ufo - UFOS at close sight: the 1954 French flap, September 22, Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne

Reference for this case: 22-Sep-54-Fontainebleau.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Summary:

The national newspaper Le Parisien Libéré for September 24, 1954, reported among other observations the testimony of one of their readers, Mrs. Gamundi, living 192, Avenue Jean Jaurès, in Paris: "The night before yesterday, she drove between Fontainebleau and Essonne, and she watched for half an hour a motionless luminous ball surrounded by a kind of smoke and from which fell other luminous balls. The ball changed suddenly its location and rose at high speed."

In his 1958 book, ufologist Aimé Michel gave more information, but without specifying his source. He said that on September 22, 1954, "at about the time when the witnesses of Ponthierry saw an object sink into the cloud layer", which would be around 08:30 p.m., Mrs. Gamundi, 192, avenue Jean-Jaurès, in Paris, left Fontainebleau by car to return home by the National Road 7 to the north.

She was still in the forest, less than 40 kilometers south of the Orly airport, when a reflection in the window alerted her that there was something luminous in the sky above her.

She stopped and got off the car. She saw at an altitude that she could not assess, under the clouds, a vast immobile luminous ball, of reddish color, surrounded by a kind of moving smoke also luminous.

She looked at the luminous ball until it disappeared half an hour later. The immobility of the ball was total during this time, but Mrs. Gamundi was able to observe at the end that from the lower part of the ball, another luminous ball suddenly appeared, much smaller, which, after a few seconds of free fall, slowed down, obliqued and set off at full speed.

A moment later, another ball dropped and disappeared like the first, then a third, a fourth, and so on. In her amazement, Mrs. Gamundi forgot to count and could no longer specify the number of these balls that sprung from the first.

Mrs. Gamundi had observed the strange carousel of the big red ball standing motionless in the sky for about thirty minutes, when a plane appeared in the sky to the north, plane that apparently had taken off and was heading south under the clouds stretching on the black background of the sky, with the alternating blinking of its two red and green navigation lights.

The plane was heading straight for the ball, from which it was still a good number of miles away, when the ball suddenly changed position, then rose at great speed to the clouds where it disappeared in a few seconds.

Mrs. Gamundi continued to watch for a moment. The plane passed, went away, and the ball did not come back.

Many abstracts would be published by other authors, there will be nothing more, except that "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker foolishly wrote that at Fontainebleau on September 22, 1954, at 08:00 p.m., there was "a luminous phenomenon", which was "a big meteorite" because - according to them - the description is "identical" to a case in Dole that day in which the witness told them to have seen at 08:30 p.m. "a fleeting gleam that crossed the sky".

Reports:

Saucers and cigars multiply in the sky of France

MP calls for official investigation

After the astonishing observations which excited and intrigued last week, more than a thousand Rome residents, in the course of the last forty-eight hours, many Frenchmen, in various regions, witnessed these phenomena in their turn.

It is confirmed once more (and this is the essence of this great mystery) that the reports match as to the strange evolutions of these unknown devices. Once again, too, the thesis of hallucination is hardly admissible. General perplexity is a fact on which everyone agrees, while "saucers" and "antisaucerists" will find there an exciting and inexhaustible conversation topic.

Michèle Morgan and an old gentleman saw "something" on the Esplanade des Invalides

The beautiful French movie star, Michèle Morgan, witnessed while passing on the Esplanade des Invalides a celestial phenomenon about which she stated:

"I'm sure it was not the lights of the Eiffel tower or the lights of an airplane, for I saw the craft going up vertically. An old gentleman, who was near me, and who had also noticed the phenomenon, ran away.

Her friends gently teased her by reminding her that she had played the part of Joan of Arc. But the star persisted in confirming what she had seen.

A ball of fire in the Seine-et-Marne

Until now, flying saucers had never been seen in the Seine-et-Marne. Everything happens, since, on Wednesday, around 8:30 p.m., two residents of Saint-Fargeau witnessed the moves of a ball of fire. These persons are worthy of faith, it is the apparitor Mr. Binet, and Mr. Ravot, butcher.

