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URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

October 6, 1954, Isles-sur-Suippe, Marne, France, Joseph Roy:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

On October 10, 1954, the newspaper Le Lorrain reported via his correspondent that a mechanic of the Panhard car factory in Reims, Joseph Roy, 30, claimed to have seen a craft a few meters from the road from Reims to Rethel, on a side path.

In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, as he was riding a motorcycle, he suddenly saw in front of him a bright, reddish glow that suddenly disappeared. Arrived at the point where he had seen this gleam, he noticed in the fields an odd object, 3 meters long, having the shape of a big shell, pierced with portholes in the front. He also distinguished a vague silhouette. But, frightened, he fled. Three other workers had seen the same glow in the same place.

In the 1970s, ufologists Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier reported these words of the witness:

"Suddenly, I saw a blinding light appear in front of me, at a very low altitude, which I first took for the headlight of a vehicle, so close to the ground. The light went out and I continued to ride. When I reached the spot where the light had disappeared, I saw in a field near the road a sort of giant shell, about 3 meters in length, its silhouette was dimly lit by kind of luminous portholes, in front of this craft a little dark shape was busy, I did not seek to see it, I literally rushed to the gendarmerie."

They indicated that the gendarmes had immediately arrived on the spot with Joseph Roy, and that they had found inexplicable marks on the soft ground of the field. It was the investigation of the gendarmes that revealed that three other workers who were driving at a few kilometers from there to get to work, had seen a fireball go down to the place where Mr. Roy had located his "craft."

In 1979, "skeptical" ufologists Barthel and Brucker told their version, which, it will be seen, was not quite credible: they date the case of October 7, 1954, around 2 o'clock in the morning; they assured to have met the witness and that he gave them an account that was "incoherent, no longer related to the eport of the the time."

But in fact, the case was apparently explained by the newspaper L'Union of Reims after just a few days: English military personal had parked there. This will be stated again by a reader of Science et Vie magazine in 1958, which source Michel Figuet would quote in 1985.

Apparently, the "being" was of normal size and dressed in khaki, and the "craft" was his helicopter.

Basic information table:

Case number: URECAT-000255
Date of event: October 5, 1954
Earliest report of event: October 9, 1954
Delay of report: 4 days
Witness reported via: Not known.
First alleged record by: N/A.
First certain record by: Regional newspaper.
First alleged record type: N/A.
First certain record type: Regional newspaper.
This file created on: July 16, 2007
This file last updated on: January 23, 2019
Country of event: France
State/Department: Ardennes
Type of location: Field
Lighting conditions: Night
UFO observed: Yes
UFO arrival observed: No
UFO departure observed: No
UFO/Entity Relation: Certain
Witnesses numbers: 1
Witnesses ages: 30
Witnesses types: Not reported.
Photograph(s): No.
Witnesses drawing: No.
Witnesses-approved drawing: No.
Number of entities: 1
Type of entities: Humanoid or human
Entities height: Not reported.
Entities outfit type: Not seen.
Entities outfit color: Not reported.
Entities skin color: Not seen.
Entities body: Silhouette only.
Entities head: Not seen.
Entities eyes: Not seen.
Entities mouth: Not seen.
Entities nose: Not seen.
Entities feet: Not seen.
Entities arms: Not seen.
Entities fingers: Not seen.
Entities fingers number: Not seen.
Entities hair: Not seen.
Entities voice: None reported.
Entities actions: Was near or in UFO.
Entities/witness interactions: None.
Witness(es) reactions: Observed, fled.
Witness(es) feelings: Frightened.
Witness(es) interpretation: Not reported.
Explanation category: Extraterrestrial beings or confusion. Insufficient data.
Explanation certainty: Medium.

Narratives:

[Ref. ll1:] "LE LORRAIN" NEWSPAPER:

Scan

THE "FLYING SAUCERS"

Pose many puzzles

NOW, CARS STOP

PARIS. - The "flying saucers" continue.

They are reported everywhere. And now, they are mingling to stop the engines.

In Le Mans a milk collector, Mr. Alexandre Tremblais, who was riding his truck on the small road near Saint-Jean-d'Assé (the Sarthe), suddenly noticed that the engine of his vehicle stopped and that the headlights extinguished.

M. Tremblais got out of his truck to see a red and blue luminous cigar, one meter long, disappearing on the horizon. A few minutes later, the engine started again and the headlights functioned again.

