in Capri at night, of course. It is a painter, Mr. Raffaële Castello, who allgedly saw the saucer land on the terrace of the villa of Malaporte [sic, Malaparte]. The painter, who had thought it was a helicopter, approached and was surprised to see four men, small in size, descend from the disc. The passengers of the craft, who were dressed in an outfit, remained around the disc for about half an hour. Bluish gleams escaped the disc incessantly, pin-like and lightning-fast, they went off in all directions.
After some time, about half an hour, the four men re-entered the disc which, with a slight hum, rose slowly, perpendicularly, and then quickly gained altitude.
Mr. Holaubek, Vienna's Prefect of Police, ordered officers under his command to report all the flying saucer stories and all the statements by people claiming to have seen "visitors from another world."
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Aimé Michel wrote about the October 16, 1954, 09:30 p.m. meteor:
THE TEST OF THE METEOR. October 16, as if it was purposely, a splendid meteor crossed the north of France towards 09:30 p.m.. It was observed on a score of departments by thousands of people, from the Allier to Lorraine and from the Swiss border to Paris. Naturally many witnesses believed to have seen a Flying Saucer and said so. The newspapers printed "Flying Saucer in Orly", or "in Montididier", or "in Metz." But once again the description made by all these weak brains appeared of a remarkable honesty.
[...]
The innumerable gathered testimonies show indeed that even when the witnesses called "Flying saucer" the observed object, their description is identical on 200.000 square kilometree where the visible phenomenon was visible: an "orange ball followed by a trail", a "large luminous ball with a tail", a "flying egg followed by a trail", a "bottle's bottom with a trail of thirty times its diameter", etc. The same phenomenon is uniformly described.
[...]
[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":
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Here is the list of the observations compiled by the GREI, since 1954:
January: Trois-Epis.
September: Colmar, Mulhouse, Rixheim (à trois reprises), Willer.
October: Haut-Koenigsbourg, Grandvillars [Suisse], Strasbourg, Jettingen (landing), Forbach [Moselle] (landing), Heimersdorf (landing), Triembach-au-Val, Turquenstein [Moselle] (landing), Ohlungen, Niederhaslach, Sélestat, Strasbourg, Musau, Niffer, Andlau, Eguisheim, Lapoutroie, Battenheim, Grumbach, Strasbourg, Obersaasheim, Soultzmatt, Issenheim (landing), Guebwil1er, Feldbach, Wittenheim, Fortschwihr, Didenheim, Wittenheim, Ingenheim, Huningue, Les Métairies [Moselle], Epinal [Vosges], Giromagny [Territoire de Belfort], Colmar (le 29 et le 30).
December: Strasbourg.
May: Haut-Rhin
November: Brumath.
August: Haut-Rhin
February: Ballon de Servance [Haute-Saône]
March: Strasbourg
August: Strasbourg
April: Guebwiller
May: Bischwiller
May: Champ du Feu (twice, including a landing)
November: Haut-Rhin
April: Herbitzheim
July: Mulhouse
August: Mont Ste-Odile, Obernai
September: Neuf-Brisach
January: Schiltigheim
June: Strasbourg
May: Mulhouse
July: Strasbourg
August: Belfort [Territoire de Belfort]
June: Mulhouse Riedisheim (landing
July: Schiltigheim
August: Orbey
October: Wolschwiller, Mulhouse
February: Mulhouse
May: Chalampé, Morschwiller
June: Mulhouse
August: Bourtzwiller
October: Mulhouse
February: Reiningue, Robertsau
August: Haguenau, Strasbourg, Oberhausbergen, Graffenstaden, Strasbourg, Colmar, St-Pierre, Sewen
September: Bavilliers [Territoire de Belfort], Pfetterhouse (deux fois), Mulhouse, Forbach [Moselle]
October: Ruelisheim, Mulhouse
November: Manspach (landing), Masevaux, Brunstatt, Mulhouse, Colmar
January: Guewenheim, Froeningue
March: Mont-Jean [Territoire de Belfort]
May: Romanswiller
July: vallée de Munster
August: Lembach, Gerstheim, Petit Rederching [Moselle], Giromagny [Territoire de Belfort]
September: Rarnbourg [Rambourg]
March: Riedisheim
April: Est de la France
May: Eckwersheim
September: Colmar
November: Merxheim (landing)
April: St-Dié [Vosges], Robertsau, Rouffach
June: Oberhoffen-sur-Moder, Lubine [Vosges]
August: Bouxwiller, Jungholtz
September: Mulhouse
October: Mulhouse
January: Herrlisheim, Mulhouse
February: Alsace (le 6)
April: Colmar (observation that should be withdrawn from the list, the object being identified: it was a météorite)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that in Strasbourg in the Bas-Rhin department, on October 16, 1954 at an unspecified time, several people, among them some pilots from the aero club of Strasbourg saw a shining machine having "the shape of a melon and leaving a trace of white - orange color."
