The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 12-oct-54-Toulouse.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspapers Nord Littoral for October 13, 1954, Le Nouveau Nord Maritime and L'Ardennais for October 14, 1954, had noted that a "giant rocket" had been seen in the sky of Toulouse and left traces on the ground:
Mr. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle - or Angel Hurlé - residents of the Toulouse suburbs, had seen on "Tuesday" - therefore October 12, 1954 - in the morning at dawn, at barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which had left from a field and had quickly disappeared into the sky "generating a brightness of rare intensity."
The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the "rocket" and found the grass compacted on a circular surface of 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they found four prints in the ground "appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft."
The grass was "covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor which smelled of petroleum."
The newspapers stated that the police went to the place, but the newspaper did not give the result.
The national newspaper France Soir this same October 14, 1954, specified that Pierre Vidal was a cook and lived in La Croix Daurade, near Toulouse, and that the rocket had disappeared "in a bright orange and pale green wake."
The event may well be explained by the activities in the region during this period of two journalists from the weekly Samedi-Soir who intended to check whether the people who report seeing saucers are mistaken; for this, they used fireworks rockets and other staging antics and props.
In his 1963 book, Michel Carrouges already mentioned this as a possible explanation; but ufologists Charles Garreau, Jacques Vallée and others would ignore it entirely.
In 1979, the "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker gave this additional information which they say they found in La Dépêche for October 13 and 14, 1954: it happened on October 12, 1954, around 4 a.m. Pierre Vidal, cook, lived at 76, chemin de Lanusse, northern suburbs of Toulouse, Croix Daurade district. He had just gotten up and was in the toilet when he heard a hissing sound from outside. He rushed to his terrace while calling his nephew, Angel Hurle, who was sleeping in an adjoining room. They then saw a sort of giant rocket, emitting a dirty orange and green light, so bright that you could not see the contours of the thing that disappeared in the night, in a plit second. The rocket had left from a field woned by Mr. Gérard Gichaoua, domiciled 78, chemin de Lanusse.
Barthel and Brucker continue:
"After the end of lunch, the uncle and the nephew went on the spot. In the center of a circular surface of 4 to 5 meters in diameter, and marked by condensations of fatty vapors covering the grass, they noted the existence of 4 prints, delimiting a trapezium whose large base measures 1.40 m, the small base 1.20 m, and the sides 1.20 m. A smell resembling petroleum emanated from the herbs which did not present burn marks. Police and military security investigation. No radioactivity was detected."
The explanation by Barthel and Brucker may leave speechless:
"... the saucer is the work of Mr. Vidal, (note in passing that being a cook the plates are familiar to him!)"
Right after, in 1979, Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon gave their summary of the case, without alluding to the explanations of Carrouges or Barthel and Brucker, and wondered whether this was a "UFO or terrestrial craft?"
There will be many other short ufological versions, almost always without any explanation, and often with some errors, and the flattened grass circle will even be called a "crop circle"...
[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":
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Toulouse, October 12. - Two inhabitants of the Toulouse suburbs, MM. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurlé, managed to see this morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, departing from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky generating a clarity of a rare intensity.
The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been packed on a circular surface of 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered in the ground, four prints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft.
The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and which smelled of petroleum.
The police went to the scene.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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A 13-year-old boy, the little Gilbert Le Lay, claims to have seen, Tuesday evening, a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 600 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Sainte-Marie en Erbray, near Châteaubriand.
The child wreportedly stayed for ten minutes to observe this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, but this time dressed in a suit and a gray hat, shod in boots, reportedly told him in French: "Look, but don't touch." This character put a hand on his shoulder, while, with the other, he held a ball throwing purple lights. On what could be the device's dashboard were several multicolored buttons.
Still according to the child, the craft slowly rose vertically, launching fires in all directions, made two turns in the air, and suddenly disappeared.
A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Arts Ménagers" in Toulouse, declared to have met, at nightfall, on the national road nr 631, the passengers of a flying saucer.
