The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 3-Feb-54-Lombez.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
An investigation report by D. Lacanal, G. Menu and G. Roméo, of the "Groupement Régional de Recherche OVNI", of Péchabou, 31320 Castanet, published in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit #176, page 15, in June - July 1978, their investigation report about an observation of February 3, 1954, at Lombez, in the Gers.
These investigators indicate that at approximately 2 p.m. Mrs. Jandot, wife of Dr. Jandot of Lombez, was walking her son in a pram and crossing the bridge over the Save river.
In the middle of the crossing, she noticed a motorcyclist stopped on the bridge, motionless, his eyes directed towards the sky, and seemingly fascinated by something up there. Mrs. Jandot thought, "it looks like he's seeing a flying saucer."
She continued her walk, but after a few meters, she looked back and found that the motorcyclist still had the same attitude. Intrigued, she looked in the same direction, to the south at the height of poplars just above the river.
She saw there an immobile flying saucer, silent, of metallic aspect, of oval shape, about which she later speculated that it was as if it was surveying what was happening in the neighborhoods.
Awestruck, she continued to observe the craft that she described as "some kind of oval object with a kind of cone at the back," with, from behind, a white smoke "always visible" descending vertically to the river. She would also say that she saw two heads, pointing out to the investigators: "heads like yours and mine."
She could not specify the duration of the observation to the investigators. She assessed the size of the object as "uncertain", perhaps four meters.
The object finally spun at a vertiginous pace to the south-southeast towards Toulouse, without emitting on this occasion neither flames nor smoke.
There were two other people on the bridge besides Mrs. Jandot and the motorcyclist, who were the wife of the printer and the wife of a contractor from Lombez, who were also observing the craft. When the saucer was gone, none of the witnesses spoke to the others, all separated without exchanging a word. Mrs. Jandot pointed out how bizarre this behavior was: "Curiously idiotic, all four of us went away on our own, as if terrorized, without a word, after the start of the craft."
The investigators say that although the testimony was collected late, Ms. Jandot was formal and convinced. The investigators had written to the two other women who had been on the bridge, but did not get an answer.
[Ref. grr1:] "GROUPEMENT REGIONAL DE RECHERCHE OVNI":
On February 3 at approximately 02:00 P.M., in Lombez in Gers, Mrs. Jandot, wife of Dr. Jandot of Lombez, walked her son in a pram and crossed the bridge on river Save.
In the middle of the crossing, she noticed a motorcyclist stopped on the bridge, still, eyes turned towards the sky as if fascinated by something up there. Mrs. Jandot thought for herself "it seems he is seeing a flying saucer."
Mrs. Jandot goes on with her walk, but turns round after a few meters, and sees that the motorcyclist is still in the same attitude. Curious, she looks in the same direction, towards the south above a row of poplars just above the river.
There she sees a motionless, silent flying saucer, of metallic aspect, of oval shape, and she later thought that the flying saucer seemed there as to observe what occurs in the neighborhoods.
She is stunned but continuous to observe the machine which she described as "a sort of oval object with a kind of cone located at the back." From the back, a white smoke escapes, "always visible" which goes down vertically to the river. She also said to have seen two heads and said to the investigators: "heads like yours and mine."
She has been unable to specify the duration of the observation to the investigators, and evaluated the size of the object as dubious, "maybe four meters."
The object finally dazed away at a vertiginous pace towards the south-south-east, in the direction of Toulouse, without emitting neither flames nor smoke on this occasion.
On the bridge, or near the bridge, two other people apart from Mrs. Jandot and of the motorcyclist, who were the wife of the printer and the wife of a contractor of Lombez, also observed the craft. When the saucer left, none the witnesses spoke with the others, all separated without exchanging a word. Mrs. Jandot stressed that she found this behavior very odd: "A silly fact, all the four, we moved away each one on our own side, as if we were terrorized, without a word, upon the departure of the machine."
The report was signed by three investigators of Groupement Regional de Recherche OVNI, of Péchabou, 31320 Castanet, D. Lacanal, G. Menu and G. Romeo. They appear to have collected the story from Mrs. Jandot in 1978, and they insist that although the testimony is quite late, Mrs. Jandot was loud and clear and was convinced. The investigators wrote to the two other women who had been on the bridge, but did not have an answer. They tried to visit them but they would not say a word to them.
[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
The report by Groupement Régional de Recherches OVNI appeared in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit in 1978.
The report is signed D. Lacanal, G. Menu et G. Roméo.
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Investigators: D. LACANAL - G. MENU - G. ROMÉO
Groupement Régional de Recherche OVNI - PECHABOU - 31320 CASTANET
LOCATION: Lombez (Gers) South-East entrance. N 632 bridge over the Save. Michelin 82 fold 16.
DATE: February 1954. 2:00 p.m., approximately.
WEATHER: Sunny, no clouds.
WITNESS: Madame JANDOT, wife of Dr Jandot, living in LOMBEZ.
