The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 17-dec-54-Bersaillin.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In 1966, the French ufologist Jacques Vallée published in the British Flying Saucer Review, in his UFO landings catalog, that on December 17, 1954, at 5 p.m., between Bersaillin and Colonne, in France, a cabinetmaker of Poligny saw a very bright object on the road. He first thought it was an American car with his headlights on, but he soon realized that the light came from a dark craft about 80 meters away. The light became brighter, the witness felt an intense heat wave, and thought he was going to die, but eventually the light went away.
The case was republished in many ufological publications, without any other information, but with an allusion to an investigation by Jean Tyrode on the location - whose report I could not find then: only a sketch by Fernand Lagarde (below) that appeared in the Lumières Dans La Nuit magazine in June 1970, said to have been made according to photo of the location, is available to me.
In addition, it was not until Jean Sider in 1997 that we learn that the source would be an article on page 2 of the local Dijon newspaper Les Dernières Dépêches for December 20, 1954, an article that I have not found yet. Jean Sider further indicates that the witness was one Mr. Charles Monnayeur, and that he was on a motorcycle.
The least ordinary explanation would be that this witness would have seen a foreign car. The thing indeed does not seem to have left the ground, and according to the sketch and the report, it would have remained all the time in the ground. The sensation of heat should then be considered to have been a somatization under the effect of a great fear. At that time, French cars had yellow headlights, according to the rules, whereas foreign cars usually had white headlights. The witness no doubt found that as the headlights, or the light, were white, logically, it must have been an American car.
This was not a well-assured explanation, because according to Jean Sider quoting the press, the thing was neither on the road nor just "80 meters away" as written by Vallée, but 80 meters from the road, i.e. off the road. Sider also mentions that the light was one white light, not two headlights.
In the 2010s-2020s, a new piece of evidence surfaced. Thanks to the efforts of the SCEAU association, which works to preserve French ufological archives, it was discovered that investigator Jean Tyrode, affiliated with the ufology group Lumières Dans la Nuit, had conducted an investigation in 1969 or 1970 on this case, as part of an operation to verify French 1954 cases cited in Jacques Vallée's catalog dealing with "UFO landings."
Tyrode established the date of the case as Friday, December 17, 1954, the time was around 6:30 p.m., the witness was Mr. Charles Monnoyeur, then living in Poligny on Rue du Collège, a cabinetmaker at the Fontray furniture factory, who was 25 years old at the time of the observation.
Tyrode places the phenomenon on the ground near Colonne, while the witness was standing on Departmental Road 22 between Bersaillin and Colonne.
The sky was clear, the witness was coming from Poligny on a motorcycle, riding along Departmental Road 22. He had passed through the village of Bersaillin and was easily following the very wide crest of the hill which overlooks by about twenty meters the valley of the Orain.
He came to the last bend at the top of the descent leading to the plain dotted with numerous villages, including Colonne, which he could make out by its lights about a kilometer away. From this bend, one can see the road descending about ten meters and then continuing in steps until reaching the outskirts of the village of Colonne, the descent and plateau being in a straight line following one another.
On each side of the road stretched fields and meadows, the roadway being slightly elevated to avoid the frequent flooding at the time of snowmelt. At the top of the hill lies a small grove of acacias, the Bois de Gorarde, at which point the witness saw the phenomenon. To the right of the road, in the plain, winds the Orain, which draws closer and closer to the road until it reaches it near Colonne.
When the witness reached the corner of the woods, just as he was approaching the bend, he saw below the road, toward Colonne, a strong white light that dazzled him. He first thought it was the headlights of a car coming toward him, since vehicle headlights were white at that time.
He slowed more and more and finally had to stop: he could no longer see the road. All this happened very quickly and the witness had no time to think about what was happening to him. Remaining seated on his motorcycle, dazed by this unusual light, he did not understand what it was and stayed frozen in surprise and fear.
It looked like a ball that seemed to be sitting on the road, that might perhaps rush at him, and he would have been unable to protect himself from it.
Suddenly, the ball began to grow, to swell; perhaps reaching 10 meters, 20 meters in diameter - he could not say exactly. The brightness of the light intensified and became unbearable, and yet he could not stop looking, as if fascinated, while at the same time a huge wave of heat enveloped him.
