The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 23-Sep-54-Villebois-Lavalette.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
It was reported in the national newspaper Paris-Presse for September 26, 1954, that "with binoculars, yesterday afternoon" - which would be on September 25, 1954 - in Villebois-Lavalette in the Charente department, "Mrs. Faubert and Miss Forgeron clearly distinguished a 'slightly conical' cigar."
It was reported in the national newspaper Paris-Presse for September 28, 1954, that several inhabitants of Villebois-Lavalette saw a craft which, after being immobilized for a few moments, quickly moved away.
In the 2000's, a German web database of UFO sighting reports published that there was a UFO sighting on September 23, 1954, in Villebois-Lavalette.
[Ref. cpd1:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-PRESSE":
|
From the Moselle to the Bidassoa, the "Martian" offensive is developing. It is now by squadrons that saucers and cigars fly over the territory. We counted up to six at a time, yesterday, above Lantefontaine-les-Baroches, in Lorraine. Several dozen workers saw them.
"We first saw," they said, "two 'cigars', then four more craft joined the first two. All of them stood perfectly still for a moment and finally disappeared instantly."
Their statements are confirmed by several other people.
In Bayonne, yesterday afternoon, three were seen. A peacekeeper, Mr. Corrions, who was in the Halles district, observed these three motionless craft, arranged in a triangle and slightly oval in shape. They were, he said, the size of a rugby ball and appeared to be at a considerable height.
In Le Puy, only one cigar, but the end was, it seems, glowing.
In Clermont-Ferrand, the same probably left behind a pink trail; in Langeac (Haute-Loire), it was a white glow.
In Epinal, it is no longer a cigar but a yellow saucer, "surrounded by a paler ring".
In the Charente-Maritime, three fishermen and a customs officer saw the other night a formation of three saucers which was scouring, while that with binoculars, yesterday afternoon, in Villebois-Lavalette (Charente), Mrs. Faubert and Miss Forgeron clearly distinguished a "slightly conical" cigar.
In the Limousin, terror reigns. In Roches (Creuse), the children no longer dare to go to school alone: a man of strange appearance who is hiding in thickets was seen. Two young shepherdesses also saw him near Chamboulève (Corrèze). One wonders whether the "Martian" who, the other day, kissed a Bugeat farmer and left without saying a word on board his saucer, left a companion who wanders through the Limousin maquis. The gendarmes are looking for the "Martian", but have not yet encountered him...
[Ref. ppe2:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-PRESSE":
|
More saucers and flying cigars: In Lencouacq (Landes), Mrs. Vignolles stated she saw a flying cigar which landed gently in a meadow behind the presbytery. In Mansles (Charente), Mr. Martin saw the other night at around 2 a.m. a luminous disc heading from south to north. Several inhabitants of Villebois-Lavalette (Charente) also saw a craft which, after being immobilized for a few moments, quickly moved away.
Finally a P.T.T. employee of Bourges, Mr. Robert Patient, revealed that on the road to Vasselay he had been followed for several hundred meters by "a hemispherical and shining object" which had landed in a field and immediately left.
[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19540923 | 23.09.1954 | Villebois Lavalette | France |
|
Insufficient information, possible plane or helicopter.
The date is in doubt: [ubk1] gives it as September 23, 1954, whereas if we are to believe [ppe1] it would be September 25, 1954. However, newspapers like Paris-Presse often wrote "yesterday" for cases that occurred in fact "the day before yesterday" or even "before the day before yesterday." They sometimes copied verbatim text of regional newspapers from the day before which had written "yesterday", which results in this kind of delay.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Villebois-Lavalette, Charente, multiple, craft, motionless, move, binoculars, daytime, Faubert, Forgeron, cigar, cone
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 1, 2017 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | May 14, 2019 | Addition of the Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | February 3, 2021 | Addition [ppe2]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [ppe2]. Explanations changed, were ""I did not find any other source for an observation in Villebois-Lavalette on September 23, 1954. However, reports about the observation in Ronsenac on October 3, 1954 mention that the site is between Montmoreau and Villebois-Lavalette; so 'UFO-Datenban' may have made a date error." |
| 2.2 | Patrick Gross | March 15, 2021 | Addition [ppe1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [ppe1]. In the Explanations, addition of the paragraph "The date is in doubt..." |
