The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 16-Oct-54-Murat.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
Paris, 18. -- Mysterious craft continue to regularly frequent the skies of France. The testimonies accumulate, coming every day to bring some new details, either on the saucers, or on the flying cigars.
While on Saturday evening, several reliable people, including Mr. Béranger, mayor of Saint St-Laurent-du-Var, advisor general, had seen above Nice, an orange disc, last night, this time above Cannes, several people observed a luminous craft of yellow color with a green tail, but the more interesting testimony was to be brought by an employee of the municipal recipe of Antibes.
Mr. Casella, living in Bio [sic], returning home in the evening, found himself "face to face with a huge mechanical machine measuring 7 to 8 meters in diameter placed in the middle of the road." The witness who was on a bicycle approached the craft until almost touching it, but then it rose vertically and, with a slight hiss, disappeared into the sky.
In the Provence sky, in Venergues, several grape pickers saw, Friday afternoon, a craft of elongated shape like a cigar, one said, white and blue, said a second. A third picker said the rocket appeared to be emitting luminous rays.
In Le Puy, a luminous object was observed between 5:50 p.m. and 6:36 p.m., by the Puy Chadrac weather station. The craft appeared like a straight olive with a sort of black antenna at the top. The station chief said he believed he was in the presence of the planet Jupiter. Mr. Casella, a resident of Bio who piter, but the sudden disappearance of the object demonstrated that he had been mistaken.
The same phenomenon was seen by the meteorological center of Ruyères (Cantal). One can compare these testimonies to that of thousands of inhabitants of Tulle who, around 3:35 p.m., saw in the sky, in a south-southeast direction, a big bright and motionless point. It appeared transparent and showed the shape of a cylinder whose two ends were conical.
In Murat (Cantal), an object also shiny and ovoid in shape, was to be observed for an hour. In this case, it seems to be a strongly lit balloon.
In two villages in the Haute-Marne, Vignory and Brottes, orange-colored objects were seen on Thursday evening. These objects rose vertiginously but without noise.
Finally, in the Finistère, Mr. René le Viol, transporter at Fouesnant, saw Thursday evening, behind a curtain of trees, a flat-shaped craft with the appearance of an overturned plate and surrounded by a reddish glow, this first disc was then followed by a second and both disappeared towards the sea.
Rome, 15. -- Many mysterious craft were seen yesterday in the sky of Italy. One of these machines landed near Rovigo in the area known as Po Di Gnocca, where several people observed it. The circular craft, after having slowly hovered, landed on the ground without noise. After a few minutes of immobility, it resumed its silent vertical flight, but at the place where it took off, there is now a fairly deep crater six meters in diameter. Six poplars that stood nearby were also charred. Authorities will travel to the scene to verify the authenticity of the witnesses' accounts.
In the Modena region, a trader saw an incandescent "flying cigar" flying over the countryside at an altitude of around two hundred meters. After a brief stop, the craft reportedly headed to the northwest. This observation was confirmed by other witnesses.
Finally a flying saucer with silver reflections is reported to have flown over the Loino area at 5.000 meters. Witnesses to this observation stated that the saucer did not emit any noise and did not release any smoke. It disappeared in the direction of Switzerland.
Amiens, 16. -- Mr. and Mrs. Dumeige, cattle dealers in Domart-en-Ponthieu, and Mr. Lourdel, cattle broker in Condé-Folie, who, on Thursday, around 9:00 p.m., were traveling by automobile truck on the road to Domart in Condé-Folie, said they saw a very bright glow not far from La Folie farms, which seemed to land in a meadow not far from the road.
Mr. Dumeige, who was driving, stopped his vehicle and got out with his wife and Mr. Lourdel. It was then that they saw clearly, near the light, six or seven small beings advancing in line. They were so frightened that they immediately set off again, leaving the craft and its occupants there.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
It becomes a permanent display and a real interplanetary carousel.
In Cannes, several people observed a luminous yellow craft with a green tail.
Mr. Casella, employee at the municipal tax office in Antibes, returning home to Biot, found himself "nose to nose" with "an enormous mechanical machine, measuring 7 to 8 meters in diameter, posed in the middle of the road." The witness, who was on a bicycle, approached the craft until he almost touched it, but then it rose vertically and, with a slight whistling sound, disappeared into the sky.