At the time of the investigation, he still wondered whether this sensation was real or whether it came from his great fear, but he had definitely felt - or at least had the impression of - this enveloping heat.
He thought then that he would not survive; but the ball began to shrink in size, the heat diminished, then disappeared. He could then place the object between the road and the Orain about 500 meters from him; it was no more than a ball, a marble, and then there was nothing more to see.
The observation lasted 7 to 8 minutes according to the witness. Having fully recovered, he resumed his journey as if nothing had happened and was no longer disturbed by it.
Tyrode added that no investigation was conducted on the site at the time.
[Ref. jve7:] JACQUES VALLEE:
197. Dec. 17. A woodcraftsman who saw a very bright light on the road between Bersaillin and Colonne (France) first thought it was an American car with its headlights on, but soon observed it was produced by a dark object about eighty metres away: the light became brighter, the witness felt an intense heat wave and thought he was going to die. But the lights at last went away.
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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Dec. 17, 1954, 05:00 P.M., Bersaillin (France).
A woodsman from Poligny saw a very bright light on the road, first thought it was an American car with its headlights on, but soon observed it came from a dark craft about 80 m away. The light turned brighter; the witness felt an intense heat wave and thought he was going to die. Finally, the light went away. (Personal).
Note: When Vallée indicates that the source is "Personal", it just means that he has some source at hand, it does not mean that he "personally" investigated!
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
Jacques Vallée indicates that on December 17, 1954, a logger, who saw a very brilliant light on the road between Bersaillin and Colonne, France, initially believed that it was an American car with all lit headlights, but he noticed soon that it was produced by a dark object at approximately 80 meters from there. The light became more brilliant, the witness felt a heatwave and thought that he was going to die, but the light finally moved away.
[Ref. jte1:] JEAN TYRODE:
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OBSERVATION. POLIGNY No. I
Cat. J V. Case No. 355
Investigator: Mr. TYRODE.
Date and time: Friday, December 17, 1954, around 6:30 p.m.
Witness: Mr. Charles MONNOYEUR, cabinetmaker, residing at that time in POLIGNY, currently on rue du College (requests the strictest anonymity), worker at the FONTRAY furniture factory in FOLIGNY, 25 years old at the time.
Place of observation: On the ground, near COLONNE.
Witness's location: On road D 22 between BERSAILLIN and COLONNE.
Sky condition: Clear.
Observation:
The witness, coming from POLIGNY on a motorcycle, was traveling along road D 22. He had passed through the village of BERSAILLIN and was easily following the very broad crest of the hill, which rises about twenty meters above the valley of the ORAIN. He was now at the last curve at the top of the descent leading to the plain dotted with many villages, including COLONNE, which he could distinguish by its lights about a kilometer away.
From the spot where he was, and in daylight, one can see, at the bend, the road that slopes down about ten meters, then continues flat until the outskirts of the village of COLONNE, slope and flat stretch being aligned in a straight line with one another.
On each side of the road stretch fields and meadows, the roadway being slightly elevated to avoid frequent flooding during the snowmelt. At the top of the hill lies a small grove of acacias, the GORARDE woods, near which the witness saw the phenomenon.
To the right of the road in the plain winds the ORAIN, which gradually approaches the road until reaching it on the outskirts of COLONNE.
The motorcyclist, arriving at the edge of the woods, was entering the curve when, lower down the road toward COLONNE, a strong white light dazzled him. At first, he thought it was the headlights of a car about to pass him,
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(they were white at that time). He slowed down, reducing his speed more and more, and finally he was forced to stop: he could no longer see the road. All this had happened very quickly and the witness had not had time to think about what was happening to him. Remaining seated on his motorcycle, stunned by this unusual light, he did not understand; he remained frozen in surprise and fear.
What could this ball that seemed to be resting on the road possibly be? Was it going to rush at him? He would have been unable to protect himself from it.
Suddenly the ball began to grow, to swell; did it reach 10 m, 20 m in diameter? He could not say. Its brightness intensified and became unbearable, and yet he could not stop looking at it, as if fascinated. At the same time, an enormous wave of heat enveloped him.
