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The 1954 French flap:

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September 30, 1954, La Flotte-en-Ré, Charente-Maritime

Reference for this case: 30-sep-54-Re.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Summary:

In the French Press of the 2nd, 8th, 9th, and 11th of October 1954, there were a few lines on an observation in the island of Ré, or at La Flotte-en-Ré, with as a main witness a mason inhabiting the island, Mr. Simonetti, who reportedly said he saw a luminous sphere, about 12 meters in diameter, that sparkled about fifty meters from the ground.

He reportedly said that the sphere took a red color, then a blue color, and rose very quickly, vertically.

Two inhabitants of the Ile de Ré reportedly witnessed the same phenomenon.

Some newspapers had given the name as "Simonetin", or "Simonnetti".

The other two "inhabitants of the Island of Ré" were sometimes presented as "two Parisians on holidays" on the island.

Jacques Vallée had noted that the name was "Céleste Simonutti", and that it occurred on September 30, at 10:00 p.m.; when the witness returned home, near La Flotte-en-Ré, he had seen a brilliant light. Fearing a fire, he rushed to the scene and observed a luminous sphere of 12 meters in diameter hovering at an altitude of 1 meter; which had become red and then blue, and flew off, seen by two other witnesses.

It is said the amazed witness later said that: "It made no more noise than a flock of birds."

Reports:

[Ref. pce1:] NEWSPAPER "LE POPULAIRE DU CENTRE":

Scan.

In the Haute-Marne, a roadmender calls a "MARTIAN"... who climbs aboard his machine and runs away

In the Dordogne, a farmer saw a "flying soup tureen" and its two occupants

Chaumont, October 7 (A.P.P) - Mr. André Narcy, a 48-year-old roadmender in Mertrud (the Haute-Marne), went yesterday morning to work on his motorcycle when near Voillecomte at 7:15 a.m. he noticed in a field in the vicinity of the place called "La Vieille-Tuilerie" an orange-colored object. As he approached, he found that he was in the presence of a machine unknown to him. The roadmender stopped his machine and walked to about fifty meters from the object. It was then that he perceived in the vicinity a small being about 1 m. 20 in height and clad in a coat covered with hair. Narcy was very afraid and lay down on the ground and then called the character. The latter, after turning towards him, rushed into his machine; which immediately flew away vertically to get lost in the clouds.

According to Mr. Narcy, the craft was spherical in shape with a diameter of about ten meters. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the porthole through which the being entered the craft was just between the spindle and the body of the apparatus. At the departure of the latter a kind of flame emerged from the spindle while a great vaporous eddy occurred under the machine.

Mr. Narcy went immediately to his work, where he told his adventure to his comrades. With two of them, Mrrs. Riel and Henry, he returned to the spot where he found that the dew no longer existed on a certain surface. The grass had a slightly milky tint and was crushed on a square about three meters side. In addition, 12 parallel tracks resembling round foot prints were distributed over a certain distance, suggesting that the apparatus had landed in a series of small jolts.

A farmer from Chaleix (the Dordogne), Mr. Garreau, said yesterday that he had seen a "flying soup tureen" land on his property. Mr. Garreau said that two perfectly normal men dressed in khaki suits came down and shook hands with him and spoke to him an unknown language. Mr. Garreau, awestruck, did not reply. The two men stroked his dog and climbed back into the aircraft, which flew away noiselessly at a dizzying pace.

At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau it was found that the grass had been crushed.

In the Corrèze

At the Verdier (commune of Eyburie) several people saw, on the evening of October 1st, around 10 p.m., a ball of fire in the sky. For a few seconds it illuminated the landscape with a reddish gleam and appearing to follow the course of the Vézère. It disappeared in the direction of Uzerche.

***

Saturday, October 2, in broad daylight this time around 1:30 p.m. in the village of Espartignac, an 8-year-old girl, who was leaving her home to go to school, was frightened by a strange phenomenon. She immediately called her mother, who was able to ascertain the following fact: an object of cylindrical form, extremely brilliant, which seemed to rotate on itself at a very rapid pace, rose vertically in the sky, where it was to disappear.

A luminous sphere at the Ile de Ré

A mason living in the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere about 12 meters in diameter, which oscillated about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, had become

(Continued on page 2)

[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":

Scan.

Martians are normal men:
they pet dogs...

Limoges, 7. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau said on honor that he had seen a "flying soup tureen" land on his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out, shook his hand, and spoke to him in an unknown language. Mr. Garreau, amazed, did not respond. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft; which flew away silently at a dizzying pace.

At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.

... and have fun swinging...

La Rochelle, 7. -- A mason living on the Ile de Ré, Mr. Simonetti, said he saw a luminous sphere of 12 meters in diameter approximately which oscillated at about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue, and rose vertically very quickly.