In February 1954, at 2 p.m., in the afternoon, Madame Jandot walking her son in a pram, crosses the bridge that spans the SAVE in Lombez. Having reached the middle of her trip, she is deeply intrigued by the attitude of a motorcyclist who, frozen on his stationary motorcycle, has his eyes raised to the sky. "Looks like he's seeing a flying saucer," Madame Jandot thinks ironically, noting the motorcyclist's bewilderment.
Continuing her walk, after a few meters she turns around. The motorcycle-cyclist has not changed his attitude, Madame Jandot "wants to be clear about it" and in her turn looks up to the sky. It's her turn to be stunned!
Heading south, at the height of the poplars, just above the river, a motionless, silent, metallic-looking machine of an oval shape seems to be observing or monitoring what is happening on the bridge.
The witness, despite her emotion, can detail the object. She clearly distinguishes a "sort of oval object with a sort of cone situated at the back" from which escapes vertically, up to the level of the river, a white smoke which is still visible. Madame Jandot is formal, she sees two humanoid heads. She told us: "heads like you and me".
The witness has no notion of the time elapsed during her observation, nor of course for how long the craft has been immobilized at this height. She hesitates to give a precise size of the object: "maybe 4 meters".
Suddenly, still in silence, the object disappears at a dizzying pace in the direction of Toulouse (south-south-east).
No flame, no smoke for the start.
There were two other people at the same time as the motorcyclist and Madame Jandot on the bridge. Everyone remained silent. The witness said that she does not understand their behavior at all: they said nothing to each other, looked and silently left each on their own. It bothers her that she didn't have the idea that she says elementary to exchange even a single word.
Madame Jandot questioned by the investigators, despite the time that has elapsed since her observation, is formal in her statements. She is absolutely convinced that she has observed an inexplicable phenomenon.
She does not vary in her statements and tells us that she "looked for everything so that it is engraved in her memory."
The two witnesses were visited by us but were absent contacted by letter they never replied.
Madame Jandot specifies "curious and silly fact, all four of us (herself, the motorcyclist, the printer's wife, the entrepreneur's wife) we each went our own way, as if in terror, without a word, from the departure of the machine.
It is very unfortunate that the other two witnesses did not even want to receive us. It would have been interesting to have their statement and to know whether they had been terrorized as they looked.
The motorcyclist, unknown to Madame Jandot, has not been identified.
[Ref. tbw1:] TED BLOECHER AND DAVID WEBB:
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HumCat #1781
February. 1954 1400 Lombez (Gers), France Type A
While pushing her son in a baby carriage across the bridge over the River Save, Mme. Jandot observed a motorcyclist staring into the sky. Going a few feet further, and seeing no change in his concentration at something above, she too looked upwards and, a short way off over a grove of poplars, just above the river, she saw a motionless, silent object of oval form and metallic appearance. A little cone at the rear ejected a white smoke, inside the object she was able to see two human heads, "heads like you and me," She thought it was perhaps 4 meters across. The heads were seen presumably through transparent ports ox windows, although this is not stated. After a short period of time, the object departed at a vertiginous speed in the direction of Toulouse. There were two other persons on or near the bridge who had also stopped to watch, and whom Mme. Jandot knew. Curiously, not one of the four witnesses acknowledged to any other having sighted such a strange spectacle, rather, they all continued on their ways as if nothing unusual had just occurred
Investigators: D. Lacanal, G, Menu, and G. Romeo, for the Regional Group OVNI, Pechabou, 31320 Castanet.
Source: LDLN #176 (June-July, 1978), pp.
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:
This ufologist noted:
| CASE Nr | CLASSIFICATION | DATE | HOUR | PLACE | ZIP CODE | CREDIBILITY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | CE3 | 02 .. 1954 | 14.00 | Lombez | 32220 DB | RS, F.G. |
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
Jean Sider indicates that in February 1954, in Lombez in Gers, the witnesses separated in silence, which the main witness Mrs. Jandot is unable to be explained, after having observed a motionless machine at a very low altitude at the vertical of a bridge. Elsewhere in his book, he provides a summary of the investigation report.
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
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February (no exact date). Lombez (Gers), France. (2:00 p.m.)
"As if nothing had occurred."
This is one of those belated, sensational, stories a serious researcher is reluctant to entertain. The narrative, however, has one thing worth checking (See below). If the 1954 date is correct, then the case may have value:
"While pushing her son in a baby carriage across the bridge over the River Save, Mme. Jandot observed a motorcyclist staring into the sky. Going a few feet further, and seeing no change in his concentration at something above, she too looked upwards and, a short way off over a grove of poplars, just above the river, she saw a motionless, silent object of oval form and metallic appearance. A little cone at the rear ejected a white smoke; inside the object she was able to see two human heads, 'heads like you and me.' She thought it was perhaps four meters across. The heads were seen presumably through transparent ports or windows, although this is not stated. After a short period of time, the object departed at a vertiginous speed in the direction of Toulouse. There were two other persons on or near the bridge who had also stopped to watch, and whom Mme. Jandot knew. Curiously, not one of the four witnesses acknowledged to any other having sighted such a strange spectacle; rather. They all continued on their ways as if nothing unusual had just occurred (emphasis mine - L. E. Gross)." * (xx.)