Even today he still wonders whether this sensation was real or whether it came from his great fear, but he clearly felt - or at least had the impression of - being enveloped, bathed in this heat. This time, the unfortunate man truly believed he would not survive. But the ball began to shrink in size, the heat subsided, then disappeared. He could then place the object between the road and the ORAIN, about 500 m from him; it was nothing more than a pellet, a marble, and then nothing. Everything was normal again.
The observation lasted 7 to 8 minutes according to the witness. Having completely regained his composure, he resumed his journey as if nothing had happened and was no longer disturbed.
No investigation was carried out at the site at the time.
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[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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355) December 17, 1954, 05:00 p.m., Bersaillin (France):
A cabinetmaker from Poligny saw a very bright object on the road, thought at first that it was an American car with its headlights lit, but soon noticed that it came from a dark machine about 80 meters away: the light became more brilliant, the witness felt an intense heat wave, and thought he was dying. Finally, the light went away (Personal).
[Ref. ldl1:] "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE:
The magazine published this sketch:
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The caption is:
NEAR BERSAILLIN (JURA)
ON DECEMBER 17, 1954 AT 5 PM
(CASE #355 OF THE CATALOGUE OF JACQUES VALLEE
PUBLISHED IN OUR ISSUE FOR FEBRUARY 1970)
(Sketch by F. LAGARDE base on photographic documents and investigation by J. TYRODE)
[Ref. ldl3:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
An editors' note about a 1958 case in Poligny investigated by Jean Tyrode indicates that in 1954 observations were made notably in Bersaillin, "case 255, positive investigation."
[Ref. jte2:] JEAN TYRODE:
This ufologist mentions the case of Bersaillin, and other information, as part of an "alignment" of five cases in an arc of circle and on the river Orain.
[Ref. fle1:] FERNAND LAGARDE:
This ufologist mentions the case of Bersaillin, with no other information, as part of an "alignment" of cases.
[Ref. ldl2:] "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE:
The magazine indicates that there was an observation in 1954 in Bersaillin, case 355 of Jacques Vallée, which was investigated again by Jean Tyrode.
[Ref. gab1:] "G.A.B.R.I.E.L." UFOLOGY GROUP:
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12/17/1954 Bersaillin
That day, around 5 pm, a Poligny cabinetmaker discovered a shiny object on the road 80 meters away. Suddenly, the light emitted became brighter and the witness felt a heat wave so intense that he thought he was dying. Finally, the light source moved away. (Valley Catalog No. 355).
If a heat source, capable of being suffocating at 80 m, had actually been there, it should have burned out its immediate surroundings. But it was not so. We can therefore reasonably infer that the witness of Poligny was the victim of a false thermal sensation. It is even possible to wonder if he was not also dealing with a "paraluminous" radiation. This testimony is not an isolated fact and there are many similar cases that can sometimes manifest themselves in extremely curious forms but perfectly explainable according to the basic logic that we have chosen.
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
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541 17 December 1954 1700 hrs
BERSAILLIN (FRANCE) A woodsman from Poligny saw a very bright light on the road, thinking it was an American car with headlights on, but soon saw that it came from a dark craft about 80m away. The light turned brighter, the witness felt an intense heat wave and thought he was going to die. Finally the light went away. (M355)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two ufologists and authors indicate that on December 17, 1954 at 05:00 p.m. on the road between Bersaillin and Colonne, a cabinetmaker of Poligny saw a very brilliant ball on the road.
He initially thought that what he was looking at was only an American car with its headlights on, but he soon noticed soon that it was caused by a dark apparatus at approximately 80 meters of him.
The light became more shining, the witness felt an intense heat and thought that he was going to die, but the light moved away.
The authors indicate case 355 of Jacques Vallée's catalogue as source.
[Ref. cck1:] GILBERT CORNU AND HENRI CHALOUPEK:
Meanwhile, on December 17, a cabinetmaker from Poligny sees at the end of the afternoon, around 5 p.m., a very bright ball on the road; from a distance, he thinks at first that they are the headlights of a big foreign car (which have white headlights), but as he gets closer, at about 80 meters, he sees a dark apparatus different from an automobile; it is then that the light increases in intensity and that the witness feels a heat wave so strong that he thinks he is going to die... but soon the light goes away and the heat disappears... (7)
-7- Catalogue Vallée - case No 355. (This catalog is to be found in the book Chronique des apparitions Extra-terrestres of Denoel publishers - the "j'ai lu" version is incomplete).