Two other residents of the Ré Island said they had witnessed the same phenomenon.

Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps Mr. and Mrs Laroche, claimed to have seen, at nightfall, a incandescent sphere.

... and tear off the lawn

Dijon, 7. -- Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that she was frightened and had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie revealed very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Clods of earth were allegedly torn off and thrown off on a four-meter radius.

Fantastic ray

Rouen, 7. -- Mr. Landrin, a water attendant in Duclair (Seine-Inférieur) who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.

Things are flying...

Finally, saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, lights, luminous streaks of various colors and all other objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of the Eure et Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvallon (Côtes du Nord), Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.

A denial for
some observers
official

The flying saucer is not (always) a weather balloon

Melun, 7. -- Mr. E. Farnier, member of the Society of Civilian Engineers of France declares to have seen, above his property in Jouy-sur-Morin, a large disc of 8 to 10 meters in diameter "rotating on the spot letting red-purple gleams escape, with a hissing sound reminding a bit of the arrival of a jet plane. The craft was about 400 meters high and hovered more than 20 minutes above me, said Mr. Farnier, so I had the opportunity to examine it carefully. The craft then disappeared in the direction of Coulommier."

Mr. Farnier specifies: "Former commissioner of the the Aero-Club of France, having served in aviation, I was not the victim of a hallucination and this machine was not a sounding balloon but a thick circular wing hovering on the spot and moving at very high speed gradually increasing its height."

[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":

Scan.

THE CHRONICLE OF THE SKY

LIMOGES, October 7.

A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau, said on his honor that he saw a "flying tureen" land in his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out, shook his hand, and spoke to him in an unknown language. Mr. Garreau amazed did not respond. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft, which flew away silently at a dizzying pace.

At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.

LA ROCHELLE, October 7.

A mason living on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere of about 12 meters in diameter which was oscillating about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue, and rose vertically very quickly.

Two other residents of the Island of Ré said they had witnessed the same phenomenon.

Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at nightfall, an incandescent sphere.

DIJON, October 7.

Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that she was frightened and had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie recorded very clear traces on the ground at the place indicated. Clods of earth had been torn off and thrown within a radius of four meters.

ROUEN, October 7.

Mr. Landrin, a water attendant in Duclair (Seine-Inférieur) who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.

***

Finally, saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, lights, streaks of various colors and all other objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure and Loir, at Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvallon (Côtes du Nord), Ajort (Calvados) and Biarritz.

[Ref. jps1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":

Scan.

A roadmender from the Haute-Marne
reportedly saw a "flying
saucer" and its pilot

Chaumont, 7. -- Mr. André Narcy, 48, roadmender in Mertrud (Haute-Marne), was on his way to work by motorcycle when near Voillecomte, at 7 a.m. there he noticed in an path, at a place called "la Vieille Tuileries", an orange object.

As he got closer, he noticed that he was in the presence of an object unknown to him. The roadmaker stopped his machine and walked to about a hundred meters from the object.

It was then that he saw nearby a small being about 1.20 m. tall and dressed in a coat covered with hair. Mr. Narcy was very scared and lay down on the ground, then he called the man. The latter, after turning to him, rushed into his machine which immediately flew vertically to get lost in the clouds.

According to Mr. Narcy, the object was spherical, about ten meters in diameter. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the porthole through which the being entered the craft was right between the spindle and the body of the craft. At the start of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle while a large vaporous eddy occurred under the craft.

Mr. Narcy went immediately to his work where he told of his adventure to his comrades. With two of them, MM. Riel and Henry, he returned to the place where he noticed that the dew no longer existed on a certain surface. The grass had a slightly milky hue and was crushed on a square about three meters aside. In addition, 12 parallel tracks resembling round footprints were spread over a certain distance, suggesting that the craft had landed by a series of small jolts.

Limoges. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Arreau, said on his honor that he saw a "flying tureen" land in his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out, shook his hand and spoke an unknown language to him. Mr. Arreau, amazed, did not respond. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft, which flew silently away at a dizzying pace.

At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.

La Rochelle. -- A mason living on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonetti, saw a luminous sphere of about 12 meters in diameter, which oscillated at a fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly.

Two other inhabitants of the Ile de Ré have witnessed the same phenomenon.

Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at nightfall, an incandescent sphere.

Dijon, 7. -- Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or), saw a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that, frightened, she had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the place indicated. Clods of grass had been torn off and thrown within a four-meter radius.

Rouen. -- Mr. Landrin, attendant of the Waters at Duclair (Seine-Inférieure), who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he saw a ball which disappeared a few minutes later.