The latter was returning from Ponthierry when he saw through the windscreen of his car, just before him, a ball of fire moving in the sky.

"I was so surprised," he said, "that I stopped my car, I went out and followed the machine with my eyes for a few minutes. It moved horizontally, sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left, then disappearing in the clouds. It appeared four times, and I noticed in its back a small trail of light, not very long."

Back home, Mr. Ravot could not resist the desire of calling his neighbor, Mr. Binet. The two men inspected the sky, but in vain. Suddenly the butcher's little girl uttered an exclamation. The ball of fire had made a new appearance. Messrs. Binet and Ravot saw it clearly. It paused for a few seconds before disappearing into the clouds.

Let us repeat this testimony of one of our readers, Mrs. Gamundi, living on 192 avenue Jean Jaurès, Paris. The day before yesterday, she was driving by car between Fontainebleau and Essonne, and for half an hour she watched a motionless luminous ball surrounded by a kind of smoke, from which other luminous balls were falling. The ball shifted suddenly and rose at high speed.

At the moment when returning from [...]

[...] cigar shape surrounded by a kind of purple blue steam.

- Another cigar, matching the characteristics of the one observed in Rome, was seen by three people from Lodève (the Herault). The craft seemed to tow a shining globe at a speed of 1,500 km per hour.

As of Dr. Mercier, of Le Puy, he declared that he had observed, twice above the town, a silent round, brilliant object, which moved from south to north at a very high altitude. This machine would also have been seen by several farmers around Le Puy.

- In the Puy-de-Dôme, new witnesses of the phenomenon became known. The craft had a red color. It was a very elongated cigar which, and this is the first time that this particularity is reported, flew sideways. It was absolutely clear, without trail, and seemed to fly very high.

The other night, around 11 p.m., three young boys aged 16 to 17, who were walking on the jetty of the harbor of Banyuls-sur-Mer (PO), saw in the sky an oblong object moving at high speed and from which seemed to come out red and green flames. A little frightened, the boys went to tell their story to various consumers who were on the terrace of a coffee shop, but thee latter watched the sky and saw no trace of the mysterious machine.

Mr. de Léotard asks the Ministry of the Air for an official investigation

Mr. de Léotard, MP of the Seine, in a written question, explained to the Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Air) that recent testimonies relating to "flying saucers" and "flying cigars" are intriguing the public opinion, if not to worrying it, he asks:

(1) If instructions have been given for these phenomena to be systematically and scientifically observed;

(2) If these "saucers" or "cigars" could not be hunted for better observation so that the public would know exactly if come collective autosuggestion has to be dissipated or whether it is necessary to consider these phenomena to the point of view of security and national defense.

Aimé Michel indicates that on National Road RN 7, from Ponthierry to Fontainebleau, there are 18 rather deserted kilometers, half of countryside, other half of forest, with only one village, Chailly-en-Bière.

On September 22, 1954, about at the time when the witnesses of Ponthierry saw an object go into a vapor cloud, Mrs. Gamundi, 192 Jean-Jaurès avenue, Paris, had left Fontainebleau by car to return home using National Road 7 towards the north.

She was still in the forest when a reflection in the window alerted her that there was something luminous in the sky above her.

She stopped and got out of the car. She saw at an altitude that she could not evaluate, under the clouds, a vast motionless luminous ball, of reddish color, surrounded by a kind of moving smoke, also luminous.

She looked at the luminous ball until its disappearance half an hour afterwards. The immobility of the ball was total during this time, but Mrs. Gamundi could observe a very interesting ending: suddenly, from the lower part of the ball, another luminous ball appeared, much smaller, which, after a few seconds of free fall, slowed down, veered and left at full speed.

One moment afterwards, another ball was dropped and disappeared like the first, then a third, a fourth, and so on. In her amazement, Mrs. Gamundi forgot to count and could not specify anymore the number of these spouted out balls.