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET - "FRANCAT":
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| CASE Nr | CLASSIFICATION | DATE | HOUR | PLACE | ZIP CODE | CREDIBILITY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 281 | CE2 | 12/17/1954 | 05.00 PM | Bersaillin | 39800 | B3 RS [=Sparse information]-NI [=Unidentified] CV [=Vallée catalog] #355 |
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
December 18th. Bersaillin, France. (5:00 p.m.)
A stretch of road near Bersaillin was brilliantly lit, causing a French woodsman to think some sort of big American auto was approaching. Instead he saw that the source of the light was a dark mass about 70 yards away. The light became more intense and the increase in brightness was accompanied by a wave of heat. The light dimmed shortly thereafter. 155.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
Jean Sider indicates that on December 17, 1954, at 05:00 p.m., in Bersaillin/Colonne, Poligny, the Jura, France, Charles Monnayeur drove by motorbike when he is suddenly dazzled by a white headlight which he thinks to be from a foreign car, which obliges him to stop. It is actually a mass black carrying this light, located at 80 meters of the road. The light of the headlight intensifies and Mr. Monnayeur feels heated on all the body, more and more. He feels "finished". Then the light disappears gradually and the motorcyclist takes advantage of that to drive away as fast as possible.
The author indicates that this comes from the local source "Les Dernières Dépêches" of Dijon, for December 20, 1954, page 2.
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on December 17, in France, in Bersaillin, at 17:00 a cabinetmaker (a logger, says Charles Bowen [no, a logger, says Vallée in Bowen]) of Poligny saw an object very shining on the road: it was a dark apparatus at approximately 80 m from him; the light became more brilliant, the witness felt an intense heatwave and believed he was dying. Finally the light moved away.
Geneviève van Overmeire indicates that the source is Jacques Vallée: "Chronique des apparitions ET", Denoël 1972 - Coll. J'Ai Lu, p. 293.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4476: 1954/12/17 17:00 2 5:35:20 E 46:52:20 N 3333 WEU FRN JRA 6:6
BERSAILLIN,FR:1 OBS:INTENSE LITE+HEAT/ROAD from DARK OBJ/TYPE UNK:
Ref# 8 VALLEE, Jacques: PASSPORT TO MAGONIA. Case No. 355: ROAD+RAILS
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
On this Day
December 17
[...]
1954 At 5:00 p.m. on a country road in Bersaillin, France in Jura department, a woodsman sighted a very bright light on the road, coming from a dark craft some 80 meters away. When the light became brighter the man felt an intense wave of heat and he thought that he would die. After a short while the light moved away. (Source: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, A Century of Landings, case 355).
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
December 17, 17 H: In Bersaillin (France), 1 cabinetmaker of Poligny sees 1 object very shining on the road, thinks initially that it is an American car with its lit headlights, but realizes soon that it comes from a dark apparatus to approximately 80 m from there, the light became more brilliant, the witness feels an intense heatwave, and believed to die. At last, the light moves away.
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
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Luc Chastan indicates that in the Jura in Bersaillin on December 17, 1954 at 17:00 hours, the witness drove between Bersaillin and Colonne when he observed a strong light in front of him. He then thought that they were the headlights of an American car. But soon he noticed that it was a dark apparatus at approximately 80 meters which produced the latter. The light became more brilliant, and the witness then felt a heatwave, he thought he was going to die. The light moved away.
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 17 December 1954 at 17:00 in Bersaillin, France, "A dark craft about 80 meters away with a very bright light" and "At 5:00 p.m. on a country road in Bersaillin, France in Jura department, a woodsman sighted a very bright light on the road, coming from a dark craft some 80 meters away. When the light became brighter the man felt an intense wave of heat and he thought that he would die. After a short while the light moved away."
