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The 1954 French flap:

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October 2, 1954, Poncey-sur-l'Ignon, Côte-d'Or:

Reference for this case: 2-oct-54-Poncey.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Reports:

[Ref. bre1:] NEWSPAPER "LA BOURGOGNE REPUBLICAINE":

[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:

Ufologist Aimé Michel found the observation of Poncey starting from his hypothesis of "orthoténie," i.e., his empirical suspicion of alignments; which would not be random for the locations of UFO sightings. As of the day of October 2, among the may observation reports, he listed a dozen observations in France which seemed aligned on lines which seemingly had their intersection at Poncey-Sur-l'Ignon in Burgundy. His friend and neighbor in Paris, the ceramist Pierre Mestre, after having contemplated the observation map displayed on a wall by Aimé Michel, pointed out to him that it would be interesting to know of an UFO has been observed at Poncey for October 2.

Aimé Michel tells that while digging in his files, he indeed found the following sighting.

On Saturday, October 2, at about 08:00 P.M., Mrs. Guainet was finishing milking the cows in her cattle shed. She told:

"The dogs, which at this time usually stay put in the cattle shed at my sides, had come out a few seconds earlier, barking in the direction of the wood. When I came out behind them in the court, an odd fact struck me: the front of the house was gently enlightened as by the Moon at its decline. "The Moon is quite strange this evening," I thought. Looking up, I then saw a sort of large luminous cigar above the wood, apparently at low altitude, which flew silently towards the East at a speed comparable with that of a large plane, and keeping an appreciably vertical position. I called my husband and my daughter Yvette. A neighbor came out too. We all saw the enormous object disappearing behind the hill, always flying in straight line at a moderate speed."

Michel adds that the display had been seen by other inhabitants from other locations in the village, but that the observation had passed unnoticed because of the more sensational case of October 4 in the same village.

[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:

[Ref. ldl1:] "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE:

[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. cpr1:] CLAUDE POHER, UFO RESEARCH GROUP "GEPA":

In 1968-1969, before the official GEPAN ufology effort started, its future head Dr Claude Poher was a member of the unofficial GEPA ufology group, and gathered a computer coded listing of more than 700 UFO reports on which multiple factors statistical computation could be run. In the file were a number of 1954 French UFO reports, among those this one.

For readability, a decoded interpretation of the data is provided here under the original 80 character encoded string. Decoding was done according to the original indications, the code number and its generic meaning is given. Please not that the generic meaning of each code is a predefined category, not the real specific details of the case. For example, if the main witness' age was 33, the coding would result in a number "3" which corresponds to a category "Adult from 21 to 59 years."

[Ref. pis1:] "PHENOMENES INCONNUS" UFOLOGY BULLETIN:

This ufology bulletin indicated that there was a case on October 2, 1954, in Poncey; which was a part of a "network" of aligned cases of that day, in their opinion.

[Ref. pis2:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "PHENOMENES INCONNUS":

In this ufology bulletin, Alain Barbe assured that the cases on October 2, 1954, including that of Poncey, formed a geometric figure comprising parallel lines with regularly increasing spacing, which according to him could not be due to chance. He published this pattern, however, comprising only 8 of 61 or more cases from that day:

He published yet a second map with more cases (but far from the 61 cases), notably that of Poncey:

[Ref. gcn2:] GORDON CREIGHTON:

[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:

Charles Garreau notes that Commander Viala and Captain Millet, of the gendarmerie, the air police force, the intelligence service of the Chief of Staff of the 1st Air Area came to investigate in turn into the landing of October 4, 1954 in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon, and that it revealed another sighting two days before, that of a luminous craft in the shape of an "oil barrel" which had flown over the village while following a trajectory parallel with the road from Dijon to Troyes.

[Ref. gab1:] JEAN GIRAUD:

Jean Giraud indicates that the "cloud cigar" is one of the most interesting elements of the "flying saucers" phenomenon and that it was observed inter alia in "Ponçay sur l'Ignon [sic] on October 2, 1954.