The observation was at less than 40 kilometers at the south of the large Orly airport. It was about thirty minutes that Mrs. Gamundi followed the strange circus of the large motionless reddish ball in the sky, when a plane appeared in the sky in the north; which apparently had just taken off and which moved towards the south under the clouds, lighting the black bottom of the sky with the alternate flickering of its two red and green navigation lights.

The plane went straight in direction of the ball, from which it was still distant of some kilometers, when the ball suddenly changed place, then rose at high speed towards the clouds where it disappeared in a few seconds.

Mrs. Gamundi continued to look a while. The plane passed, moved away, and the ball did not return.

September 22 [1954]

07:30 p.m.: Saint-Chéron/Breuillet (Seine-et-Oise)

07:30 p.m.: Arpajon (Seine-et-Oise)

08:00 p.m.: Saint-Fargeau/Ponthierry (Seine-et-Marne): sphère des nuées

08:30 p.m.: Rueil-Malmaison/Rebais/Sénart (S.et Oise): luminous ball

08:30 p.m.: Paris 7°(Seine): disque lumineux

? (same h?): Chailly-en-Bière (Seine-et-Marne)/Nationale 7,N. of Fontainebleau (S.et-Marne: clouds sphere + 7 or 8 small lumin. "balls."

Michel Carrouges mentions "luminous red balls surrounded by fume, they too luminous and red reported in Ponthierry and Fontainebleau".

Further in his book he indicates than on September 22, 1954 around 20 hours close to Fontainebleau, Mrs. Gamundi observed during half an hour, in the sky, a large motionless luminous ball surrounded by a moving and luminous smoke. He specifies that at some time, the witness saw a series of at least four smaller balls falling from the large ball, obliquing and disappearing at full speed. The display ended at the approach of a plane.

He adds that Mrs. Gamundi was alone, but that other witnesses in the Seine-et-Marne saw many passages of saucers that evening.

Jacques Vallée indicates that on September 22, 1954, in France, under the clouds a huge, luminous ball, reddish and surrounded by a sort of moving smoke, almost luminous, hung motionless, watched for half an hour.

Then suddenly, from the lower part of the ball, another, much smaller luminous ball emerged, and after a few seconds of free fall, it slowed, turned obliquely and disappeared at high speed. A moment later, a second ball dropped and went off, then a third, and a fourth.

Just then an airplane appeared in another part of the sky, apparently on a collision course with the ball, the ball abruptly changed position, rose into the clouds and disappeared.

Jacques Vallée indicates that Mr. Rabot was driving along the N7 motorway south of Paris, when he saw a red cigar-like object with what seemed to be luminous smoke escaping from it.

The observation lasted several minutes, enough time for him to stop the car and watch the large object move slowly and majestically by.

Jacques Vallée indicates at the same time than the sighting my Mr. Rabot along the N7 motorway south of Paris, Mrs. Gamundi, of Paris, who was returning from Fontainebleau also on the N7, observed the same phenomenon.

She stopped her car and watched a stationary, vertical red cigar surrounded by clouds. More than a dozen small disk-shaped objects fell out from the lower part of the cigar one after the other and flew away.

Vallée says that at about 8 P.M. on September 22, 1954, a Mrs. Gamundi of Paris, who was returning from Fontainebleu [sic] along N. 7, also saw the phenomenon seen in Ponthierry. She stopped her car to watch it. She described the thing as a cigar surrounded by clouds, red in color, immobile and vertical, and added that it gave out more than half a dozen smaller, disk-shaped objects, which fell out one after the other from the lower part of the "cigar" and flew away. The object finally took off when a commercial aircraft crossed the sky.

Jacques Vallée indicates that on September 2, 1954, in the continuation of the observation by Mr. Rabot which ended in Ponthierry, Mrs. Gamundi, 192 avenue Jean Jaurès in Paris, went up the road RN 7 towards the north, leaving Fontainebleau, and she was in the forest when she saw the phenomenon and stopped.