And: "A woodsman from Poligny saw a very bright light on the road, first thought it was an American car with its headlights on, but soon observed it came from a dark craft about 80 meters away. The light turned brighter; the witness felt an intense heat wave and thought he was going to die. Finally, the light went away. An object was observed. Physiological effects were noted. Traces found. One dark object was observed by one experienced male witness on a road."
The sources are indicated as "Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Dec. 17, 1954 At 5:00 p.m. on a country road in Bersaillin, France in Jura department, a woodsman sighted a very bright light on the road, coming from a dark craft some 80 meters away. When the light became brighter the man felt an intense wave of heat and he thought that he would die. After a short while the light moved away. (Source: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, A Century of Landings, case 355).
[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541217 | 17.12.1954 | Bersaillin | France | 05.00 p.m. | CE II | |||||
| 19541217 | 17.12.1954 | Bersaillin | France | 05.00 p.m. | CE II | |||||
| 19541217 | 17.12.1954 | Bersaillin | France | 05.00 p.m. | CE II | |||||
| 19541217 | 17.12.1954 | Bersaillin | France | 05.00 p.m. | CE II |
[This database recorded this same case 4 times instead of 1 time.]
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
December 17 1954. 1700hrs.
BERSAILLIN (JURA: FRANCE)
A carpenter from Poligny, Charles Monnayeur was driving his motorcycle when he encountered a white light that he first thought came from the headlights of a foreign car, but then saw came from a black mass 80m away. As the light grew brighter, Charles felt an intense heat and thought he was going to die. The light then gradually disappeared.
Vallee Case 355
Note: The source reference "Gross 1954" is my file. No link was provided, the "evaluation" was mine, and my file content was not really reflected.
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Probable vehicle headlights.
Thanks to the good care of Jean Sider, one understands that the reason the witness thought of headlights of a foreign car is quite simply because the light was white whereas French cars headlights at that time had headlights of yellow color.
On the colors of vehicles headlights in 1954 in France:
In November 1936, it was decided that headlights had to be yellow. In Europe, notably in Germany, they were generally white. Yellow headlights were adopted in anticipation of a possible war, in order to better recognize enemy vehicles. This is sometimes disputed on the grounds that no Defense document formally demonstrates the reality of this reason. They became mandatory for all vehicles starting in January 1939, but only became widespread after 1945. It was then argued a posteriori that yellow headlights were safer than white ones.
In 1993, according to decree no. 92-494 of June 4, 1992, and then article R-313 of the highway code: the legal colors of headlights in France are white, yellow, and amber. White headlights are authorized, and they became widespread because manufacturers aligned with the most common rule in Europe.
It is not possible to be certain that in 1954 the color white alone excludes automobile headlights, since a foreign car would generally have had white headlights, for example.
On the observation:
Jean Tyrode's map makes it possible to locate the elements, with the yellow point for the phenomenon and the red point for the witness's stopping place. The points would be about 1 kilometer apart:
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Since the distance is obviously not precise but interpreted, I think the yellow dot should be placed closer to the bend a little to its south. As a result, a car taking this bend would have had its headlight appear increasingly bright, as seen from the witness's position, because the car would be more and more facing him. The subsequent decrease in luminous intensity should be due to the car taking a side road or path to the right, which would corresponds to the present-day A39 highway.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Bersaillin, Jura, Charles Monnayeur, woodsman, object, brilliant, light, luminous, rod, craft, dark, effects, heat
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 19, 2003 | First published. |
| 0.2 | Patrick Gross | March 1, 2006 | Additions [jbu1], [djn1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 26, 2008 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [jve2], [goe1], [jsr1], [ldl1], [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | February 288, 2010 | Addition [uda1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | October 19, 2014 | Addition [nip1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | November 2, 2016 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | November 22, 2016 | Addition [lgs1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | January 21, 2017 | Addition [jve7]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | November 23, 2018 | Additions [jve3], [ldl1], [jte2], [fle1], [prn1], [gab1], [cck1], [lgs1], [lhh1], [prn2]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | December 2, 2021 | Addition [ldl3]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | September 7, 2025 | Addition [jte1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [jte1]. In the Explanations, addition of the "Update on September 7, 2025" part. |