In Nancy, a true skeptic, Mr. Georges Bou, a 30-year-old driver at Sarrebruk [sic, Sarrebourg], was traveling on National Road 3 between Morsbach and Forbach when he saw a thick wide shadow blocking the road. He stopped, got out of his cabin, thinking of an accident. But he realized that he was stopped by a saucer. It was nine meters in diameter and about four meters high. It was illuminated by several light beams directed towards the ground.

The driver approached the strange device. Suddenly, the latter took off vertically, marked a pause at ten meters, then moved away very quickly.

The gendarmerie Captain Bohler went to the scene today with Mr. Bou. But he could not find any traces.

In the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti said he saw a luminous sphere about 12 meters in diameter, which oscillated about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, became red, turned blue and rose very quickly vertically.

Two other residents and two Parisians on vacation have confirmed.

At Duclair (Seine-Inf.), Mr. Landrin, a water attendant who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a light beam. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball disappear a few minutes later.

- Near Reims, a mechanic of the Panhard factories, Mr. Joseph Roy, 30, saw near the Isles-sur-Suippe a cigar posed on the ground, resembling according to his description to that of Marignane. Witnesses around have confirmed.

At la Montagne-de-Béruges (the Vienne), a farmer, M. Edouard Thébault, observed in his field an enormous luminous machine.

A few minutes later the craft was extinguished and a huge headlight swept the road, and when the witness returned with his father he had fetched, everything had disappeared.

- Several fishermen and the whole family of a fish dealer saw in the sky, in Plozevet (Finistère), a bright glow surrounded by dense smoke. This gleam, at first motionless, came towards them at an altitude of about ten meters. It had the appearance of an orange sphere.

- A whistling machine, gray in color, stood for a moment about 100 meters from Chassevreuil (Indre). The craft went off at a brisk pace, leaving behind it like a fog.

In the same commune, a young man saw a luminous red-orange machine that moved in a north-south direction.

- An aluminum half-spherical dome, illuminated inside, which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground, was seen in Jettingen (Haut-Rhin) by Mr. René Ott, an employee of the S.N.C.F. [national railway company]. Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. He had, however, had the time to notice that a door was opening in the apparatus. The latter moved above him for a distance of 800 meters before disappearing. The gendarmes found no trace.

- A silent machine, moving like a spinning top, was seen in Calais, above the municipal theater, by a peacekeeper, a hairdresser, a taxi driver and a butcher. It moved away towards the sea.

- A flying saucer rising noiselessly vertically was seen at Vigneux (Seine-et-Oise) by Mr. Marais yesterday at 9 p.m.. It was luminous and had portholes.

THE EXPLODED SAUCER OF SAINT-VALERY-SUR-SOMME WAS ONLY A SOUNDING-BALLOON OF THE R.A.F.

ABBEVILLE. "Another false saucer!" The mysterious craft which broke out in the Picardy sky, and whose debris was scattered in a pasture at Boismont, near Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, was but a balloon.

The inhabitants of the region, fearing the famous "paralyzing" green ray, dared not approach the debris. Only Mr. Raymond Boucher, a sugar worker, had the courage to come and contemplate the saucer. It was more simply a balloon used by the meteorological services of the Royal Air Force which, by touching the ground, had burst noisily.

VIENNA. - Thousands of people saw yesterday a formation of flying saucers above Ried, flying from east to west.

THE OPINION OF A SCIENTIST

Asked about cars that stop, said:

- saucers or not saucers, it is necessary to consider as true the information that arrives at this moment. With regard to the sudden stop of engines at the passage of these craft, we must admit the presence and action of unknown rays. This does not mean that these rays have an extraterrestrial origin. Do you remember that famous Z ray, which was talked about so much before the last war? During the hostilities, the belligerents further perfected the process. I saw personally, some fifteen years ago, experiments in laboratories where electric rays ignited at distances of a few meters paper or other combustible materials.

[Ref. ll1:] NEWSPAPER "LE LORRAIN":

Scan

A large shell pierced with portholes

REIMS (from our correspondent). -- It was a mechanic from the Panhard factory in Reims, Mr. Joseph Roy, 30, who would have had the advantage of seeing a machine a few meters from the road from Reims to Rethel, on a side road.

In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, as he rode on a motorcycle, he suddenly saw a bright, reddish gleam before him, which suddenly disappeared.

