The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 31-Aug-54-Asnières-lès-Dijon.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Le Bien Public, of Dijon, published an article on September 2, 1954, about a "curious phenomenon" or "a flying saucer?" that had occurred "last Tuesday", thus on August 31, 1954, at 12:50, in the sky of Asnières-les-Dijon.
Six people whose "sincerity cannot be doubted" looked at planes moving in the sky, above the village, when, suddenly, rising in the east, much higher than these planes, a kind of red disk that, getting closer, took an orange color, then a silver color.
This craft was moving very fast and disappeared towards the west. The witnesses told the newspaper that it could not be a balloon thrown by one of the planes, given the high speed of this craft.
In 1958, in his book on the wave of 1954, ufologist Aimé Michel gave the same report, adding that Charles Garreau - journalist and pioneer of ufology in France, resident of Dijon precisely, had investigated this with the witnesses, that "their trustworthiness seemed certain to him" and that it was neither a plane because it was circular, nor a balloon because it was moving too fast, nor a meteor because it was too slow to be a meteor. The pilots of the planes flying there had not seen anything.
The case is evoked in 2007 in the newspaper La Gazette de Côte-d'Or, where it is said that the planes in maneuvers were military aircraft of the French Air Forces base BA 102.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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August 31 [1954]
12:30: Asnières-les-Dijon (7 km N. of Dijon--Côte d'Or): 1 red disc.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Aimé Michel indicates that on August 31, 1954, six people of Asnières-the-Dijon, within 7 kilometers in the north of Dijon, observed the evolutions of some planes from the nearby air base when they saw a kind of red disc emerging, in the east and much higher than those planes.
The red disc approached quickly, its color changing from red to orange then silvery. It flew over the area without stopping and moved away quickly to the direction of the west where it was lost of sight.
Michel indicates that the ufologist, journalist and author Charles Garreau, who resided in Dijon, carried out the interview of the witnesses and was satisfied that they were of good faith. He notes that it was neither a plane because the object was circular, nor a balloon because it moved too quickly to be a balloon, nor of a meteor because it was too slow for that. It is specified that the pilots of the planes which flew there did not see anything.
[Ref. gep1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "GEPO":
| 08 31 54 ( ) | S/W Dijon + arr. | 1076C52 |
[Ref. via1:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "VIMANA 21":
|
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 [Date of publication]: IS THIS A FLYING SAUCER? -
A curious phenomenon occurred last Tuesday, at 12:50 [noon + 50 minutes.], in the sky of Asnières les Dijon. Six people witnessed it and their sincerity cannot be doubted. They would watch planes moving in the sky, above the village, when, suddenly, rises to the east, much higher than these planes, a kind of red disk which, getting closer, took an orange color, then silver color. The craft was moving very fast and disappeared towards the west. It could not, we were told, be a balloon launched by one of the planes, given the high speed of the craft.
The source is given as the newspaper Le Bien Public.
[Ref. via2:] BULLETIN D'UFOLOGIE "VIMANA 21":
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54 08 30 / ASNIERES LES DIJON / 12H50 / DD / P /
Six people observed a red disc. The object moved closer to them. Its color changed to orange. It flew over the area and moved away at a brisk pace.
(Source: Bien Public, 2.8.54)
[Ref. via3:] "VIMANA 21" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE - ADRUP:
This magazine listed this case:
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54 08 30 12H50 DD Asnières les Dijon |
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
"False saucer" excites France.
Things didn't really begin to boil over in France until the very end of the month (the 31st) when a spark shedding meteor exploded in the sky at extreme altitude above Paris (8:20 p.m.). People in 20 departments of France witnessed the show resulting in hundreds of reports being made to the newspapers.
UFOlogist Aime Michel was satisfied with the meteor hypothesis since there was no evidence to indicate otherwise, however the following afternoon (12:50 p.m.) a group of six persons, watching military aircraft perform in the sky over Asnieres-les-Dijon, which is about five miles north of Dijon, spotted a mysterious glowing body crossing the heavens east to west at an altitude that exceeded that of the French airplanes. During its quick passage, the strange object changed color from red, to orange, and then finally to silver.
Michel's collaborator, Charles Garreau, a Dijon resident, checked into the incident and was puzzled over the speed. The thing seemed to be too slow to be a meteor and too fast to be an airplane. 216.
Michel began to suspect something unusual was looming when he learned that about six hours after the sighting near Dijon, witnesses in the Paris region observed two orange-colored oval-shaped objects crossing the sky in a side by side formation. He became aware of the sighting from two independent sources.
Just by chance a Mrs. A. Fouquiau of Orly, noticed the speeding pair of UFOs as they came out of the western sky, cannonballing eastward. Startled and instantly convinced a rare event was in the making, Mrs. Fouquiau summoned her husband and young daughter to "come and see" the "chunky cigars." Highly curious, the trio of witnesses kept watch after the UFOs passed out out of sight and were rewarded when another object, a carbon copy of the others, came into view on the same course.
