The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 24-May-54-Marseilles.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Le Provençal for May 29, 1954, reported that a truck driver from l'Estaque, Mr. Guy M..., said he saw a "phosphorescent glow" in the form of a disc, in the night from Sunday to Monday, so on May 24, 1954, around 01:40 a.m.
He was on the North Highway and was able to watch the apparition for about two minutes, with the disk stopping for that length of time right over the highway. Then suddenly, after a 40 degree turn, it disappeared "at a vertiginous speed" towards the sea.
In his 1956 book "Black-Out on the Flying Saucers", Jimmy Guieu mistakenly dated the case on May 23, 1954, at 01:40 a.m..
He indicated that the truck driver at the wheel of his truck was dazzled by a rounded glow with the flash of an electric arc, emerging in the sky. He stopped his vehicle, turned the headlights off and went out, and then distinguished an ovoid-shaped thing "looking like an ebonite tray that surrounded that glow."
The object moved very slowly through the fast lane, then came to a standstill, with increased brightness and hovered like this for three minutes. All of a sudden, it moved at a fairly high speed, titled and went away at a "dizzying pace".
[Ref. lpl1:] NEWSPAPER "LE PROVENCAL":
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They were seen at Marseilleveyre at l'Estaque and above Pointe-Rouge
After the "flying saucer" seen last Sunday on the mounts of Marseilleveyre, around 06:45 p.m., two other testimonies come to confirm the presence in the sky of Provence of a mysterious craft.
A truck-driver of Estaque, Mr. Guy M... stated that he had seen a "phosphorescent gleam"; in the shape of a disc, in the night from Sunday to Monday, towards 01:40 in the morning, whereas he was on the Northern motorway.
He managed to observe this appearance during approximately two minutes, the disc being motionless during this lapse of time above same the motorway, then suddenly, after a turn of 40 degrees approximately, it disappeared at a vertiginous speed in the direction of the sea.
Yesterday an architect reported to us that he had seen, Wednesday around 12:30, a "flying saucer": "I was with the top of the Michelet boulevard, when an orange disc, coming from West-East [!?] slipping by towards Pointe Rouge, appeared in the sky. I could observe this disc during three minutes approximately, its apparent diameter was that of a soccer ball. It went at a pace moderated while oscillating slightly, its edge was of a darker color, and I roughly estimated its altitude between 2.5500 and 3.000 meters. Suddenly, its pace accelerated, the luminosity increased clearly and the disc disappeared".
[Ref. jgu1:] JIMMY GUIEU:
The author indicates that on May 23, 1954, a curious "meteor" able to hover and to "wander arround" during nearly three hours was seen by Mr M., truck driver, at 01:40 a.m. above Marseilles.
This meteor was motionless during three minutes above the Northern motorway. Mr. M. was suddenly blinded by a "round gleam" which has emerged in the sky. He stopped his truck, dimmed the headlights, and he then distinguished an "thing of ovoid form showing the aspect of an ebonite plate which surrounded this gleam."
The object moved very slowly while crossing the motorway and became motionless. Its luminosity increased and remained motionless there for three minutes, then suddenly banked and left at "a vertiginous pace."
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Bouches du Rhône in Marseilles on May 23, 1954 at 01:40 hours, "A truck-driver at the wheel of his truck was dazzled by a round gleam having the glare of an electric arc, that emerged in the sky. Stopping his truck, he puts his headlights out of night light and goes down from the latter. He then distinguishes a thing of ovoid form offering the aspect from an ebonite plate which surrounded this gleam. The object was moving very slowly while crossing the expressway then it was immobilized. Its luminosity increased and it reached a maximum during three minutes. All of a sudden, it moved at a rather high speed, titled and left at a vertiginous pace."
He indicates as source: "Black-out sur les Soucoupes volantes by Guieu Jimmy ** Fleuve Noir 1956 omnium 1977".
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If Jimmy Guieu's version was correct, then it was probably not a ameteor.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Marseilles, Bouches-du-Rhône, truck, road, night, gleam, ovoid, egg-shaped, oval, slow, fast, luminous, maneuver, phosphorescent, duration, motionless, anonymous
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | March 7, 2006 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 2, 2010 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lcn1], [ud1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | May 17, 2019 | Addition of the Summary, explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