Arrived at the spot where he had seen this gleam, he noticed in the fields a strange object, 3 meters long, in the shape of a large shell pierced with portholes at the front.

He distinguished, on the other hand, a vague silhouette. But frightened, he fled. Three other workers had seen the same light in the same place.

The "saucer" was on the road

FORBACH (From our correspondant) . -- Thursday evening, AT ABOUT 07:20 P.M., while returning from his round of distribution, the driver of the Coca-Cola company, Mr. Bou Charles, aged 30, resident of Stiring-Wendel, 21 rue Nationale, was after the crossing of Rosbruck on the National Road N.3, at the entry of Morsbach when suddenly, his attention was caught by a machine being on this road. Mr. Bou, astonished, believed in a road accident and stopped his truck within a few meters of the machine. At this point in time he realized, while getting out of his vehicle, that it was a circular machine of a diameter of 9 m and a 4 m height approximately (more than 2 times size of a normal man), which was lit by several beams of lights directed towards the ground. Having approached and being within a few meters of this odd apparatus, Mr. Bou saw the machine suddenly taking off vertically and rising at 10 meters approximately in the air, to then move in the direction of Morsbach.

All this scene occurred in the timeframe of a few seconds in front of the amazed driver. Mr. Bou, still under the blow of the emotion, took again his road and went to his owner, to whom he described the scene, and went to refer about it to the gendarmerie. Captain Bohler, informed, went with Mr. Bou on the location, but could not detect any trace on the roadway. He lengthily questioned the driver, who declared to him that the saucer had the shape of a giant plate, of blue color. He did not see an opening and no occupant. The machine, while taking off, did not make any noise, no air volume was displaced and there was no change of color. At the time of the appearance it rained, and Mr. Bou declares that when the apparatus rose and disappeared it had an excessive speed, which cannot even be compared to that of a jet airplane.

The most astonishing of the case is that Mr. Bou, visiting a customer a few moments before, in Merlebach, declared to this one that he does not believe in these flying saucers stories. He was thus all the more frightened when seeing this machine.

The driver that we saw during his interrogation by Captain Bohler, appears to be of good faith and was still under the blow of a visible emotion yesterday morning.

[Ref. jg1:] JIMMY GUIEU:

The author indicates that on October 5, 1954, late in the night, close to Reims, mechanic Joseph R. returned home when he noticed a sharp gleam in front of him.

He initially believed that it was the headlights of car. The gleam suddenly went off and at the spot where he had seen it, Joseph R. distinguished at the edge of the road an weird machine of more than 3 meters in length in the shape of large shell bored of port-holes.

At the front stood a vague silhouette which he could not define. The silhouette moved, blurred, and little after the machine flew away.

The next day the Gendarmerie went to the site to examine the traces left by the apparatus.

[Ref. am2:] AIME MICHEL:

3. ISLES-SUR-SUIPPES: ..at the edge of the road, an object of more than 3 m long like a big shell pierced with portholes. (Paris-Presse for 10-10-54)

[Ref. am1:] AIME MICHEL:

Aimé Michel indicates that in Isles-sur-Suippes, in the Champagne, at 25 kilometers in the North-East of Rheims, towards the second part of the night, Joseph Roy, a mechanic at the Panhard factories, rode his bicycle on main road 51.

Suddenly, facing him and at very low altitude, an intense light emerged, that he initially interpreted as a vehicle's headlight. After a gentle displacement in the darkness, this headlight died out. Mr. Roy continued to ride and arrived soon at the place where the light had disappeared.

In the field, near the road, a sort of long object of approximately three meters was lying, its silhouette was vaguely lit by kinds of luminous plates that Mr. Roy called portholes. The object made him thought "of some giant shell."

In front of the silhouette of the object, a small dark shape was agitated, but the frightened cyclist did not take any time observe it and was later unable to describe it, because he pedaled much fled to the nearest gendarmerie station.

The gendarmes came with him on the spot of the display and noted that there were odd traces in the soft ground of the field. Moreover, the investigation revealed that three workmen who also rode on bicycles a few kilometers from there to go to their nightshift, saw a ball of fire go down towards the point where Mr. Roy located his strange encounter.