She described the phenomenon as being an object like a red cigar surrounded of clouds, motionless, vertical, which gave rise to more than one half-dozen of flying saucers which fell one after the other from the lower part of the cigar.

When a commercial aircraft appeared in the sky, this phenomenon definitively moved away.

Jacques Vallée indicates that on September 22, 1954, at 10:00 P.M., Mrs. Gamundi (192 Jean Jaurès Street in Paris) went driving main road Route Nationale 7 towards the North, leaving Fontainebleau. She was in the forest when she saw the phenomenon [seen by Mr. Rabot in Corbeil this day at the same time] and stopped. Shed described the object as a red cigar surrounded by haze, motionless, vertical, and she saw it giving birth to more than a half-dozen of flying saucers which fell one after the other from the lower part of the cigar. When a commercial airplane crossed the sky, the phenomenon moved away definitively.

The two authors indicate that in Fontainebleau on September 22, 1954, at 08:00 p.m., a luminous phenomenon was seen.

They say that one can seriously think that it was large a meteorite since the description is "identical" to a case in Dôle the same day in which the witness had told them to have seen at 08:30 p.m. a fast fugitive gleam which crossed the sky.

Yet another very important cloud-cigar event occurred on the evening of September 22 near Fontainebleau, about 35 miles southeast of Paris. Shortly after 8:00 p.m., Mme. Gamundi of Paris left Fontainebleau in her car and was driving home on Route N-7 going north. She had not yet come out of a forested area when a reflection on the glass indicated that there was something luminous in the sky above the car. She stopped and got out. Under the clouds, at an altitude that she could not estimate, a huge luminous ball hung motionless. It was reddish and surrounded by a sort of moving smoke, also luminous. Suddenly, from the lower part of the ball emerged another much smaller luminous ball. After a few seconds of free fall it slowed, turned obliquely, and disappeared at high speed. A moment later another ball dropped down and disappeared like the first one, then a third, a fourth and more. Astonished, Mme. Gamundi forgot to count them and later was unable to tell precisely the number of smaller balls which had emerged from the big one.

All this was happening less than 25 miles south of the big Orly airfield, and it was this proximity that brought the event to an end. About 30 minutes into the event, an aircraft appeared from the north, apparently having just left Orly. It was flying south under the clouds, heading straight toward the large ball, which was still a good many miles from it. The ball abruptly changed position, then rose at high speed toward the clouds into which it disappeared in a few seconds. The aircraft passed and disappeared into the distance, but the ball did not reappear. One further note about this event. What was almost certainly the same large reddish ball seen by Mme Gamundi, was also seen just minutes before some 10 miles north of here by. M. Rabot, a butcher from Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry. His description matched perfectly that of Gamundi, though he saw no secondary objects. He observed the object for many minutes before it headed south and disappeared in the clouds.

These reservations being made, this case [in Portugal in 1977] has the main interest, in our opinion, to belong to the classic but quite small category, of UFOs that give birth to other smaller objects: at the time of the straightforward ETH, one would have spoken of a "mothership", but today this expression risks appearing a little "out of fashion" [*]. By the spherical shape of the main object, this case bears a particular resemblance to an observation made on September 22, 1954 at about 8 p.m. near Fontainebleau.

That evening, Mrs. Gamundi watched for half an hour a large luminous ball of reddish color motionless in the sky. This ball was surrounded by a sort of moving smoke, also luminous. From the lower part of the ball were successively released several other much smaller luminous balls that moved away at full speed. At the approach of an airplane, the ball disappeared at high speed in the clouds (3). The "motherships" are not always cigaroids. It seems useful to note that in a recent "reductionist" book on the wave of 1954, the above case is described in two words (not one more!) as a "luminous phenomenon" and is, by amalgamation with other observations of the same day, assimilated to a large meteorite (4), without the authors deeming themselves to have to tell us if their conviction is based on a counter-investigation with the witness (if only by telephone...)