Finally saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, glow, luminous trail of various colors and all other flying objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure-et-Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvollon (Côtes du Nord), in Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.

[Ref. cpd1:] NEWSPAPER "LE COURRIER PICARD":

Scan.

In the Dordogne, a farmer
claims to have been approached
by two passengers
of a "flying tureen"

LIMOGES, October 7. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau, said on his honor that he had seen a "flying tureen" land in his property. Mr. Garreau said that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki overalls, got out. They shook his hand and spoke to him in an unknown language. Mr. Garreau, amazed, did not answer. The two men petted his dog and climbed back into their craft; which flew away without a noise, at a dizzying pace.

A "saucer" and its pilot seen in Haute-Marne

CHAUMONT, October 7. -- Mr. André Narcy, 48, roadmender in Mertrud (Haute-Marne), was driving to work by motorcycle yesterday morning when near Voillecomte at 7:15 a.m., he noticed in a field, at the place called "La Vieille Tuilerie", an orange object. When he got closer he noticed that he was in the presence of a craft unknown for him.

The roadmender stopped his machine and, by foot, reached a hundred meters from the object. This is when he saw nearby, a small being of 1.20 m. tall and dressed in a mantle covered with hair.

Mr. Narcy was very frightened and lay down on the ground, then he called the individual. The latter, after turning to him, rushed into his craft which immediately flew vertically to get lost in the clouds.

According to Mr. Narcy, the object was spherical, about ten meters in diameter. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the porthole through which the being entered in the craft was between the spindle and the body of the craft.

Continued on second page under the title:
THE SAUCERS

Scan.

THE SAUCERS

(Continued from the 1st page)

At the start of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle, while a large vaporous eddy occurred under the craft.

Mr. Narcy immediately went to work where he told his comrades of his adventure. With two of them, MM. Riel and Henry, he returned to the place where he noticed that the dew no longer existed on a certain surface. The grass had a slightly milky hue and was crushed on a square about three meters aside. In addition twelve parallel traces resembling imprints of round feet, were distributed over a certain distance, suggesting that the craft had landed by a series of small jolts.

Other "apparitions"

A mason living on the island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere of about 12 meters in diameter which oscillated at about fifty meters from the ground.

"The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly."

Two other residents of the Island of Ré said they had witnessed the same phenomenon.

Two Parisians on vacation in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, said they saw, at nightfall, an incandescent sphere.

Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret, 23, living in Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte-d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft landing in a meadow not far from her home. She declared that, frightened, she had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge with neighbors.

The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground, at the place indicated. Clods of grass had been torn off and thrown within a four-meter radius.

Mr. Landrin, water attendant at Duclair (Seine-Inférieure), who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes again, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.

Finally, saucers, cigars, discs, crowns, balls, lights, luminous streaks of various colors and all other flying objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of the Eure-et-Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvollon (Côtes-du-Nord), Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.

[Ref. vmr1:] NEWSPAPER "VAR-MATIN REPUBLIQUE":

After the cigars and the saucers...

The flying soup tureen makes its appearance

Limoges, October 7. -- A farmer of Chalaix (the Dordogne), Mr. Gareau, claimed on his honor, to have seen a "flying soup tureen" come to land on his property. Mr. Gareau stated that two perfectly normal men covered of khaki suits came out of it, shook hands with him and spoke a language unknown to him. Mr. Gareau, amazed, did not answer. The two men caressed his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace. At the place indicated by Mr. Gareau, it was noted that the grass had been pressed.

A red sphere

A mason, residing on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonetti, stated to have seen a luminous sphere of approximately 12 meters in diameter, which scintillated at about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, became red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly.

Two inhabitants of the Island of Ré stated to have been witnesses of the same phenomenon. Two Parisians on holiday in the community of Mouchamp, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at the fall of night, an incandescent sphere.

Blinded by a beam of light

Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-Lignon (Côte d'Or) saw Monday evening, a machine come to land in the meadow not far from her residence. She stated that, frightened, she had taken refuge at neighbors'. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Turfs had been torn off and projected in a radius of 4 meters.

Mr. Landrin, employee with the Waters in Duclair (the Seine Inférieure) who was wandering in company of his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he reopened the eyes, he said, he saw a ball which disappeared a few minutes later.

Finally, saucers, flying cigars, crowns and all other objects were seen in St Etienne, in several villages of the Eure et Loir, in Heyrieux (the Isère), Dieulanvallon (the Côtes du Nord), Ajot (the Calvados) and in Biarritz.

[Ref. lon1:] NEWSPAPER "L'OISE-MATIN":

Scan.