[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The two authors indicate that in Poncey-sur-L'Ignon in the Côte d'Or, on October 2, 1954 at 19:40, the witnesses were Mathilde Gainait, aged 52, farmer, and Marie-Louise Mugneret, aged 41, without profession.

A large luminous cylinder 80 cm in diameter on 1.50 meters height was observed, it was of red color on all its surface and radiated like a green reflection all around. It was seen moving at low altitude at the speed of an ordinary plane per Mrs. Gainait.

It was seen by Mrs. Mugneret as a "soccer ball" of the color of an ordinary but more orange bulb.

Mrs. Gainait left a stable where she had just milked her cows when she noticed it as being an orange luminous object of cylindrical form which moved at a low altitude. She returned home, alerted her daughter, her husband, and her daughter alerted Mrs. Mugneret, a neighbor.

They all saw itmoving away towards the south at a speed which appeared very fast to Mrs. Mugneret.

The authors indicate that the sources are their own file and an investigation by the Saint-Seine-L'Abbaye Gendarmerie squad.

[Ref. via3:] "VIMANA 21" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE:

This magazine listed this case:

[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:

[Ref. jca1:] JACQUES COSTAGLIOLA:

The author indicates that on October 2, 1954, in the evening, a large luminous green cigar flew over in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon in Burgundy.

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

Belgian ufologist Godelieve van Overmeire notes in her catalogue that in France, in 1954, October 2, in Poncey sur Lignon, Mathilde Gainait comes out of the stable between 19:40 and 19:45 and sees a large cylinder 80 cm in diameter by a 1,50m height, of orange color, with a green reflection around, moving in vertical position at low altitude. She calls her husband, her son, her daughter and a neighbor. For Mrs. Mugneret, Co-witness, it is like a soccer ball of the color of an ordinary but more orange bulb.

The source is indicated as M. Figuet / J.L. Ruchon: "Ovni, Premier dossier complet..." Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 107 and 108,109.

[Ref. lbp1:] NEWSPAPER "LE BIEN PUBLIC:":

The article of the newspaper Le Bien Public, of Dijon, Côte d'Or, headlined "The first UFOs seen in Poncey-Sur-l'Ignon 46 years ago. Can it be believed?", from October 22, 2000, has this extract in relation to this case:

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the Côte d'Or in Poncey sur l'Ignon on October 2, 1954, at 19:40 hours, a woman "is milking the cows when suddenly the dogs which were beside her come out rushing of the cattle shed and start to bark in direction of a wood. She then comes out and notes that the front of the house is enlightened as by the Moon. She then looks up and sees above the wood a vast luminous cigar which flew in silence at low altitude at a speed comparable with that of a large plane. The object kept a vertical position. The woman calls her husband, her daughter and a neighbor comes out too. The 4 witnesses observed the object disappear behind the hill. The object left towards the East. It was of orange color and its size was of 1m by 2m which was in fact a huge object."

The sources are indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979" and "M.O.C. by Michel Aimé ** Arthaud 1958".

[Ref. djn2:] DONALD JONHSON:

Donald Johnson indicates that Aimé Michel found that on September 2, 1954 nine multi-point straight lines of French UFO sightings intersected at Poncey, France, and at such intersections, "cloud cigars" were seen.

[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database managed to record this same case 8 times instead of one:

Explanations:

Not looked for yet.

Poncey-Sur-l'Ignon is a small village of the department of Côte-d'Or, in the area of Burgundy, and had approximately 140 inhabitants at the time of the facts.

In 1959, Charles A. Maney, in the continuation of a discussion on UFOs carried through in Akron (Ohio), U.S.A., and using the maps raised by Aimé Michel, evoked the following possibility:

Keywords:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Poncey, Poncey-Sur-l'Ignon, Côte-d'Or, Guainet, Yvette Guainet, Gainait, Yvette Gainait, Marie Mugneret, orange, green, cigar, cylinder, luminous, hovering, multiple, dog, dogs

Sources:

[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.