"Returning from Toulouse with two parents, he said, I suddenly made out in the beam of my headlights, two small figures who crossed the road, just a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw a large red disc with a diameter of about six meters flying away from a neighboring meadow, rising vertically. The craft disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, Mssrs. Pierre Vidal and his nephew, Angel Hurle, were able to see, Tuesday morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, starting from a field, quickly disappeared into the sky by creating a clarity of rare intensity.
The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious craft. There, they found that the grass had been packed onto a circular surface 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered four footprints in the ground that appeared to have been left by the feet of a heavy apparatuse.
The grass was covered with droplets from oily vapor condensation, which smelled like petroleum.
Police attended the scene.
A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen around 3 a.m., on the Evreux-Louviers railway line, while they were driving on a motorcycle, a 2.50 meters to 3 meters high bell-shaped, which was one meter above the ground. The lower part of the craft was shaped like a ring. The craft emitted sparks with greenish and reddish reflections. It first did a 10 to 12 meter jump, while an orange glow shot from its base.
A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for nearly an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the craft rose very quickly vertically, heading east.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Louviers, October 12. -- A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen, on the Evreux-Louviers railway track, while riding a motorcycle, around 3 in the morning, a bell-shaped machine, 2.50 m. to 3 meters high, which was one meter above the ground. The bottom of the craft was shaped like a ring. The object emitted sparks with greenish and reddish reflections. It first jumped 10 to 12 meters, while an orange glow sprang from its base.
A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for almost an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the craft rose vertically very quickly, heading east.
Lisieux, 13. -- Mr. Bon, professor of mathematics at Lisieux, saw at the beginning of the afternoon at Saint-Germain de Livet, 200 or 300 meters from the road, above a wood, a silver disc of a diameter of 7 to 8 meters, which rose suddenly in the sky, without noise.
The disc was in rotation movement. After having dived towards the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters, it suddenly left horizontally at a dizzying pace.
La Roche-sur-Yon, 13. - Mrs. Drouillard, residing in La Roche-sur-Yon, said he saw in the sky, on Monday evening, around 11:30 p.m., a luminous machine resembling a mushroom, which moved quickly without noise.
Nevers, 13. -- Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henri Gallois and Louis Vigneron, fairground merchants, said that they had seen a cylindrical craft in a meadow near Corbigny.
They state that while they were about 50 meters from the craft, they felt an electric shock while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone, the headlights came on again, but they had to restart the engine.
Lyon, 13. -- Doctor Durand, general councilor of Belleville-sur-Saône, and Mr. Bourgeois, bartender in Saint- Georges de Reneins, saw a flying saucer above La Chapelle de Brouilly.
Also, Monday evening, around 7:30 p.m., two athletes, MM. Dubuis, rugby player, and Coulon, swimming champion, saw, flying at low altitude, towards Montgelas, a ball of fire which changed color several times.
It left traces on the ground
Toulouse, 13. - Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, MM. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, were able to see Tuesday morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their home, a giant rocket which, starting from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky causing a clarity of rare intensity.
The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been flattened on a circular surface of 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered in the ground, four footprints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft.
The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and which smelled of petroleum.
The police went to the scene.
[Ref. nmn1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-MATIN":
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General Navereau, commander of the 6th Region and Military Governor of Metz yesterday morning received the report from Commander Cottel, specialist in antiaircraft land forces, concerning the mysterious craft which, for three hours, last Sunday, remained in the beam of a powerful army searchlight in the Metz sky.
No information was communicated on the contents of this report, but one imagines with what prudent sagacity the commander Cottel had to analyze a "phenomenon" which had several dozen witnesses.
The Army had, in fact, set up a stand at the Exhibit-Fair in Metz. It was there that, at nightfall, a powerful searchlight kept running, sweeping the city sky.
Sunday therefore, around 8:10 p.m., the projector "ctahces" in its beam a strange motionless globe.
"It looked like a Christmas tree ball," said Commander Cottel afterwards.
First, one believed in the presence of a weather balloon. Soon, a dozen military experts surrounded the commander. They all agreed:
"It cannot be a weather balloon: its diameter is at least fifty meters."
All kinds of hypotheses were then put forward, the specialists not daring to advance too much that of a flying saucer. It was decided to clean the windows and even change the coals of the projector. But when it was turned on again, the "thing" was still there. It stayed there until 11 p.m., when one resigned to turning off the projector. Meanwhile, the radar set which had constantly swept the sky had failed to detect the mysterious craft:
"The "thing", commented a technician, "is probably not metallic and that is why the radar could not detect it."