In the sky of the Oise

SAUCERS IN
TECHNICOLOR

and numerous appearances
throughout France

If they sometimes include scathing denials for those who believe in the existence of "saucers" - such as this joker from the Nord who confessed to having thrown more than a thousand... in paper - the file of the unknown craft is growing, on the other hand with new and disturbing testimonies, both as regards our department and the rest of France.

This is how in Bethisy-Saint-Martin Mr. Etienne Docolo, declared to have seen in the sky a luminous and glowing disc slowly moving in space and in La Chapelle-aux-Pots, twelve people claim to have seen saucers, last Sunday, around 11 p.m. 30.

The agreement was not made however as regards the color of the apparatuses which moved they say noiseless in direction North-West. Mr. Yves Quelcelin, residing in Marivaux, hamlet of Hodenc-en-Bray affirms, in fact, that the saucers were red while the person who accompanied him declared to the gendarmes of the Coudray-St-Germer brigade, that the gear was green.

Elsewhere, in our department, we report a rush of the - armed - inhabitants of Saint-Aubin-sur-Erquery to a place where the saucers seemed to move. But it was only a reflection of the headlights of a tractor.

Continued on page 10

Scan.

MANY
SAUCERS
REPORTED

Continued from the 1st page

Finally yesterday, Thursday at 8:30 p.m., in Crépy-en-Valois, four people saw a saucer heading towards Duvy.

In the rest of the country, said they saw saucers or other "cigars, barrels, or flying crescents": a mason, Mr. Simonnetti, on the island of Ré, as well as two other inhabitants of the island; two Parisians on vacation in the near town of Mouchamps; Mr. and Mme Landrin, in Duclair (Seine-inferieure) and various witnesses in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of the Eure-et-Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvollon (Côtes-du-Nord), at Ajort (Calvados) and Biarritz.

In Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte-d'Or), Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret claimed to have seen Monday evening, a weird craft land in her meadow. The investigation by the gendarmerie revealed that at this location clods of grass had been torn up and thrown within a radius of four meters. As for Mr. Garreau, a farmer from Chaleix, he claimed to have seen a "flying soup tureen" land on his property in Chaleix (Dordogne).

Two beings dressed in khaki suits got out of it, shook my hand and spoke to me in an unknown language, adds Mr. Garreau, who specifies that after having stroked his dog they went back into their craft which flew away noiselessly at a dizzying pace.

The accounts of encounters with the passengers of saucers are legion, currently, but that of Mr. Garreau presents an unexpected originality: the passengers, he says, looked like any human being.

[Ref. ads1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ARDENNAIS":

The Chronicle of the Saucers

If one were to draw conclusions from the saucer appearances that have been multiplying for some time, at least one would appear with obviousness: the "Uranids" seem to ignore taylorization!

Of all the nacelles used by them that landed on Earth in the sight of various witnesses, not one is like the others. Some are mounted on crutches, others

(Continued on 5th page)

The chronicle of the 'flying saucers'

(Continued from the first page)

do not have a landing gear. Their shape varies, from the pot to the cigar, through the traditional saucer, and their diameter is never the same, ranging from 1 m 50 to 12 and 15 meters.

As for the occupants of these pods, they are often very different in appearance: covered with hair say some, tiny, very tall, similar to humaans. Enough to get lost!

Here is a new list of appearances that will once again show our readers the diversity of interstellar craft and the multiplicity of faces of their passengers.

PERIGUEUX. -- A farmer from Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau, said on his honor, to have seen a "flying soup bowl" land on his property. Mr. Garreau stated that two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki suits, came down, shook hands with him and spoke an unknown language. Mr. Garreau, stupefied, did not answer. The two men stroked his dog and climbed back into their craft, which flew away noiselessly at a vertiginous pace. At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.

LA ROCHELLE. -- A mason living on the island of Ré, Mr. Simmonetti, said he saw a luminous sphere some 12 meters in diameter that oscillated about 50 meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, turned red, turned blue and rose very quickly vertically. Two other residents of the Island of Ré claimed to have witnessed the same phenomenon.

Two Parisians on holidays in the commune of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, have said they saw, at dusk, an incandescent sphere.

DIJON. -- Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23-year-old, living in Poncey-sur-Lignon (Côte d'Or), saw, Monday evening, a craft land in a meadow not far from her home. She said that, scared, she had been careful not to observe this phenomenon any longer and had taken refuge at neighbors'. The gendarmerie revealed very clear marks on the ground at the indicated place. Clods of grass had been torn off and thrown on a radius of four meters.

ROUEN. -- Mr. Landrin, a water officer at Duclair (Seine-Inférieure), who was walking in the company of his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared minutes later.