The source is noted "La Montagne for 10/19/54".
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors note this case of October 16, 1954:
"Strasbourg - 67 - evening: no investigation."
Further in their book, they note that the time is not known and that the case integrates perfectly in the 09:30 p.m. meteor series. They claim that "the few serious investigators" who had admitted the fact that it was a meteor which had generated this type of observations were the technicians of the scientific office of the Air Force.
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Bas Rhin in Strasbourg on October 16, 1954 at an unknown hour "Several people including some pilots of the Strasbourg flying club saw a shining object in the shape of a melon and leaving a trace of orange white color."
Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 16 October 1954 at 21:30 in Strasbourg, France, "An unidentified object was sighted, but with appearance and behavior that most likely would have a conventional explanation. One object, about 10 feet across, was observed by one witness for a few seconds."
The sources are indicated as Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173).
[Ref. cvn2:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:
Former journalist Christian Valentin published in 2012 a very interesting book telling the story of UFO sightings, flying saucers sightings, in Alsace, from the beginning to 1980.
In this book, he indicates that the 16th of October 1954 was an eventful evening throughout Alsace, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. with numerous reports of bright balls in different directions, and that observations located around 21:30 were those of a superb meteor, visible that evening from twenty departments of France, according to "Mysterious Objects in the Sky" by A. Michel, Seghers publisher, on page 245, and "La Grande Peur Martienne" by G. Barthel and Brucker, Nouvelles Editions Rationalistes, page 202. He adds that the proximity, a few hours apart, of fireballs with opposite trajectories and perpendicular paths "is, according to the experts, a remarkable phenomenon."
He indicates that in the newspaper L'ALSACE for Tuesday, October 19, 1954, in the French-speaking issue, published the following article:
After cigars, brooms, barrels, it is now the "melons" that appear in the sky of Alsace. In fact, many people claim to have seen a shining machine on Saturday night, in the form of a melon, and leaving a white-orange trail of two meters, flying over the Bas-Rhin.
This has indeed been observed not only in Strasbourg but also Niederhaslach, Haguenau and Wissembourg. Finally, in the Haut-Rhin, people also saw a craft that seems to be the same crossing the Bas-Rhin sky at a frightening speed.
It is at 07:30 p.m. that the phenomenon was observed for the first time on Saturday night in Strasbourg. Three people near the EDF plant on the street of Hobsheim saw a craft shining with light and in the shape of a bowler hat who spun in the sky.
At 9:35 p.m. nine people were enjoying the warmth of the evening at the bar of the flying club, at the Polygone, also saw the same craft cross the night sky from east to west. The same description was given by a dozen young people in Niederhaslach awaiting the results of the election of the new mayor on the village square. A craft flew over them at 09:35 p.m., at an estimated altitude of very roughly fifteen thousand meters. The assumption that this would be a balloon lit by the last rays of the sun was rejected given the extraordinary speed at which the "flying melon" crossed the sky from one side of the horizon to the other. An investigation was opened by the police. A quarter of an hour before, that is to say, at 09:20 p.m., a flying saucer flew at low altitude, in a burst of sparks, on the Stanislas hospital in Wissembourg. The craft was seen by the local police and residents.
Finally in Haguenau, at 07:30 p.m., a round and red machine crossed the sky from north to south, followed by a bright white and orange trail. At 11:30 p.m., another craft was seen. In Masevaux, seven people who saw between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. a craft that was shaped like a cigar and was followed by a green trail. From the Hundsrück, the "flying cigar was heading to the Sundel."
In Eguisheim, at 10:30 p.m., a few people were surprised by the appearance of a spherical apparatus that at a breathtaking speed and in total silence, crossed the sky in the direction of the Trois-Châteaux.
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Although there is no description of the alleged "craft", it obviously was the meteor of 9:35 p.m. seen widely over France, and discussed by Aimé Michel as soon as 1956.
Probably the meteor of October 16, 1954 at 09:35 p.m.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editeur: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | March 19, 2005 | First published in the France 1954 catalog. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 26, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lc1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | July 14, 2010 | Addition [lml1]. |
| 3.0 | Patrick Gross | April 29, 2014 | Additions [lae1], [cvn2]. |
| 3.0 | Patrick Gross | April 29, 2014 | First published in the ALSACAT catalogue. |
| 3.1 | Patrick Gross | June 10, 2021 | Addition [lcx1]. |
| 3.2 | Patrick Gross | February 6, 2023 | Addition [lae1]. |