3. Aimé Michel, Mystérieux objets célestes, Seghers pu., 1977, pp. 89-90.
4. Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker, La grande peur martienne, Nouvelles Editions Rationalistes pp. 172-173.

[*] Did I understand well? Should ufological interpretations of observations be in accordance with the "fashion" of the moment?

September 22nd.

Route N-7 again. "Mother ship and satellite bodies."

The big UFO left the vicinity of St-Fargeau on a southern course. In that direction, not many miles south on Route-7, a Mrs. Gamundi had just left Fontainebleau in her car when a reflection on her car's windshield drew her attention to the sky. She pulled over and got out of her vehicle so she could see better. High up under the overcast was a huge ball-like object, surrounded by vapor, hanging in the air.

The UFO remained stationary for about 30 minutes, and during this period small luminous ball-like objects dropped form the lower part of the big UFO. According to Mrs. Gamundi, the small ball-like objects experienced a free fall for some seconds before controlling their descent, slowing down and turning obliquely before streaking away to some unknown destination. The "launching" of these objects continued until an aircraft from Paris' Orly field appeared on the horizon, the aircraft easily visible with its flashing red and green warning lights on its wingtips and tail. The UFO apparently reacted to the aircraft's approach - because it suddenly rose swiftly until it was totally concealed in the overcast. The UFO did not reappear while Mrs. Gamundi remained on the scene even though she kept a vigil for some time. 102.

[...]

102. Paris, France. France-Soir, 24 September 54. Also: Paris, France, Parisian-Libere, 1 October 54

Loren Gross reproduces in the middle of summaries of cases from mid to late September 1954, a barely legible press clippingfrom France-Dimanche, entitled "They all saw flying saucers", without giving the references, on which we see:

Mr. Raymond Ravot, butcher in Saint-Fargeau, is the main witness of the appearance of a saucer

3811: 1954/09/22 20:00 6 2:38:00 E 48:27:00 N 3333 WEU FRN S&M 7:9

FONTAINEBLEU [sic],FR:CLOUD-CGR OFFLOADS SAUCERS:CGR FLIES TO AVOID PASSING PLANE

Ref# 3 VALLEE:UFO ENIGMA: Challenge/Science Page No. 66 : RESIDENT'L

The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on September 22 in France, in "Ponthierry, Arpajon, etc. (the Seine et Oise)", at 19:30, and "in St Cheron with inter alia witnesses Cyrille Maillard, radio operator officer. Sometimes the object moves on the right, on the left, vertically, in all the directions, with a majestic slowness. In Arpajon Mrs. Chatelin is the witness of the same phenomenon. Little before 20:00 Mr. Rabot of Ponthierry sees a luminous object of great red volume surrounded by a luminous smoke of the same color: the object is vertical. Observation also made by Mrs. Gamundi between Ponthierry and Fontainebleau, who stopped to observe during half an hour. Suddenly another smaller ball emerges from the lower part, which fell in free fall, slows down then fled while obliquing. One moment later the phenomenon was repeated, and several times again in continuation. The witness forgot to count so intense his stupor was. When a plane came, the phenomenon hid in the clouds. Then the phenomenon did not reappear any more.

The source are indicated as "Aimé Michel: 'M.O.C.' Seghers pub., p. 89, 90" and "Henry DURRANT: 'Premières enquêtes sur les Humanoïdes ET' - Laffont 1977 - p. 199".

On this Day

September 22

[...]

1954 - At 8:00 p.m. red luminous cloud-cigar was seen by three people emitting disc-shaped UFOs in Fontainebleu [sic], France. The object was surrounded by a luminous vapor. The cigar-shaped UFO flew in a manner to avoid a passing airplane. (Source: Larry Hatch, U computer database, citing Jacques Vallee, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, p. 66).

"At this time, a woman goes up Main Road 7 towards the north, leaving Fontainebleau. She is in the forest when she sees the phenomenon and stops. She describes the object as a red cigar surrounded of clouds, motionless, vertical, and sees it giving rise to more than one half-dozen of flying saucers which fall one after the other from the lower part of the cigar. When a commercial aircraft crosses the sky, the phenomenon moves away definitively."