CHAUMONT. -- M. André Narcy, 48, roadmender in Mertrud (Haute-Marne) was going Wednesday morning to work on a motorcycle when near Voillecomte, at 7:15 a.m., when he noticed in a field at the place called "la Vieille Tuile", an orange object. As he approached, he found that he was in the presence of a craft unkown to him.

The roadmender stopped his machine, and by foot came a hundred yards from the object. It was then that he saw near it a small creature about 1m20 tall, dressed in a fur coat covered with hair.

Mr. Narcy was very frightened and lay down on the ground, then he called the individual. The latter, after turning to him, rushed into his machine that flew away vertically to get lost in the clouds.

According to Mr. Narcy, the craft was spherical in shape, about 10 meters in diameter. Under the sphere was a sort of spindle and the porthole through which the being entered the craft was just between the spindle and the body of the craft. At the departure of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle while a large vaporous swirl occurred under the machine.

Mr. Narcy immediately went to work where he told his adventure to his comrades. With two of them, MM. Riel and Henry, he returned to the place where he found that the dew no longer existed on a certain surface.

The grass had a slightly milky hue and was crushed on a square about three meters apart. In addition, twelve parallel tracks resembling round footprints were spread out over a distance, suggesting that the apparatus had landed with a series of jolts.

Finally saucers, cigars, disks, crowns, balls, glows, luminous trails of various colors and all other flying objects were seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure-et-Loir, in Heyrieux (Isère), Dieulanvollon (Côte du Nord), in Ajort (Calvados) and in Biarritz.

[Ref. lqh1:] NEWSPAPER "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE-LOIRE":

RAIN OF FLYING SAUCERS IN FRANCE

Testimonys on the flying saucers seem to become increasingly precise. Various people in the same area announce the same phenomenon and one can say that one has assisted for a few days to a true rain of flying saucers, cigars or discs on the entire France. A farmer of Chaleix (Dordogne) Mr. Garreau affirmed on his honor to have seen a flying soup tureen land in his property. Mr. Garreau declared that two perfectly normal men covered of kaki suit descended, shook hands with him and spoke a language unknown to him. Amazed, Mr. Garreau did not answer, the two men caressed his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace. A luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter was seen in the Island of Ré by a mason, Mr. Simonetin. The sphere, he said, became red after having hovered within 50 meters of the ground, it changed to blue and rose very quickly vertically. The craft was also observed by two Parisian on holiday. Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret, 23 years, inhabitant of Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or) saw Monday evening a craft land in a meadow not far from her residence. She declared that frightened, she had taken great care not to observe this phenomenon longer and had taken refuge at neighbors'. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Turfs had been torn off and projected in a radius of four meters.

In Duclair (Seine-Inférieure) Mr. Laudrin, employee of the water supplies who was walking with his wife, was dazzled by a ray of light, when he reopened the eyes, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.

A roadmender of Mertrud (Haute-Marne), Mr. André Narcy, claims to have approached within less than one hundred meters a flying saucer posed in a field close to Voillecomte. He saw near the machine a small being, high of approximately 1,20 meters who was dressed of a kind of cape covered with hairs. Mr. Narcy challenged the strange character who did not answer him and threw himself in his machine which flew away vertically. According to Mr. Narcy, the machine was of spherical shape, of a diameter of ten meters approximately. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the port-hole by which the being returned in the machine was just between the spindle and the body of the apparatus. At the start of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle while a large vaporous movement occurred under the machine. On the spot he noted that the dew did not exist any more on some surface. The grass had a slightly milky color and was crushed on a square of approximately three meters side. Moreover, twelve parallel traces resembling prints of round feet were distributed at a certain distance, letting think that the apparatus had landed with a succession of small sudden starts...

[Ref. lln1:] NEWSPAPER "LE LORRAIN":

Scan.

THE "FLYING SAUCERS"

Pose many puzzles

NOW, CARS STOP

PARIS. - The "flying saucers" continue.

They are reported everywhere. And now, they are mingling to stop the engines.

In Le Mans a milk collector, Mr. Alexandre Tremblais, who was riding his truck on the small road near Saint-Jean-d'Assé (the Sarthe), suddenly noticed that the engine of his vehicle stopped and that the headlights extinguished.

M. Tremblais got out of his truck to see a red and blue luminous cigar, one meter long, disappearing on the horizon. A few minutes later, the engine started again and the headlights functioned again.

In Nancy, a true skeptic, Mr. Georges Bou, a 30-year-old driver at Sarrebruk [sic, Sarrebourg], was traveling on National Road 3 between Morsbach and Forbach when he saw a thick wide shadow blocking the road. He stopped, got out of his cabin, thinking of an accident. But he realized that he was stopped by a saucer. It was nine meters in diameter and about four meters high. It was illuminated by several light beams directed towards the ground.