[Ref. jv5:] JACQUES VALLEE:

257 -004. 19.35600 07 10 1954 02 00 I ISLES SUR SUIPPE F 0111222 C 238

[Ref. gl1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:

The two authors, journalists and ufologists, describe the observation of Isle-on-Suippes in the Marne of October 6, 1954, indicating that their references are newspaper clippings and personal file.

They report that Joseph Roy, aged 30, working at the Panhard factories, was going to his work on his bicycle on this still very very dark night. He is alone on the National Road RN 51. The authors provide his testimony as such:

"Suddenly I saw, emerging opposite me, at very low altitude, a dazzling light, which I first of all took for the headlight of a vehicle, as it was so close to the ground. After having moved slightly to the side, the light went off. I continued to ride. While arriving at the height of the place where the light had disappeared, I saw, in a field, close to the road, a kind of giant shell, approximately 3 meters of length. Its silhouette was vaguely lit by sort of luminous portholes. In front of this machine, a small dark shape was agitated. I became frightened. I did not seek to see more of it. I literally rushed to the gendarmerie."

The authors indicate that the gendarmes came at once on the location with Joseph Roy, and that they discovered unexplainable traces on the soft ground of the field. The investigation of the gendarmes allowed to discover that three other workmen who were a few kilometers away and also going to their work, had seen a ball fire go down towards the point where Mr. Roy had located his strange encounter.

[Ref. bb1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:

The two authors note this case that they date of October 7, 1954:

"Isles-sur-Suippe - 51 - at about 2 o'clock: investigation. Story by the witness is inconsistent, with no relation at all with that of the time."

[Ref. fr1:] MICHEL FIGUET ET JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The two authors indicate that on October 6, 1954, at 06:00 o'clock in the morning, in Isles-sur-Suippe in the department of the Marne, the night was still dark when the witness went to his work on bicycle, alone on RN51 [National Road 51].

Suddenly, he saw a blinding light emerging at low altitude; which he took for the headlights of a vehicle. The authors give the following account by the witness:

"The light went off. I continued to ride. While arriving at the level of the spot where the light had disappeared, I saw a kind of giant shell of approximately three meters length in a field close to the road; its silhouette was vaguely lit by some sort of luminous port-holes. In front of this machine, a small dark shape agitated."

The witness is afraid, and literally dashes to the gendarmerie.

A few kilometres from there, three other workmen going to their work had seen a luminous ball going down towards the place where the main witness had seen the machine on the ground.

The authors indicate that the sources are Quincy, and Garreau and Lavier, "Face aux ET", pp 203-204, and that there was an investigation by the gendarmerie.

[Ref. mf3:] MICHEL FIGUET:

EXTRACT FROM "SCIENCE ET VIE" FOR JUNE 1958. COLUMNS "OUR READER WRITE"..

2° CRITICS

Mr. Fournier, pharmacist, Cormicy (Marne)

"I thought a newspaper titled "Science et Vie" had a different idea of ??the scientific truth than a general information newspaper, but unfortunately, in articles as in the title on a red background, Science gives way to Vie [Life] by getting smaller and smaller...

... If Mr. Aimé Michel had checked on the location, he would have noticed that the spot No. 3 (Isle-sur-Suippe) of the map that you publish had no reason to appear on his lines of "orthoteny". Indeed, a few days after the "observation" of the "phenomenon", the regional newspaper "L'Union" of Reims published a much more "earthly" explanation: it was quite simply British soldiers on the move who had stationed at the place of the "observation"... It is quite likely that other "observations" were also subject to natural explanations at the regional level..."

(Assuredly: more or less probable explanations have been found for almost all the observations, but the mystery is elsewhere: do the explanations in question also solve the rectilinear disposition? And when they do not fit this disposition, what is their value?)

ISLES-SUR-SUIPPE 10/06/1954 CASE 041 51110 A4 (Francat nr 137).

[Ref. mf2:] MICHEL FIGUET:

This ufologist noted:

CASE Nr CLASSIFICATION DATE HOUR PLACE ZIP CODE CREDIBILITY SOURCE
137 CE3 06 10 1954 00.30 Isles-sur-Suippe 51110 A4 E [= Explained] confusion (FM)

[Ref. mf1:] MICHEL FIGUET:

06.10.1954

Isles-sur-Suippe

Confusion with English military personal on a drill.
LDLN N. 249-250 p. 25

[Ref. rl1:] RENAULT LECLET:

06110154 Isles-sur-Suippe (S 1 ) at 06:00 a.m. an object in the shape of a giant shell with portholes and a being

[Ref. lh1] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":

