ALSACAT:

ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

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Case of Labaroche, on August 7, 1967:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1967-08-07-LABAROCHE-1

Summary:

A very brief second-hand testimony was communicated to the Lumières Dans La Nuit ufology magazine and published in their "Contact Lecteurs" supplement #95 bis for July 1968:

On August 7, 1967, at 08:30 p.m., an object in the shape of a "pith helmet" flew several times around the summit of the Petit Honack near Labaroche before disappearing on the horizon.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	August 7, 1967
Time:	08:30 p.m.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	July 1968
Reporting delay:	1 year.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	Labaroche
Place:	?
Latitude:	48.111
Longitude:	7.192
Uncertainty radius:	3 km

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	1 or more.
Number of known witnesses:	0
Number of named witnesses:	0
Witness(es) ages:	?
Witness(es) types:	?

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Ufology magazine LDLN.
Type of location:	In mountains, UFO in the sky.
Visibility conditions:	Day.
UFO observed:	Yes
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	Yes
Entities:	No
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	Possibly, not available.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	Possibly, not available.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Hynek:	DD
ALSACAT:	Possible plane or helicopter.

Sources:

[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":

68 RHIN HAUT ar. Ribeauville c. Lapoutroie LABAROCHE

August 7, 1967 08:30 F. on geological fault

A comrade told me he has observed on August 7, 1967 above the mountain - Petit Honach [sic] - near Labaroche an object of medium size which would have circled the Mountain several times before disappearing on the horizon.

According to the sketch included in the letter the object has the appearance of the classic colonial helmet that we do not reproduce this one being known.

Communicated by Mr. Walter D.

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH:

8368: 1967/08/07 20:30 2 7:01:40 E 48:07:00 N 3333 WEU FRN HRH 6:6

LABAROCHE,FR:PITH-HELMET SCR CCLS PETIT-HONACH [sic] Mtn SVRL TIMES:fault zone

Ref#230 LDLN CONTACT LECTEURS series '68-'72 Volume 1 Issue 3 : MOUNTAINS

[Ref. cnu1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "CNEGU":

100/68/67 08 07 (01)

On Monday, August 7, 1967, around 8:30 p.m. local time, a witness from Labaroche (68) observed an object in the shape of a pith helmet going around the Petit Honach [sic] mountain several times before disappearing on the horizon.

(Source: press release by D.Walter in LDLN nr95 bis - July 1968 p.7).

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

7 August 1967 20:30

Labaroche, Alsace, France

Hynek rating: NL

The sources are indicated as: "Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002."

[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 reports that on August 7, 1967, at 20:30, an object in the shape of a "pith helmet" flew several times around the summit of the Petit Honack near Labaroche before disappearing on the horizon.

He says it was a very brief second-hand testimony, communicated to the Lumières dans la Nuit magazine in the "Contact Lecteurs" #95 bis for July 1968, with a sketch, not reproduced.

Discussion:

With so little information, it is not possible to give a sure explanation, but the lack of strangeness allow to suspect a light aircraft or jet fighter, or an helicopter.

Evaluation:

Possible plane or helicopter.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

[ldl1] * Ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit (LDLN), supplement "Contact lecteur", France, #95 bis, page 7, July 1968.
[lhh1] * "*U* Computer Database", compiled by Larry Hatch, USA, circa 2002.
[cnu1] * "Catalogue régional rétroactif de la zone CNEGU années 1948 à 1975, catalogue by the Comité Nord-Est des Groupements Ufologiques (CNEGU), France, page 6, digital issue 2006.
[uda1] * "7 Aug 1967 - Labaroche, Alsace, France", web page by the UFOdna website, circa 2013, at http://thecid.com/ufo/uf16/uf2/162848.htm
[cvn2] * "Mythes et Réalités des Phénomènes Aériens Non Identifiés - Histoire des soucoupes volantes en Alsace jusqu'en 1980", book by Christian Valentin, Grimoires d'Alsace publishers, France, page 95, 2012.

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editeur:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	July 17, 2015	Creation, [uda1], [cvn2].
1.0	Patrick Gross	July 17, 2015	First published.
1.1	Patrick Gross	May 18, 2021	Additions [ldl1], [lhh1].
1.2	Patrick Gross	January 15, 2023	Addition [cnu1].

This page was last updated on January 15, 2023.