The driver approached the strange device. Suddenly, the latter took off vertically, marked a pause at ten meters, then moved away very quickly.

The gendarmerie Captain Bohler went to the scene today with Mr. Bou. But he could not find any traces.

In the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti said he saw a luminous sphere about 12 meters in diameter, which oscillated about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, became red, turned blue and rose very quickly vertically.

Two other residents and two Parisians on vacation have confirmed.

At Duclair (Seine-Inf.), Mr. Landrin, a water attendant who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a light beam. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball disappear a few minutes later.

- Near Reims, a mechanic of the Panhard factories, Mr. Joseph Roy, 30, saw near the Isles-sur-Suippe a cigar posed on the ground, resembling according to his description to that of Marignane. Witnesses around have confirmed.

At la Montagne-de-Béruges (the Vienne), a farmer, M. Edouard Thébault, observed in his field an enormous luminous machine.

A few minutes later the craft was extinguished and a huge headlight swept the road, and when the witness returned with his father he had fetched, everything had disappeared.

- Several fishermen and the whole family of a fish dealer saw in the sky, in Plozevet (Finistère), a bright glow surrounded by dense smoke. This gleam, at first motionless, came towards them at an altitude of about ten meters. It had the appearance of an orange sphere.

- A whistling machine, gray in color, stood for a moment about 100 meters from Chassevreuil (Indre). The craft went off at a brisk pace, leaving behind it like a fog.

In the same commune, a young man saw a luminous red-orange machine that moved in a north-south direction.

- An aluminum half-spherical dome, illuminated inside, which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground, was seen in Jettingen (Haut-Rhin) by Mr. René Ott, an employee of the S.N.C.F. [national railyway company]. Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. He had, however, had the time to notice that a door was opening in the apparatus. The latter moved above him for a distance of 800 meters before disappearing. The gendarmes found no trace.

- A silent machine, moving like a spinning top, was seen in Calais, above the municipal theater, by a peacekeeper, a hairdresser, a taxi driver and a butcher. It moved away towards the sea.

- A flying saucer rising noiselessly vertically was seen at Vigneux (Seine-et-Oise) by Mr. Marais yesterday at 9 p.m.. It was luminous and had portholes.

THE EXPLODED SAUCER OF SAINT-VALERY-SUR-SOMME WAS ONLY A SOUNDING-BALLOON OF THE R.A.F.

ABBEVILLE. "Another false saucer!" The mysterious craft which broke out in the Picardy sky, and whose debris was scattered in a pasture at Boismont, near Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, was but a balloon.

The inhabitants of the region, fearing the famous "paralyzing" green ray, dared not approach the debris. Only Mr. Raymond Boucher, a sugar worker, had the courage to come and contemplate the saucer. It was more simply a balloon used by the meteorological services of the Royal Air Force which, by touching the ground, had burst noisily.

VIENNA. - Thousands of people saw yesterday a formation of flying saucers above Ried, flying from east to west.

THE OPINION OF A SCIENTIST

Asked about cars that stop, said:

- saucers or not saucers, it is necessary to consider as true the information that arrives at this moment. With regard to the sudden stop of engines at the passage of these craft, we must admit the presence and action of unknown rays. This does not mean that these rays have an extraterrestrial origin. Do you remember that famous Z ray, which was talked about so much before the last war? During the hostilities, the belligerents further perfected the process. I saw personally, some fifteen years ago, experiments in laboratories where electric rays ignited at distances of a few meters paper or other combustible materials.

[Ref. fas1:] NEWSPAPER "FEUILLE D'AVIS":

Landing traces were found in France

LA ROCHELLE, 8. - A mason inhabiting the island of Ré, Mr. Simonnetti, said he saw a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter which hovered at about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, has he said, became red, turned blue and rose very quickly vertically.

Two other Ré Island residents said they witnessed the same phenomenon.

Two Parisians on holiday in the town of Mouchamps, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, in the dark, a glowing sphere.

Thérèse Fourmeret, 23, inhabitant of Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte-d'Or), saw a craft to land in a field near his home. She declared that frightened she had been careful to observe this phenomenon longer and sought refuge with neighbors. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground where indicated. Turfs had been torn off and projected within four meters.

A Duclair, near Rouen, Mr. Landrin, attendant to the waters, who was walking with his wife, was blinded by a light beam. When he opened his eyes, he said, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.

Finally saucers, cigars, discs, rings, balls, lights, bright streaks of various colors and all other flying objects have been seen in Saint-Etienne, in several villages of Eure-et-Loire, Dieulanvollon (Côtes-du Nord), in Heyrieux (Isère), in Ajort (Calvados) and Biarritz.