• [bre1] Article in the regional La Bourgogne Républicaine, pages 1 and 10, October 7, 1954.
• [----] Investigation by the Saint-Seine-L'Abbaye Gendarmerie Squad.
• [aml1] "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Arthaud publisher, pp 148-149, 1958.
• [aml1] "Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery", book by Aimé Michel, English version of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", S.G. Phillips publisher, 1958.
• [gqy1] "Observations 1954", monograph by Guy Quincy, France - Algeria, private publication, page 9, the 1950's.
• [aml1] "Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery", book by Aimé Michel, English version of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", Criterion Books publisher, page 100, 1958.
• [ldl1] Ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #77, page 3, September /October 1965.
• [jve5] "Catalogue préliminaire de 500 observations", listing in "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace", book by Jacques and Jannine Vallée, Table Ronde publisher, France, 1966.
• [aml1] "A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes", book by Aimé Michel, reprint of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", Planète publishers, pp 148-149, 1966.
• [pis1] Ufology bulletin Phénomènes Inconnus, C.F.R.S, France, #14, page 19, 1971.
• [pis2] "Du nouveau sur l'orthothénie?", article par Alain Barbe, dans le bulletin d'ufologie Phénomènes Inconnus, C.F.R.S, France, N° 14, page 17,18, 1971.
• [gcn2] "Les effets des M.O.C. sur les animaux, oiseaux et créatures plus petites", catalogue by Gordon Creighton, extract of the Flying Saucer Review (FSR), U-K., Volume 16, #1 of January / Ferbuary 1970, authorized publishing, translation by J.-C. Dufour, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #126, page 23, June / July 1973.
• [----] "Mysterious Visitors: the UFO Story", book by Brinsley Le Poer Trench, Stein & Day publishers, USA, 1973.
• [gal1] "Face aux Extra-Terrestres", book by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, Delarge publisher, J'ai Lu, France, pp 41-42, 1975.
• [aml1] "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Seghers publishers, pp 148-149, 1977.
• [aml1] "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Robert Laffont publishers, pp 148-149, 1978.
• [cpr1] "Statistics from 735 UFO Observations", paper by Dr Claude Poher, GEPA.
• [jve5] "Catalogue préliminaire de 500 observations", listing in "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace", book by Jacques and Jannine Vallée, Robert Laffont publisher, France, page 249, 1978.
• [gab1] "Les Soucoupes Volantes - Le Grand Refus?", book by Jean Giraud and the G.A.B.R.I.E.L. group, Michel Moutet publisher, France, page 9, 1978.
• [fru1] "OVNI, Premier Dossier Complet des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, pp 108-109, 1979.
• [via3] "Listing fichier ADRUP", in the ufology magazine Vimana 21. ADRUP, France, #17, 4^th quarter 1984.
• [lgs1] "The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse - UFOs: A History - 1954 October", monography by Loren Gross, USA, page 4, 1991.
• [lbp1] "Les premiers OVNI aperçus à Poncey-sur-l'Ignon il y a 46 ans. Peut-on y croire?", ("The first UFOs seen in Poncey-Sur-l'Ignon 46 years ago. Can it be believed?"), article in the newspaper Le Bien Public, Dijon, Côte d'Or, France, October 22, 2000.
• [jca1] "Epistémologie du Phénomène Ovnien ou Cinquante Ans de Déni Scientifique", book by Jacques Costagliola, L'Harmattan publisher, France, page 157, 1998.
• [lhh1] "*U* Computer Database", database by Larry Hatch, USA, circa 2002.
• [goe1] "Chronologie OVNI", compiled by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 2003, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/chron13.html
• [lcn1] Base OVNI France, website by Luc Chastan, France, circa 2005, at baseovnifrance.free.fr/detobs.php?numobs=474
• [djn2] "The Worldwide UFO Wave of 1954", electronic article by Donald Johnson, Ph.D., USA, page 12, 2009, at www.ufoinfo.com/onthisday/papers/Worldwide%20UFO%20Wave%20of%201954.pdf
• [nip1] List on The NICAP Website, USA, found in 2014, at http://www.nicap.org/reports/1954_ufocat.htm
• [ubk1] Online database UFO-Datenbank, Germany, found in 2016, at ufodatenbank.de

Document history:

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This page was last updated on March 23, 2022.