3989: 1954/10/06 06:00 10 4:12:00 E 49:21:20 N 3333 WEU FRN MRN 9:8

ISLES/SUIPPES,FR:FLASH!:3M CGR/FLD:LIT PORTs:DRK FIG OUTSIDE:TRACES:/r138#9p19

Ref# 30 FIGEUT[sic]&RUCHON: OVNI: Le 1er Dossier Page No. 126 : TOWN &CITY

[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The Belgian ufologist indicates in her catalogue that in 1954, on October 6, in France, in L'Isle sur Suippes in the Marne, around 6 hours Joseph Roy goes to his work by bicycle: the night is still very black. He sees at low altitude a dazzling light emerging opposite him, which dies out. Arrived at the place where the light had disappeared, he sees in a field close to the road, a kind of 3 m length giant gunshell, vaguely lit by kinds of port-holes. In front of this craft a small dark form was agitated. The witness became frightened. He literally run to the gendarmerie.

The source is indicated as Garreau and Lavier: "Face aux extra-terrestres" - Delarge 1975 - J'ai Lu, p. 210, 211.

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

112.

Location. Isles-sur-Suippe Marne France
Date: October 6 1954
Time: 0030A

Mr. Roy was returning on National Highway 51 from Reims to his home at Rethez, a distance of 25 km, on his bicycle, when he noticed a light on the road, which turned into an orange ball, and made three "jumps" into the field at the right side of the road. The shape of the object was "ovoid." A man, of apparent human appearance & normal size & wearing a khaki colored outfit was seen leaning against the hull of the object as Roy rode by, not four meters distant.

Humcat 1954-23
Source: Joel Mesnard & Jean Marie Bigorne
Type: C

[Ref. lg1:] LOREN GROSS:

7 October. Isles-sur-Suippes, France. (very early in the morning)

Small dark form.

Michel wrote:

"M. Joseph Roy, mechanic in the Panhard factory, was riding his bicycle along Route N-51 when directly in front of him and very low there was a burst of intense light which he at first mistook for car headlights. The light moved little in the darkness, then went out. M. Roy continued to pedal and soon came to the place where the light had disappeared. In the field near the road an object about three yards long, shaped like 'a giant artillery shell,' could be seen by the dim light emanating from its 'portholes.' In front of this object moved a small dark form which the frightened bicyclist did not stop to examine, and which he could not describe. He pedaled for dear life to the nearest police station. The police went back with him to the road where he had passed the apparition, and found strange marks in the soft earth of the field. Subsequent investigations revealed that three other workmen a few miles away, bicycling to their night jobs, had seen a ball of fire descending toward the place where M. Roy saw the 'shell' and the dark form." (xx.)

(xx.) Michel, Aime. Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery. p.142.

[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

Encounters with Aliens on this Day...

October 6

1954 - Joseph Roy, age 30, was driving on highway N51 near d'Isles-sur-Suippe, France at 6 o'clock in the morning when he saw a three-meter long UFO with the silhouette of a humanoid visible on board. Some unexplained traces were found near the site of the sighting. (Source: Michel Figeut [sic] & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 126).

[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:

October 7, 1954 -- Isles-sur-Suippes, France.
UFO shaped like "giant artillery shell" with "portholes"; landing or near-landing case. [XII]

[Ref. lc1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates that in the Marne in Isles on Suippe on October 6, 1954 at 06:00 hours, the night is still dark, the witness goes to his workplace by bicycle. He is alone on the RN51. Suddenly, he sees a dazzling light emerging at low altitude, that he mistakes for the headlights of a vehicle. "The light turned off, the witness said. I continued to ride. While arriving at height of the place where the light had disappeared, I saw in a field close to the road, a kind of giant gunshell of approximately three meters length; its silhouette was vaguely lit by sort of luminous port-holes. In front of this machine, a small dark form was agitated." The witness became frightened, and rushes literally to the gendarmerie." A few kilometers from there, three other workmen going to their workplace, had seen a luminous ball going down towards the place where the main witness had seen the craft on the ground.

The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".

[Ref. jb1:] JEROME BEAU:

Jérôme Beau indicates that on October 5, 1954, Joseph Roy, aged 30, mechanic with the Panhard factories, drives by motorcycle at a few meters of the road from Rheims to Rethel on a sideway, when he sees in front of him a sharp and reddish gleam which disappears suddenly. Arrived at the place where he saw the gleam, he notices a 3 m long object in the fields, having the shape of a large shell, bored port-holes at its front. He also distinguishes a vague silhouette. Seized with fright, he flees. 3 other workmen are said to have seen the same gleam at the same place.

Jérôme Beau indicates that the source is Le Lorrain, of Nancy, for Saturday 9 - Sunday 10, October 1954, page 7, according to Sider, 1997.

[Ref. ta1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:

Location: Rethel, Ardennes France

Date: October 6 1954

Time: 0030A

30-year old mechanic Joseph Roy was returning on National Highway 51 from Reims to his home at Rethel, a distance of 25 km, on his motorcycle. When he noticed ahead of him a sharp and reddish gleam which suddenly disappeared, arriving at the point where he had seen the gleam he noticed an odd object in the field, about 3 meters in length, having the form of a large shell, with several portholes on the front. He is then able to distinguish a vague silhouette, but seized with fright, he fled the area. Three other workmen reported seeing the same gleam in the area.

Source: Joel Mesnard & Jean Marie Bigorne

[Ref. lu2:] "L'UNION" NEWSPAPER:

The testimonies about UFOs are numerous in the region. Sometimes wacky, sometimes bizarre but always intriguing. As early as 1954, witnesses claim to have seen lights in the form of rays or even balls in Berru and Isles-sur-Suippe.

[Ref. gz1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:

The author indicates that there was a false close encounter of the third type in Isles-sur-Suippes, the Marne, on October 6, 1954, at 6:00 a.m.:

Joseph Roy, a worker at the Panhard factories, went to work on his bike in the dark night. Suddenly, at a low altitude, he saw a blinding light that he took for the headlights of a vehicle. "The light went out," he said. "I continued riding. On arriving at the spot where the light had disappeared, I saw in a field near the road a kind of giant shell about three meters long, the silhouette of which was dimly lit by kinds of luminous portholes. In front of this craft was a little dark form. I was frightened. I did not try to see more. I literally sprinted to the gendarmerie."

The gendarmes returned immediately with Joseph Roy and discovered inexplicable traces on the loose soil of the field. A few miles away, three other workers on their way to work saw a luminous ball descending to the spot where Mr. Roy had seen the craft on the ground.

The sources are indicated as Aimé Michel, "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", page [sic]; C. Garreau and R. Lavier, "Face aux Extraterrestres", pages 203-204.

Julien Gonzalez said that in reality, the newspaper L'Union de Reims revealed a few days later that it was simply British soldiers on the move who had parked at the place of observation.

He indicates that the source of the explanation is "Lumières Dans La Nuit", #249-250, page 24.

[Ref. ub1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database recorded this case 12 times:

Case Nr. New case Nr. Investigator Date of observation Zip Place of observation Country of observation Hour of observation Classification Comments Identification
19541006 06.10.1954 Isles France 00.30 CE III
19541006 06.10.1954 Isles Suippes France 00.30 CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles Suippes France 02.00 CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles Suippes France Morning CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles Suippes France 02.00 CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles Suippes France 02.00 CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles Suippes France 02.00 CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles Suippes France Morning CE III
19541007 07.10.1954 Isles-sur-Susppes [sic] France
19541005 05.10.1954 Reims France Night CE III
19541005 05.10.1954 Reims France 22.00 CE II
19541005 05.10.1954 Reims France 22.00 CE II

[Ref. pr2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

October 6 1954. 0600hrs.

ISLES SUR SUIPPES (MARNE : FRANCE)

Joseph Roy, a mechanic in the Panhard car factory, was bicycling along Route N-52, when he was struck by beam of intense light low down ahead of him. He thought it was vehicle headlights. The light moved a little and then went out. Some distance along, he saw, in a field by the road, something like an artillery shell, 3m long. From portholes came a dim light, and in front of it a small dark form could be seen moving about. Roy, frightened cycled to the police, who returned with him and saw strange marks on the ground. Three other workmen had seen a luminous sphere descending to the ground.

Michel 1958 b p142

Garreau and Lavier 1975 p210

Le Lorraine 9-10 October 1954. p7

Evaluation - According to ufologists Joel Mesnard Jean-Marie Bigorne (as reported by Alberto Rosales) the being was of normal size and dressed in khaki. If this were the case it would suggest yet another helicopter. Figuet 1982 lists this as a "British helicopter". Patrick Gross in URECAT lists the case twice as 5th and 6th and to different locations.