As usual, we won't know anything for a long time.
Many curious people who had gathered around the searchlight were also able to observe the "Christmas tree ball". Some residents of the Faubourg de Sablon were to say the next day that they too had noticed the phenomenon.
A 13-year-old boy, the little Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen Tuesday evening, around 10:30 p.m., a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 500 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Ste-Marie-en-Erbray, near Châteaubriand.
The child declares that he stayed for ten minutes to observe, about ten meters away, this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man dressed in a suit, a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly said to him in French: "Look, but don't touch." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder while, in the other hand, he was holding a ball launching purple flashes. He got into the craft through a door which he slammed. On what could be a dashboard were several multicolored buttons.
Still according to the child, the object rose slowly vertically, throwing fires in all directions, made two turns in the air and suddenly disappeared.
Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, MM. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Ancel Hurle, were able to see, yesterday morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, departing from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky generating a clarity of rare intensity.
The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been packed on a circular surface 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered in the ground, four prints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft.
The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and which smelled of petroleum.
Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henri Gallois and Louis Vigneron, fairground merchants, said they had seen a cylindrical craft in a meadow near Corbigny.
They state that while they were about 50 meters from the craft, they felt an electric shock while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone, the headlights turned back on, but they had to restart the engine.
[Ref. ads1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ARDENNAIS":
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LOUVIERS. -- A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen on the railway from Evreux to Louviers, as they drove a motorcycle, at about 3 a.m., a craft shaped like a bell, 2 m. 60 to 3 meters high, which was at one meter above the ground. The craft emitted sparks shimmering in greenish and reddish. First it rose a good 10 to 12 meters, while gushing from its base an orange glow.
The lower part of the apparatus had the shape of a ring.
A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for about an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the object rose very fast vertically, taking the direction of the east.
Lisieux. -- Mr. Bon, professor of mathematics at Lisieux, saw early in the afternoon in Saint-Germain-de-Livet, 2 or 300 meters from the road, over a wooden area, a silver disc with a diameter of 7 to 8 meters, which rose suddenly in the sky, without noise.
The disc was animated of a rapid movement of rotation. After diving to the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters it suddenly left horizontally at a tremendous speed.
LA ROCHE-SUR-YON. -- Mrs. Drouilard, residing in La Roche-sur-Yon, said she saw in the sky Monday night around 11:30 p.m., a luminous machine resembling a mushroom, moving silently and rapidly.
Nevers. -- Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henry Gallois and Louis Vigneron, stallholders, stated to have seen in a meadow near Corbigny, a cylindrical craft.
They say that while they were about fifty meters from the object, they felt an electrical shock, while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone the headlights came on again but they had to restart the engine.
LYON. -- Dr. Durand, general counsellor of the Township of Belleville-sur-Saône and Mr. Bourgeois, cafe owner in Saint-Georges de Reneins saw over the chapel of Brouilly, a flying saucer.
On the other hand, around 7:30 p.m. Monday night, MM. Dubois, rugby player and Coulon, swimming champion, saw, flying at low altitude, in the direction of Montgelas, a ball of fire that changed color several times.
TOULOUSE. -- Two residents in the Toulouse suburb, Mr. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, saw yesterday morning at dawn, a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket, fly away from a field and disappearing into the sky while producing a clarity of rare intensity.
The two men then went to the place where they thought the starting point of the mysterious craft was located. There, they found that the grass had been trampled on a circular area with a diameter of 6 meters. In the center of the area they found in the ground, four prints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy machine.
The grass was covered with droplets of fat steam condensation and smelled of oil.
The police went to the scene.
CHATEAUBRIANT. -- A 13-year-old boy, young Gilbert Lelay, said he saw on Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m., a mysterious craft in a field some 600 meters from his parents' home in the village of Sainte-Marie en Erbray near Chateaubriant.
The child claims to have spent ten minutes looking at ten meters this craft that was shaped like a phosphorescent cigar.