A farmer of Chaleix (Dordogne), Mr. Garreau said on his honor that he saw a "flying soup tureen" arise in his property, Mr. Garreau said two perfectly normal men, dressed in khaki suits are down, shook his hand and him spoke an unknown language. Mr. Garreau stunned did not respond. The two men patted his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace.

At the place indicated by Mr. Garreau, it was found that the grass had been trampled.

[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

168) September 30, 1954, 10:00 p.m., Isle of Re (France):

As he was returning home near La Flotte-en-Ré, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 m in diameter hovering at 1 m altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. Two other witnesses. (28) (Sud-Ouest, about October 2, 1954) (exact date unknown)

[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates that on September 30, 1954, whereas he was returning at his place close to La-Flotte-en-Ré on the island of Ré, a man suddenly saw a shining light and, fearing a fire, rushed towards this light to see a luminous sphere of approximately 12 meters in diameter hovering at less than one meter above ground-level. The sphere became red, then blue, and flew away vertically at an extremely large speed.

The author quotes: "It didn't make more noise than a flight of birds."

[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON:

342 30 September 1954 2200 ISLE OF RE (FRANCE)

As he was returning home near La Flotte-en-Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12m in diameter, hovering at 1m altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. There were two other witnesses.

(Ml68; Sud-Ouest, circa 2 October 1954)

[Ref. mcn1:] MARK CASHMAN:

Isle of Re (France).

9/30/1954 22:00

As he was returning home near La Flotteen Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 m in diameter hovering at 1 m altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. Two other witnesses.

[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:

"Fire! Fire!"

A firey glow excited a Frenchman as he passed near La-Flotte-Re, France, on September 30th. Thinking that something had caught fire, the man ran to the site of the supposed blaze only to find that the light was coming from a luminous ball approximately 35 feet across, Hovering just about the ground, the strange sphere was seen to change color from a flame red to blue, afterwhich the thing shot straight up at high speed. Amazed, the witness said later: "It made no more noise than a flock of birds." 161.

161. Vallee, Jacques. 'The Pattern Behind the UFO Landings." The Humanoids. 1969. p.33.

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

3875: 1954/09/30 22:00 2 1:20:00 W 46:11:00 N 3333 WEU FRN CHM 6:8

LA FLOTTE-EN-RE,FR:1+2 OBS:12M WHT SPHERE 1M ovr R.SEINE:^ QUIETLY:/r8#168

Ref# 30 FIGEUT[sic]&RUCHON: OVNI: Le 1er Dossier Page No. 98 : PASTURE

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on September 30, in France, in the Isle of Ré "Returning home close to La Flotte-en-Ré, Céleste Simonutti saw a brilliant light. Fearing a fire he rushed towards the place of the scenery and observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter suspended 1 meter in altitude. This sphere became red then blue and flew away. Two other witnesses".

She indicates that the sources are "Sud-Ouest, approx 2 Oct. 1954 - thanls to Wim van Utrecht" and "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - DENOEL 1972 - COLL. J'AI LU - p. 263".

[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

Encounters With Aliens On this Day

September 30

[...]

1954 - Mr. Celeste Simonutti was returning home at 10:00 p.m. near La Flotte-en-Re, on the Ile de Re, France when he saw a brilliant light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter, hovering one meter above the ground. The object changed colors from red to blue, and took off. Two other witnesses also saw it leave. (Source: Sud-Ouest, October 2, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 214; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 98).

[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:

September 1954

30

22:00 In the Island of Ré (France), returning home close to La Flotte-en-Ré, Céleste Simonutti sees a brilliant light. Fearing a fire he rushes towards the place of the scenery and observes a luminous sphere 12 m in diameter suspended 1 m in altitude. This sphere becomes red then blue and flies away. It did not make more noise than a flight of birds. 2 other witnesses.

The sources are indicated as "Sud-Ouest, environ 2 October 1954"; "Vallée, J., case #30, 'Rapport sur l'analyse de 200 observations documentées faites en 1954'".

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates that in the Charente Maritime in La Flotte en Ré, on September 30, 1954, at 22:00 hours, "Whereas he returned home and was close to his house on the island of Ré, the witness suddenly saw a brilliant light, fearing a fire, he rushed towards this scene. There he observed a luminous sphere of 12 m diameter hovering at the altitude of 1 m, which passed from the red to the blue, which seemed to be taking off. There was reportedly two other witnesses."

Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "Liste des cas Magonia par Jacques Vallée".

[Ref. rin1] "RIGOROUS INTUITION" BLOG:

[... Other cases ...]