Note: The mention "Patrick Gross in URECAT" is my file as it appears in my CE3 catalogue URECAT; the file content was the same as this page of my France 1954 catalogue.

Points to consider:

List of issues:

Id: Topic: Severity: Date noted: Raised by: Noted by: Description: Proposal: Status:
1 Data Severe July 16, 2007 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Newspaper report only, no ufological investigation. Closed January 23, 2019. Closed

Evaluation:

Helicopter.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

Document history:

Authoring

Main Author: Patrick Gross
Contributors: None
Reviewers: None
Editor: Patrick Gross

Changes history

Version: Created/Changed By: Date: Change Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross July 16, 2007 Creation, [ll1], [js1], [jb1].
1.0 Patrick Gross July 16, 2007 First published.
1.1 Patrick Gross March 13, 2010 Addition [jg1].
1.2 Patrick Gross June 24, 2010 Addition [jv5].
1.3 Patrick Gross October 6, 2014 Addition [lg1].
1.4 Patrick Gross October 8, 2014 Addition [pr1].
1.5 Patrick Gross January 9, 2017 Addition [pr1].
1.6 Patrick Gross January 23, 2017 Additions [ll1], [ub1].
1.7 Patrick Gross February 20, 2017 Addition [gz1].
1.8 Patrick Gross January 23, 2019 Merge of the "Rethel 5 oct" and "Isles-sur-Suippe 6 oct." files. Additions [am2], [mf3], [lh1], [rl1], [pr2], [mf2], [lu2]. Summary. Réthel file explanations removed, were "Unfortunately all that seems to be known on the occurrence is what appeared in the newspaper, and apparently no investigation of data gathering followed. It is not possible to discard the possibility that Mr. Roy might have actually seen some earthly vehicle. The fact that he saw the occupant only as a silhouette, in the night, and that he fled with no further look, suggest that the observation conditions were sufficiently poor to allow for some confusion to occur."
1.8 Patrick Gross January 23, 2019 Explanations consequently changed. Were: "Confusion, helicopter and military personal. The sources all are secondary and fragmentary; only one of the ufological source, for example, reveals the important point that the "UFO occupant" had the aspect of a man and was dressed in a khaki uniform. It is very likely that Mr. Roy actually witnessed the unexpected landing of a military helicopter. His description, although this was at night, has actually nothing quite inaccurate about it. Apart from these essential points, let it be also noted: - The witness does describes a headlight at the beginning of the sighting, in perfect agreement with the headlight of a helicopter in night flight, which could indeed be mistaken for a vehicle's headlight, the witness rightfully excluding this explanation since it was at some height compared to the ground at the beginning of the observation. - The witness quoted by Garreau and Lavier clearly talks of "kinds of luminous portholes;" it was not relevant to introduce the question of this description as being a mere interpretation, as a helicopter indeed has portholes that are indeed somewhat illuminated from the inside in night flight. - It would be quite useful that I can get a grip on the newspaper clippings evoked but not referenced by the first ufologists having written on the case. If the mention of the khaki uniform were already there, it would raise certain questions about the quality of their versions. - No source considered it useful to specify if the craft was silent or not, which is rather curious. Here again, it would be interesting to find whether the articles of the press of the time gave some indication on this matter. - Michel Figuet indicates that the helicopter was British; this is a bit frustrating since it suggests that the explanation by the helicopter is a certainty, with real identification of the craft. It is regrettable not to have more information on this, as it would be interesting to know who found this explanation, when, and how. - The Barthel and Brucker duet ensures to have talked to the witness who they claim to have delivered an "incoherent" account, but no precision is given, and, in addition, they do not give a commonplace explanation either, whereas it is rather obvious. The famous duet who introduced themselves as "rational" was discredited many times for have claimed that they talked to witnesses during their "counter-investigation" whereas the witnesses had actually already died, or to have claimed that witnesses are "untraceable after investigation" whereas others found them without difficulty in the phonebook. Here, they speak about "inconsistency" of the witness' story whereas there is no logic in such "inconsistency" if the witness simply saw a helicopter, and it is not helping to talk about an "account of the time" when obviously this account is either not available or not in the hands of the duet. I thus have only little confidence in their version."

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