A passenger, a man wearing a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly told him in French, "Look but do not touch." He put the hand on his shoulder, while with the other he held a ball launching purple lights. He climbed into the craft through a door that slammed. On what could have been a dashboard, there were several colored buttons.
Still according to the child, the machine rose slowly vertically, throwing light in all directions, flew two rounds in the air and suddenly disappeared.
Abroad
VIENNA. -- Harald Kreutzberg, the Austrian Serge Lifar, living in Seefeld in Tirol, observed while he was in his garden, a flying saucer that flew over the small town for a few seconds before heading north and disappearing behind mountains.
Several residents of Seefeld also observed the phenomenon and tried unsuccessfully to photograph the mysterious craft.
[Ref. fso1:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE SOIR":
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A GIANT ROCKET, taking off from a field, was seen by M. Pierre Vidal, cook, residing at Croix Daurade, near Toulouse, and his nephew, Ange Hurle. It disappeared in a bright orange and pale green wake. At the presumed location of the rocket, the grass was covered with a fatty vapor with an oil smell.
A professor of mathematics from Lisieux, Mr. Bon, saw in Saint-Germain-de-Livet, above a wood, a silvery disk seven or eight meters; which rose silently in the sky, rotating on itself. After diving to the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters, it left again at the horizontal at a dizzying pace.
A GENERAL COUNCILMAN, a coffee-maker, a rugby player and a swimming champion, saw above the chapel of Romilly in the direction of Montgelas (Rhone) a flying saucer looking like a ball of fire.
A three meters high bell, moving with twelve meters jumps in an orange glow and emitting greenish sparks, was seen for an hour on the Evreux Louviers railway by an artisan, his apprentice and a farm worker.
A LUMINOUS MUSHROOM, which moved quickly and silently, was seen Monday evening around 9:30 p.m., by Mrs. Drouillard, at La Roche-sur-Yon.
A FLYING CIGAR, of metallic appearance, from which three red balls detached, was seen by Messrs. Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, guardians of the peace of the urban body of Riom (Puy-de-Dôme).
ANOTHER CIGAR, surrounded by iridescent lights was observed in Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales) by the baker M. Sebelli.
AN OBLONG-SHAPED ENGINE, moving in the sky as in a big "S" and making a sound of steam under pressure was seen by three young hunters above Gaillac (Aveyron). The same machine was reportedly observed in Pont-de-Salars.
[Ref. jpc1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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Metz, 13. -- During the duration of the Metz fair-exhibition, a military lighthouse, installed at the Army stand, swept the Metz sky every evening with its beam of light.
On Sunday evening, the operators of the device saw, at an estimated height of over 10,000 meters, a luminous circle which remained motionless above their heads for several hours. The radar service, also mounted at the army stand, tried in vain to seize the unusual circle in their device.
A local newspaper having reported the facts, the governor general, commander of the military region, ordered an investigation which has so far been unsuccessful. General Navereau awaits the report of Commander Cottel, who is in charge of the army stand.
According to the first information collected as soon as yesterday, it seems impossible that the projector installed at the fair in Metz could have caight any object located so high. In fact, this projector has only a range of 3,000 meters, a distance at which, on very clear days, it could perhaps distinguish something.
The luminous circle seized in the beam of the projector could be explained by the presence at a great height, of a whirling cumulus lit by the moon, full at this moment, and hidden behind a curtain of clouds.
One remains skeptical, meanwhile, about the presence of a round craft which would have had, it is estimated, 50 meters in diameter and which would have remained perfectly still for several hours.
However, the military services are continuing their investigations and will draw conclusions from this case as soon as they are in possession of Commander Cottel's report.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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(Continued from the first page)
Chateaubriand, 13. -- A 13-year-old boy, young Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen around 10:30 p.m. last night, a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 600 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Sainte-Marie-en-Erbray, near Chateaubriand.
The child states that he stayed 10 minutes to observe, about ten meters away, this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man, dressed in a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, would have told him in French: "Look - put a hand on the shoulder, whn-, [sic, mixture of lines] but don't touch." He told that, on the other, he was holding a ball launching purple fires. He got into the craft through a door which he slammed. On what could be a dashboard were several multicolored buttons.
Still according to the child, the object rose slowly vertically, launching fires in all directions, made two turns in the air and suddenly disappeared.
Toulouse. -- Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, Mssrs. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, were able to see, at daybreak, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky causing a clarity of rare intensity.
The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been packed on a circular surface three meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered four footprints in the ground that appeared to have been made by the feet of a heavy craft.
The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and smelled of petroleum.
[Ref. ssr1:] "SAMEDI-SOIR" MAGAZINE:
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By denouncing last week "the great farce of the Martians", we especially wanted to show the part of the individual or collective hallucination in the too many appearances of "extraterrestrial" craft with their pilots on the good ground of France.
[illegible]
[Ref. mcs1:] MICHEL CARROUGES:
The author indicates that there is a testimony by Vidal and Hurle, on October 12, 1954, with the immediate accesses of Toulouse, at the wake of day, but the account of the pranksters journalists of Samedi-Soire does not mention that they performed their joke in Toulouse at such a time, and the testimony is vague.
He adds elsewhere that the sighting was made at a 100 meters distance.
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 313 | 12 | 10 | 1954 | LA CROIX-DAURADE | F | 00122 | A |
[Ref. cln1:] CORAL AND JIM LORENZEN:
The authors say that an object which left some familiar evidence was seen taking off from a field at La Croix Daurade, France, at 4 a.m. on Otober 12, 1954. It was luminous, and it left the grass flattened in a 50-foot area.
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on October 12, 1954, at 4 o'clock in the morning at La Croix-Daurade, two men saw a luminous object rising from a field and projecting a strong light, leaving flattened grass on a surface of 5 meters.
[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:
The two ufologists indicate that on October 12, 1954, at about 4 o'clock, when the day rose, in the suburbs of Toulouse, Pierre Vidal and his nephew Ange Hurle see at a hundred meters of their home a giant rocket take off emitting an intense luminosity.
The two men walk to the place from where the craft took off. The grass is flattened there, on a circular surface of 5 meters of diameter. At the center 4 inprints seemed to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft.
The authors indicate that their sources are newspaper articles and personal files and that the Air Police investigated.
[Ref. tps1:] TED PHILLIPS:
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Oct 12, 1954
081 0400
FRANCE, La Croix Daurade. An object was seen taking off from a field. It was luminous and it left the grass flattened in a 50 ft. area. (APRO)
[Ref. gab1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "G.A.B.R.I.E.L.":
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10/../1954 Toulouse (Tarn et Garonne)
100m from their house, Messrs. P. Vidal and A. Hurlé saw a craft in the form of a very luminous rocket take off. On site, the grass was packed into a circle 5m in diameter with the four-foot footprints in the center. The grass was covered in droplets from the condensation of oily, petroleum-smelling vapors.
(J. Giraud, "Centre Matin" for 10/14/54) Let us recognize that the presence of these liquids is very rare and that the results of their analysis - if ever it was done - were never communicated.
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL ET JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors quote the following text:
"Tuesday October 12, towards 4 o'clock Mr Pierre vidal, cook, remaining 76, chemin de Lanusse (northern suburbs of Toulouse, district Croix Daurade) had just waken up and was at the water closet, when he heard a whistling sound coming from outside. Rushing on the terrace, while calling his nephew Mr Angel Hurle, who slept in a nearby room, the two men managed to see a kind of giant rocket, so luminous that one did not see its contours, taking off, and disappearing in the night, in the time of a flash. The owner of the field is Mr Gérard Gichaoua, domiciled 78, chemin de Lanusse. The 'rocket' emitted an orange and dirty green light."
"After the end of the lunch, the uncle and the nephew went to the site. In the center of a surface circular from 4 to 5 meters in diameter, and marked by fatty vapor condensations covering the grass, they noted the existence of 4 prints, delimiting a trapezoid whose great base measures 1.40 m, the small base 1.20 m, and the sides 1.20 m. An odor resembling oil emerged from the grasses which did not present any trace of burn. Investigation of police force and military safety. No radioactivity was detected."
The authors indicate that this report comes from La Dépêche for October the 13th and 14th.