Luc Chastan indicates that in Seine et Marne at Fontainebleau on September 22, 1954, at 20:00 "A woman goes up Main Toad 7 towards the North, leaving Fontainebleau. She is in the forest when she sees the phenomenon and stops. She describes the object as a red cigar surrounded of clouds, motionless, vertical, and sees it giving birth to more than a half-dozen of flying saucers which fall one after the other from the lower part of the cigar. When a commercial plane crosses the sky, the phenomenon moves away definitively."

Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "M.O.C. by Michel Aimé ** Arthaud 1958".

*Sep. 22, 1954 - At 8:00 p.m. red luminous cloud-cigar was seen by three people emitting disc-shaped UFOs in Fontainebleu [sic], France. The object was surrounded by a luminous vapor. The cigar-shaped UFO flew in a manner to avoid a passing airplane. (Source: Larry Hatch, U computer database, citing Jacques Vallee, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, p. 66).

Explanations:

Fontainebleau, in the center of the forest of the same name, is located 41 km south-east of the center of Orly airport.

The Route Nationale 7 of that time passed through the forest of Fontainebleau and Fontainebleau itself.

Below: places mentioned for the observations of September 22, 1954, in the evening, in the Paris area, plus localization of the Orly airport mentioned by Aimé Michel.

The observation of very long duration is of very high strangeness (it was obviously not "a big meteorite" as claimed by Barthel and Brucker, who did not investigate this case but decided that since one would have seen a meteor in Dôle that evening, the cases they knew for September 22, 1954, were all explained by this meteor).

There is only one witness - unless we consider other testimonies of that evening as "corroboration", which seems to me a little risky without being impossible either; and there was no investigation.

As this was partly about a "big ball", "reddish in color, surrounded by a kind of moving smoke, also luminous", I wanted to check whether the Moon could be involved.

The only big ordinary reddish ball in the sky at that time would be planet Mars, at 190°, elevation 14° at 08:30 p.m., in the sky since 04:00 p.m. and setting around 11:30 p.m.

Of course, Mars was not "above her", it does not produce smaller luminous balls, does not leave when an airplane flies by, etc.

This case is therefore unidentified for the moment in my opinion, and possibly the maneuvering of extraterrestrial craft.

Keywords:

Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, Gamundi, road, forest, object, cigar, clouds, haze, motionless, hovering, vertical, flying saucers, mothership, night, luminous, Orly

Case Nr.	Date of observation	Place of observation	Country of observation	Hour of observation	Classification
19540922	22.09.1954	Fontainebleau	France	20.00
19540922	22.09.1954	Fontainebleau	France
19540922	22.09.1954	Fontainebleau	France
19540922	22.09.1954	Fontainebleu [sic]	France
19540922	22.09.1954	Essonnes	France	20.30	NL
19540922	22.09.1954	Essonnes	France	20.45	NL
19540922	22.09.1954	Fontainebleau	France	20.20	NL

Version:	Created/Changed by:	Date:	Change Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	April 9, 2006	First published.
1.0	Patrick Gross	January 17, 2010	Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [lcn1].
1.1	Patrick Gross	June 17, 2010	Addition [jve5].
1.2	Patrick Gross	July 4, 2010	Addition [scx1].
1.3	Patrick Gross	July 6, 2010	Addition [jve6].
1.4	Patrick Gross	November 15, 2014	Addition [nip1].
1.5	Patrick Gross	December 15, 2016	Additions [ple1], [ubk1].
1.6	Patrick Gross	August 29, 2019	Additions [scx1], [lgs1], [lhh1], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet."
1.7	Patrick Gross	March 13, 2021	Addition [gqy1].
1.8	Patrick Gross	April 12, 2022	Addition [lgs2].
1.9	Patrick Gross	June 13, 2022	Addition [jve4].

The 1954 French flap:

September 22, 1954, Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne: