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 Morschwiller-le-Bas-le-Bas, on May 10, 1972:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1972-05-10-MORSCHWILLERLEBAS-1

Summary:

An investigation and a sketch from L. Nueffer published in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit #137 for August-September 1974, report a case of May 10, 1972 at 9 p.m.

One mister "Kieutzel" was returning by moped towards Morschwiller-le-Bas from Mulhouse, under a sky dotted with a few clouds but overall very clear and with good visibility.

He saw a light in the sky, and paid no attention; but he became intrigued and stopped after about 8 seconds.

The object was round, very shiny and silver in color, it had a metallic appearance and was surrounded by a white halo. It continued its curved trajectory for 5-6 seconds, then turned of 90 degrees, took a straight path for 3 to 4 seconds to finally rise vertically and disappear after 10 to 15 seconds.

It had an angular size of the width of one thumb and a half at arm's length.

A map is published:

With these explanatzions:

A Vision of the object in A'
B Stop and observation of the objet in B'
C Home of the witness and observation of the C' D' trajectory
C' The object veers at a 90° angle
D' The object climbs very fast vertically and disappears.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	May 10, 1972
Time:	09:00 p.m. or 09:10 p.m.
Duration:	18 to 33 seconds.
First known report date:	August 1974
Reporting delay:	28 months or less.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	Mulhouse or Dornach or Morschwiller-le-Bas
Place:	On a light motorbike on a road between Mulhouse and Morschwiller-le-Bas, UFO in the sky.
Latitude:	47.737
Longitude:	7.271
Uncertainty radius:	100 m

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	1
Number of known witnesses:	1
Number of named witnesses:	0
Witness(es) ages:	Young adult or adult or aged.
Witness(es) types:	Male.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Local ufologist in ufology magazine LDLN.
Type of location:	Riding a light motorbike on a road between a town and a village, UFO in the sky.
Visibility conditions:	Night, good visibility, scattered clouds.
UFO observed:	Yes
UFO arrival observed:	Yes
UFO departure observed:	Yes
Entities:	No
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	Maybe.
Witness(es) feelings:	First not puzzled then puzzled.
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Hynek:	NL or DD
ALSACAT:	Unidentified.

Sources:

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

MORSCHWILLER

May 10, 1972 at 09:00 p.m.-09:15 p.m.

Mr. Kieutzel was returning by solex [moped brand] to Morschwiller from Mulhouse. A few scattered clouds in the sky but good visibility. He saw a light in the sky without paying much attention, then puzzled, stopped, after about 8 seconds. The round object had the appearance of metal and was surrounded by a white halo. It continued its curved path for 5 to 6 seconds, turned 90°, took a straight path for 3 or 4 seconds then climbed vertically to disappear after 10 to 15 seconds.

The object was very shiny, silvery in color, and with outstretched arms was an inch and a half in diameter, including the halo. (According to the sketch provided the dimension of the object must have approached the diameter of the moon.)

Investigation by Mr. Nueffer

A Vision of the object in A'
B Stop and observation of the objet in B'
C Home of the witness and observation of the C' D' trajectory
C'The object veers at a 90° angle
D' The object climbs very fast vertically and disappears.

[Ref. aldl:] MRS. GUEUDELOT, "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" ARCHIVE:

MAY 10, 1972.-

MORSCHWILLER. - (68)

Hour: 9 p.m. - 09:15 p.m.

Mr. KIEUTZEL was returning by solex from Mulhouse and heading towards MORSCHWILLER. A few scattered clouds in the sky but good visibility. He saw a light in the sky without paying too much attention to it, then intrigued stopped, after about 8 seconds. The object had a metallic appearance and was surrounded by a white halo. It continued its curved trajectory for five to six seconds, turned 90° took a straight trajectory for 3 to 4 seconds then rose vertically to disappear after 10 to 15 seconds. The object was very bright, silvery in color and had an outstretched arm about an inch and a half in diameter, including the halo. (According to the sketch provided, the size of the object must have approached the diameter of the moon.)

INVESTIGATION BY Mr. NUEFFER (L.D.L.N. Nr 137 - August Sept. 1974)

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH:

9988: 1972/05/10 21:10 1 7:16:00 E 47:44:20 N 3333 WEU FRN HRH 6:6

MORSCHWILLER,FR:MTLC GLO-BALL CURVES > E:MAKES 90° TURN >>N:THEN SHOOTS UP

Ref#194 LUMIERES dans la NUIT.(LDLN France) Issue No. 137 : TOWN &CITY

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

F/00/68/72 05 10 (01)

On Wednesday May 10, 1972, around 9:00 p.m., a moped driver traveling from Mulhouse to Morschwiller (68) saw a light in the sky. A round metallic-looking object surrounded by a white halo makes a complicated journey before rising vertically to disappear.

Source: investigation by M. Nueffer in LDLN nr 137 August 74 p. 22.

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

10 May 1972 21:10

Morschwiller, Alsace, France

Metallic glowing ball curved to the east. Made 90 degree turn rapidly to the north, then shot straight up.

An object was observed. It departed by rapidly flying straight up until lost to sight. One metallic ball was observed in a town for over one minute. No sound was heard.

Hynek rating: NL

Vallee rating: MA1

The sources are indicated as: "Lumieres dans la Nuit, Lumieres dans la Nuit; 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 May 10, 1972, at 9 p.m., M. K. was going home on a solex from Mulhouse to the direction of Morschwiller, with some clouds scattered in an otherwise very clear sky with a good visibility, when he saw a light in the sky. He did not care very much about it, then was puzzled and stopped after approximately 8 seconds.

The object was round, very bright and of silver color, it had a metallic appearance and was surrounded of a white halo. It continued its trajectory on a curve for 5 to 6 seconds, then veered by 90 degrees, took a linear trajectory for 3 to 4 seconds to finally rise vertically and disappear at the end of 10 to 15 seconds.

Christian Valentin indicates that the source is an investigation and a sketch by L. Nueffer in Lumières dans la Nuit #137 for August - September 1974.

Christian Valentin provides the sketch from LDLN:

Discussion:

"Morschwiller" is in the Bas-Rhin while Morschwiller-le-Bas, very near from Mulhouse in the Haut-Rhin, is the correct common name. Most of the Alsatians from the Mulhouse area just say "Morschwiller" for convenience.

If we judge by the length of the curve part of the trajectory, we would have a speed of 2.6 km in 14 seconds, so approximately 650 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately the distance has no chance to be very reliable. Let us simply note that if the object were any further, it would have been even faster.

This speed is in any case sufficient to eliminate any balloon or blimp, only object possibly matching the description. I let this observation be an unidentified.

I deplore, as I often have to, that although this was called an investigation, there is none of the basic data that could have been easily collected: no angular size of the thing in the different phases, no elevations, no directions, no angular speed.

The angular size is very large, much larger than that of the moon.

My thumb is 2.5 cm wide; at arm's length it is at 80 cm. Taking only 1 thum-wide, conservatively, this is an angle of about 1°5; the Moon's angular size is 3 times less than that.

This would match an object of ~2 m seen at 100 m, or ~10 m seen 500 m, or ~20 m seen at 1000 m, etc.

The witness name "Kieutzel" is quite certainly "Kientzel", actually.

Evaluation:

Unidentified.

Sources references:

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

[ldl1] * Report by L. Nueffer in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #137, page 22, August - September 1974.
[ald1] * Record of the archive by Mrs. Gueudelot, of the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, not dated, published circa 2020 by the ufology association SCEAU, France, at https://sceau-archives-ovni.org/fonds/fond_gueudelot/base_guy_jpr_fiches_gueudelot.html
[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 12, digital issue 2006.
[uda1] * "10 May 1972 - Morschwiller, Alsace, France", web page by the UFOdna website, circa 2013, at http://thecid.com/ufo/uf14/uf6/146271.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 106, 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 22, 2021	Additions [ldl1], [lhh1]. In the Summary, addition of "It had an angular size of the width of one thumb and a half at arm's length." and the map and its caption. In the Explanations, addition from "The angular size" to "actually.".
1.2	Patrick Gross	January 17, 2023	Addition [cnu1].
1.3	Patrick Gross	September 8, 2023	Addition [ald1].

This page was last updated on September 8, 2023.