The authors explain that "the saucer is the work of Mr Vidal, (note by the way that being a cook, crockery is familiar to him!)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that in Toulouse in Haute-Garonne, on Tuesday October 12, 1954, at 04:00 a.m., two inhabitants of the suburbs could see a machine in the shape of giant rocket which rose from a field at a hundred meters of their house. It disappeared quickly in the sky, generating a light of much intensity.
The two witnesses went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious machine. They found that the grass had been packed on a circular surface of five meters in diameter.
In the center of this area they discovered four prints appearing to have been made in the ground by the heavy apparatus. The grass was covered with droplets of some fatty vapor condensation, which released an oil odor.
The authors note that there was an investigation by the Air Police and wonder whether it was "a UFO or a terrestrial craft?"
The sources are indicated as La Croix, October 14, 1954; Le Figaro, October 14, 1954; Garreau and Lavier in "Face aux ET" page 108; Charles Bowen in "En Quête des Humanoïdes".
[Ref. pls1:] PIER LUIGI SANI:
This Italian ufologist wrote an article to refute the claims by ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker in their book "La Grande Peur Martienne" on the French wave of 1954, and provides examples of what he denounces as fraudulent or unjustified explanations they gave for cases, such as:
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6. The Case at Toulouse
A cook and his grandson see a gigantic spindle take off and vanish into the sky. Traces on the ground. Investigation by Police and Military. Conclusion by B. and B.:
The saucer was the handiwork of the cook, clearly a man well acquainted with plates and saucers.
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
October 12th. Toulouse, France. (4:00 a.m.)
Another early morning case was recorded at the Croix Durade [sic] section of Toulouse when a luminous craft was seen taking off from a field. A check of the site discovered a 50-foot area of flatten grass. 109.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
The author notes that on October 12, 1954 at 4 o'clock in Toulouse in the Haute-Garonne, Pierre Vidal and Angel Hurle saw a "giant rocket" taking off at 100 meters of their home to disappear in the night by diffusing an intense gleam. On the site the grass was flattened on a perimeter 5 meters in diameter, there were 4 prints in the center, and the grass was covered with droplets of a fatty condensation vapor which released an oil odor.
The author does not provide a source.
[Ref. cir1:] "THE CIRCULAR":
The magazine says threre was a 5 meters crop circle in grass at La Croix Daurade in France in 1954.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4076: 1954/10/12 04:00 5 1:28:00 E 43:38:00 N 3333 WEU FRN HGR 9:4
La CROIX-DAURADE,FR:ROCKET ^^/GND:5M/FLAT GRASS:OILY SMELL:/r30p152+/r217p198
Ref#197 WEINSTEIN, D: French Newsclips 1954 Page No. 81 : FARMLANDS
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on October 12 in France in the suburbs of Toulouse, "In the begining of the day, 04 hours approximately, Ange Hurle and Pierre Vidal see taking off at a hundred meters of their house, a giant rocket which releases an intense luminosity. The two men go to the place where the apparatus took off. The grass there is flattened on a circular surface 5 meters in diameter. In the center four prints appearing to be left by the feet of a heavy apparatus. Investigation by the Air police force."
She indicates that the source is: "GARREAU et LAVIER: 'Face aux extra-terrestres' - DELARGE 1975 - J'ai Lu, p. 112".
And notes: "IN REALITY : it is again a journalistic hoax – Larry Hatch Dec. 2003)".
[Ref. fbn1:] FABRICE BONVIN:
Fabrice Bonvin notes:
Case #002: 10/12/1954, p. 152 (Toulouse, Croix Daurade)
[Ref. fbn2:] FABRICE BONVIN:
In a table, Fabrice Bonvin notes selected cases of the 1954 Frnech flap, including this one:
| Case | Nmbr witnesses | Hours | Type objects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toulouse | 2 | 1 | 3 |
[Ref. amr1:] ANDREAS MULLER:
Andreas Müller indicates that in La Croix Daurade, France, on October 12, 1954, there was "A single circle approx 15' dia.". The creation and report dates are given as October 12, 1954. No source is given.
[Ref. amo1:] ANNE MORO:
Anne Moro indicates in English that in "La Croix Durande" [sic] on n October 12, 1954, "a single circle of flattened grass was found near La Criox Durnade. [sic]" The circle is said to have a 5 m diameter.