This third object was evidently also witnessed by some people at the town of Chennevieres-les-Louvres a dozen miles away to the northeast, when at 7:30 p.m. a "very long bright egg" zoomed overhead. If the objects in question were "meteors," wondered Michel, how come Mrs. Fouquiau had time to call her family to come and look at the objects? 217.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
3734: 1954/08/31 12:50 1 5:02:40 E 47:25:00 N 3333 WEU FRN CDO 6:A
ASNIERES-LE-DIJON,FR:6 WATCH PLANES MNVR:SCR GOES E>W OVR PLANES!:NOT METEOR
Ref# 49 MICHEL,Aime: FS & STRAIGHT LINE TH: Page No. 31 : FARMLANDS
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Encounters With Aliens On this Day
August 31
[...]
1954 - In Asnieres-le-Dijon, France a disc travelled through the sky at 12:50 p.m. from east to west at great speed without stopping. It changed color from red to orange to silver. It was observed near military aircraft. In Orly, France at 7:30 p.m. two luminous orange objects at high altitude came from the west at high speed and crossed the sky rapidly flying toward the east. (Source: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 31, citing C. Garreau).
[Ref. gco1:] "LA GAZETTE DE COTE-D'OR" NEWSPAPER:
[... Other cases ...]
August 31, 1954, Asnières-les-Dijon
Six people observe military operations of planes from BA 102 [French Air Force Base 102]. Suddenly at about 12h50, coming from the east, a red disc splits the summer sky. It moves quickly towards the west and changes color – orange then silver - during its progression. The pilots later said they noticed nothing. Charles Garreau, journalist of La Bourgogne Républicaine, and experienced ufologist carries out the investigation. He concludes that the machine could not have been a plane (since circular), neither a balloon, (much too fast), nor even of a meteor (much too slow). A little later in the course of the day, in Orly, close to Paris, two similar objects to those appeared in Asnières-les-Dijon are seen by several witnesses.
[... Other cases ...]
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the "Cote d'or in Asnières les Dijon" on August 31, 1954 at 12:50 hours "Six witnesses observe the evolutions of planes of the air base when much higher appears a kind of disc of red color. The object approaches its color changes to orange then silver and leaves towards the west to sharp pace."
La source est notée "M.O.C. par Michel Aimé ** Arthaud 1958".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 31 August 1954 at 19:30 in Orly, France, "Two luminous orange objects at great height, coming from west at high speed, crossed sky rapidly toward east."
And: "In Asnieres-le-Dijon, France a disc travelled through the sky at 12:50 p.m. from east to west at great speed without stopping. It changed color from red to orange to silver. It was observed near military aircraft. In Orly, France at 7:30 p.m. two luminous orange objects at high altitude came from the west at high speed and crossed the sky rapidly flying toward the east."
And: "Unidentified objects were sighted, but with appearance and behavior that most likely would have a conventional explanation. More than two orange balls were observed by three female witnesses in a city for two minutes (Fouquiau)."
The sources are noted as "Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".
[Ref. uda2:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 31 August 1954 at 12:30 in Asnieres-Le-Dijon, France, "Disc traveled east to west at great speed without stopping. Changed color from red to orange to silver. Observed near military airplanes. A flying disc was observed. One changing color disc was observed by eight witnesses at a military facility for over one minute."
The sources are noted as "Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Aug. 31, 1954 - In Asnieres-le-Dijon, France a disc travelled through the sky at 12:50 p.m. from east to west at great speed without stopping. It changed color from red to orange to silver. It was observed near military aircraft. In Orly, France at 7:30 p.m. two luminous orange objects at high altitude came from the west at high speed and crossed the sky rapidly flying toward the east. (Source: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 31, citing C. Garreau).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded the case twice:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19540831 | 31.08.1954 | Asnieres Dijon | France | DD | ||||||
| 19540831 | 31.08.1954 | Asnieres Dijon | France | DD |
[Ref. aln1:] ALAIN LEQUIEN:
This author indicates that in Asnières-lès-Dijon, on August 31, 1954, at 12:50 p.m., six witnesses observed aircraft moving at the Longvic air base. Suddenly, at a very high distance in the sky, there appeared a sort of disc of red color.
As the object approached, its color turned orange, then silver. It went west at a brisk pace.
The author indicates that although this fact is at a sensitive place, an air base, "officially at least, no investigation was carried out. But, we do not know everything..."
The author indicates as source the book of Aimé Michel.
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Unidentified, but the data is not detailed enough to make a good case for extraterrestrial visitors of this sighting.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Asnières-lès-Dijon, Côte-d'Or, disc, object, circular, red, multiple, orange, silver
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | November 6, 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 4, 2010 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lcn1], [uda1], [uda2]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | July 22, 2010 | Addition [gco1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | October 18, 2014 | Addition [nip1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | November 25, 2016 | Additions [lgs1], [ubk1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | July 4, 2019 | Additions [via1], [via1], [lhh1], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet. Possible plane." |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | February 11, 2021 | Additions [via3], [aln1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | February 19, 2021 | Addition [gqy1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | April 14, 2022 | Addition [gep1]. |