In the Provence sky, in Venergues, several grape pickers saw an elongated craft, like a cigar, said one of them, and white and blue, said a second. A third harvester said the rocket appeared to emit light rays.
In Le Puy, a shiny object was observed by the Puy-Chadrac weather station. The craft appeared like a straight olive with, at the top, a sort of black antenna. The station chief specified that he believed to be in the presence of the planet Jupiter, but the sudden disappearance of the object showed that he had made a mistake. The same phenomenon was seen by the center of Ruyères (Aveyron).
We can compare these testimonies to that of several residents of Tulle who saw in the sky, in a South-South-East direction, a big bright and still point; it seemed transparent and took the shape of a cylinder with both ends conical.
Similar observations were made in Murat.
Finally, in the Finistère, Mr. René Le Viol, transporter in Fouesnant, saw a craft appear behind a curtain of trees of flat shape "looking like an upturned plate", surrounded by a reddish glow. This first disc was then followed by a second; both disappeared towards the sea.
France does not have a monopoly on these now incessant sarabandes.
In the Siamese capital, several hundred people saw a glittering disc, apparently one-third the diameter of the full moon, which seemed to be traversed by a wave progressively pacing its surface from left to right, exactly like some neon billboards.
The saucer, after drifting slowly from north to south for about a quarter of an hour, disappeared.
On the other hand, a Thai weekly reported this week "multiple appearances of flying saucers over the border regions of Siam and Burma." Some of these craft reportedly landed in the jungle.
Finally, according to the same weekly, a "mysterious ray" charred several villagers.
Italy, too, sees numerous and mysterious craft sailing in its sky.
One of them landed near Rovigo, in the area known as Po Di Gnocca, where several people observed it. The craft, circular in shape, after having slowly glided, landed silently on the ground. After a few minutes of stillness, it resumed its silent flight vertically, but where it took off, there is now a fairly deep crater six meters in diameter. Six poplars that stood around there were also charred. The authorities went to the scene to verify the authenticity of the witnesses accounts.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Aimé Michel reports the case of the balloon which begun on October 14 and continued on the 15th and the 16th of october from the Alps to Provence.
On October 14, Aime Michel's brother, Joseph Michel, in Saint-Vincent Les Forts in the Low-Alps informed him that on October 14 at 05:30 P.M., he and others located a large luminous object which seems at high altitude, with an apparent size of a half full moon, appearing as a large phosphorescent ball to the naked eye, and as a disc luminous on the circumference and darker in the center when viewed through binoculars. It changed slowly to an oval form and a color going from yellow to orange, then red. It is lost from sight at about 06:20 P.M. when the sun set and the first stars became visible.
He reports that the object was observed during about an hour, during which it moved slowly towards the west, crossing an angular distance of thirty degrees approximately.
Aimé Michel shares his thoughts of the moment:
"This report from my brother, former telepointor of the Navy, was invaluable for me. "Here, I thought, a very beautiful balloon which comes to us from Italy in clear skies. It will probably cross all southernmost France at a very high altitude and will be visible everywhere. We will see the psychosis in action. God knows into what this inoffensive apparatus will be transformed."
Michel tells us the continuations. The balloon is indeed seen on the 15 and the 16 in almost all the Southern half from France, including in Murat.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
15 octobre [1954]
[... autres cas...]
journée: France méridionale:Briançon,Digne,Le Puy,Lyon,Murat,Saint Céré,Toulouse,Tulle,Ardèche,Aveyron,Basses-Alpes
[... autres cas...]
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
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 | Murat | France |
The high altitude balloon that day.
One or more stratospheric balloons to study cosmic rays were launched from Milan, Italy, as a project of the Padova University, and floated in the French sky on October 14, 15 and 16, 1954; this photograph was taken from the observatory of Haute-Provence:
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Murat, Cantal, Joseph Michel, balloon, negative
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
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1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 21, 2017 | First published. |
1.1 | Patrick Gross | May 17, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. |
1.2 | Patrick Gross | January 5, 2021 | Addition [lcx1]. |
1.3 | Patrick Gross | May 10, 2022 | Addition [gqy1]. |