Anne Moro indicates that the source is the database by Andréas Müller "ICCA-The international Crop Circle Archive".
Elsewhere she indicates:
| 1954 October 12 | 31 DEP : HAUTE-GARONNE REGION MIDI-PYRENEES |
La Croix Daurade | A circle of 5 m in diameter A single circle of flattened gras Extract of the magazine "The Circular" page 13 |
This is said to be a translation of "Andréas Müller's data compared to the magazine 'The Circular' #41 - Spring 2001."
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Haute Garonne in Toulouse on October 12, 1954 at 4:00 hours, "Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs managed to see, this Tuesday, a craft in the shape of giant rocket which rose from a field at a hundred meters of their house. It quickly disappeared in the sky while generating a luminosity of exceptional intensity."
"The two witnesses went to the place where they located the starting spot of the mysterious machine. They found that the grass had been flattened on a circular surface, five meters in diameter. In the center of this area they discovered four prints appearing to be left by the heavy apparatus in the ground. The grass was covered with droplets coming from a fatty vapor condensation and it released an oil odor. Investigation of the Air police force."
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** éd. Alain Lefeuvre 1979".
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded the case 9 times instead of one:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | Toulouse | France | |||||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | Croix Daurade | France | 00.40 | CE II | |||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | Croix Daurade | France | 00.40 | CE I | |||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | La Croix Daurade | France | CE II | ||||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | La Croix Daurade | France | 04.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | La Croix Daurade | France | 04.00 | ||||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | La Croix Durade | France | 04.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | La Croix Durade | France | 04.00 | CE II | |||||
| 19541012 | 12.10.1954 | La Croix Durade | France | 04.00 | CE II |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 12 1954. 0400hrs.
TOULOUSE (MIDI-PYRENEES : FRANCE)
Pierre Vidal, a cook, (76) on the Lanusse Street had got to go to the toilet when his attention was caught by a hissing sound. He ran to the terrace, calling to his nephew Angel Hurle who slept in the next room, the join him. They saw a powerful light, like a giant rocket, flash into the sky, emitting a green and orange light. Later in the day they found in their next door neighbours garden four imprints in a 4-5m diameter circle. Fat was found on the ground Radioactivity was said to have been found at the site.
Evaluation - Hoax, probably by the Samedi Soir journalists
[Note: "Gross 1954* is supposed to indicate my Web page on the case; no link was provided and the content is not properly reflected, as I did not just cite Barthel and Brucker. Peter Rogerson took "his" evaluation from my page.]
|
Journalistic hoax.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, Ange Hurle, Angel Hurlé, Pierre Vidal, rocket, landing, close, near, luminous, light, grass, trace, circular, gear, foot, feet, heavy, police, investigation
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 11, 2004 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 11, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [jsr1], [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | April 24, 2009 | Addition [bbr1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | January 11, 2010 | Additions [amr1], [amo1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | June 29, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | July 9, 2010 | Addition [fbn2]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | October 20, 2011 | Additions [cln1], [cir1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | September 26, 2014 | Addition [ads1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | December 6, 2016 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | December 8, 2016 | Addition [pls1]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | December 21, 2016 | Addition [lgs1]. |
| 2.0 | Patrick Gross | December 30, 2016 | Addition [fso1]. |
| 2.1 | Patrick Gross | March 5, 2020 | Additions [nnm1], [lhh1], [prn2], Summary. |
| 2.2 | Patrick Gross | April 15, 2020 | Addition [nll1]. In the Summary, addition of "Nord Littoral for October 13, 1954," and "- or Angel Hurlé -" |
| 2.3 | Patrick Gross | April 30, 2020 | Addition [nmn1]. |
| 2.4 | Patrick Gross | July 1, 2020 | Addition [jpc1]. |
| 2.5 | Patrick Gross | January 17, 2021 | Addition [lcx1]. |
| 2.6 | Patrick Gross | May 7, 2022 | Addition [tps1]. |
| 2.7 | Patrick Gross | May 20, 2022 | Addition [ssr1]. |
| 2.8 | Patrick Gross | July 9, 2022 | Addition [gab1]. |