In Vallee's close analysis of some 200 of these cases, published in Charles Bowen's The Humanoids, he notes [... other cases]. Celeste Simonutti reported encountering a luminous sphere on the evening of September 30, 12 metres in diameter and hovering a meter above the ground, which shifted through red and blue hues before accelerating vertically at extreme speed. Friends told Simonutti he must have seen a "flying saucer," and then had to explain to him what they meant.

[... Other cases ...]

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 30 September 1954 at 22:00 in the Isle of Re, France, "As he was returning home near La Flotte-en-Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene."

And: "As he was returning home near La Flotte-en-Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter hovering at one meter altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. Two other witnesses."

And: "An object was observed and videotaped. Animal reactions to the object were reported."

And: "One blue-red ball, about 40 feet across, was observed by one male witness on the ocean for five minutes (Simonutti)."

The sources are indicated as Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Wilkins, Harold T., Flying Saucers Uncensored, Citadel, 1955; 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. uda2:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 30 September 1954 at 22:00 in La Flotte-En-Re, France, "As he was returning home in La Flotte-en-Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright 12m diameter white sphere, and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. The object ascended silently."

And: "Mr. Celeste Simonutti was returning home at 10:00 p.m. near La Flotte-en-Re, on the Ile de Re, France when he saw a brilliant light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter, hovering one meter above the ground. The object changed colors from red to blue, and took off. Two other witnesses also saw it leave."

And: "Near La Flotte-en-Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter hovering at one meter altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. Two other witnesses. The object was filmed. Animal reactions to the object were reported. Total duration five minutes (Simonutti). No sound was heard."

The sources are indicated as Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Wilkins, Harold T., Flying Saucers Uncensored, Citadel, 1955; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Rogerson, Peter, World-Wide Catalog of Type 1 Reports.

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

*Sep. 30, 1954 - Mr. Celeste Simonutti was returning home at 10:00 p.m. near La Flotte-en-Re, on the Ile de Re, France when he saw a brilliant light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter, hovering one meter above the ground. The object changed colors from red to blue, and took off. Two other witnesses also saw it leave. (Source: Sud-Ouest, October 2, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 214; Michel Figuet & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 98).

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

This database recorded this case 5 times instead of one:

Case Nr. New case Nr. Investigator Date of observation Zip Place of observation Country of observation Hour of observation Classification Comments Identification
19540930 30.09.1954 Ile Re France 22.00 CE I
19540930 30.09.1954 La Flotte France 22.00
19540930 30.09.1954 La Flotte France
19540930 30.09.1954 La Flotte France 22.00 CE I
19540930 30.09.1954 Isle Re France 22.00 CE I

[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

September 30 1954. 2200hrs.

LA FLOTTE EN RE (ISLE DE RE : FRANCE)

A mason, Celeste Simonetti saw a luminous sphere 12m diameter 50m above the ground. It changed colour from red to blue and took off.

Evaluation - A light changing colour hints at astronomical. The newspapers quoted by Gross give the altitude as 50m, Vallee and those who follow him give 1m

Explanations:

Map.

Unidentified.

A luminous that rose very quickly, vertically can barely be "astronomical" as suggested by Peter Rogerson.

Stars, planets, that night at this place, were all "descending" slow.

Location of La Flotte-en-Ré on the island of Ré:

Carte.

The correct name for the main witness is probably Simonetti: this is a usual name of Italien origin; "Simonutti" exists but is rarer; the other spellings are not used.

Keywords:

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

La Flotte-en-Ré, Charente-Maritime, Ile de Ré, Re island, Céleste Simonutti, Céleste Simonetti, light, bright, luminous, sphere, low, red, blue

Sources:

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

Document history:

Version: Created/Changed by: Date: Change Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross September 25, 2007 First published.
1.0 Patrick Gross February 11, 2010 Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [djn1], [goe1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1], [uda2].
1.1 Patrick Gross July 7, 2010 Addition [rin1].
1.2 Patrick Gross November 15, 2014 Addition [nip1].
1.3 Patrick Gross October 17, 2016 Addition [fas1].
1.4 Patrick Gross December 24, 2016 Additions [pce1], [ubk1].
1.5 Patrick Gross January 23, 2017 Additions [lln1].
1.6 Patrick Gross February 15, 2017 Additions [lgs1], Summary, Notes.
1.7 Patrick Gross September 14, 2019 Additions [lhh1], [prn1], [prn2].
1.8 Patrick Gross October 10, 2019 Addition [ads1].
1.9 Patrick Gross February 28, 2020 Addition [nnm1].
2.0 Patrick Gross April 17, 2020 Addition [nll1].
2.1 Patrick Gross May 22, 2020 Addition [jps1].
2.2 Patrick Gross June 6, 2020 Addition [cpd1].
2.3 Patrick Gross May 10, 2022 Addition [lon1].

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