* This very odd thing has been noted in other cases!
(xx.) HumCat #1781.LDLN #176. (June-July, 1978)
Gray Barker's Saucerian. (See cover on page 13)
Note: as can be seen, Loren Gross said one of the source was "Gray Barker's Saucerian. (See cover on page 13)".
The cover on page 13 indicates that the issue is Volume 2, Nr. 1, February 1954 issue of Gray Barker's magazine The Saucerian.
But I carefully checked it, as I have a copy, and it says nothing about the Lombez case.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
3442: 1954/02/00 14:00 2 0:54:40 E 43:28:40 N 3313 WEU FRN GRS 6:7
LOMBEZ,FR:SEP.OBS:GRY MTLC OVOID HVRS/BRIDGE:watches traffic?:>>SSE:/r217p235
Ref#194 LUMIERES dans la NUIT.(LDLN France) Issue No. 176 : TOWN &CITY
[Ref. ars1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
15.
Location. Lombez Gers France
Date: February 1954
Time: 1400
While pushing her son in a baby carriage across the bridge over the River Save, Mrs Jandot observed a motorcyclist staring into the sky. Going a few feet further, and seeing no change in his concentration at something above, she too looked upwards and, a short way off over a grove of poplars, just above the river; she saw a motionless, silent object of oval form and metallic appearance. A little cone at the rear ejected a white smoke; inside the object she was able to see two human heads, "heads like you and me." She thought it was perhaps 4 meters across. The heads were seen presumably through transparent ports or windows, although this is not stated. After a short period of time, the object departed at a vertiginous speed in the direction of Toulouse. There were two other persons on or near the bridge who had also stopped to watch, and whom Mrs Jandot knew. Curiously, not one of the four witnesses acknowledged to any other having sighted such a strange spectacle; rather they all continued on their way as if nothing unusual had just occurred.
Humcat 1954-10
Source: D Lacanal, G Menu & G Romeo
LDLN # 176
Type: A
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
February 1954
2 p.m. : In Lombez (Gers), after having observed a motionless machine at very low altitude, at the vertical of a bridge, Mrs. Jandot and 3 other anonymous witnesses separate in silence, behavior that Mrs. Jandot herself cannot explain, to the point to find it abnormal. Psychic effect?
The source is noted "LDLN n° 176, p. 15".
[Ref. jbu2:] JEROME BEAU:
In the magazine "Top Secret", Jerome Beau says that in February 1954 at 02:00 p.m. in Lombez in the Gers, Mrs. Jandot and three other witnesses in anonymity observed a motionless machine at low altitude, at the vertical of a bridge.
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in Gers in Lombez on February 3, 1954 at 14:00 hours "The witness, married to a doctor of the community walked her son in a pram and crossed the bridge on the Save. In the middle of the crossing, she notices a motorcyclist stopped on the bridge, motionless, the eyes directed towards the sky and seeming fascinated by something high there. Our witness continues her walk but looks back at the end of a few meters, and notices that the motorcyclist still keeps the same attitude. Intrigued, she looks in the same direction, towards the South at the height of poplars just above the river. There she sees a motionless object, silent, of metal appearance, oval form and which seems like to observe what occurs in the neighborhoods. She is amazed and continuous to look at the craft that she will describe as "a kind of oval object with a kind of cone located at the back." From the back a white smoke escapes "always visible" which goes down vertically to the river. She will also say to have seen two heads (but without specifying how she could observe these - port-holes, cupola?) and will say to the investigators: "heads like yours and mine." She will not be able to specify the duration of the observation to the investigators and will evaluate the size of the object as dubious, perhaps four meters. The object goes finally away at a vertiginous pace towards the south-south-east for Toulouse, without emitting on this occasion neither flames nor smoke."
"There had been on the bridge two other women apart from the witness and the motorcyclist, the wife of the printer and the wife of a contractor of Lombez, who also observed the machine. When the object left, none of the witnesses spoke with the others, all separated without exchanging a word. The witness underlined that this was a very odd behavior: "Curious silly fact, all the four, we parted away each one on our side, as terrorized, without a word, upon the departure of the machine. Retro-testimony going back to 1978. The other witnesses never wanted to answer the mail of the investigators."
The sources are indicated as "Les OVNI vus de près by Gross Patrick ** http://ufologie.net" (this is the old URL of the home page of my ufology website) and "RR0 ** http://www.rr0.org".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that in February 1954 at 14:00 in Lombez, France, "Gray metallic ovoid hovers over bridge, flies away rapidly to the SSE." And: "An object was observed. Occupants of the craft were seen. One gray ovoid object was observed by one witness on a bridge for two minutes (Jandot)."
The sources are indicated as "Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports; Lumieres dans la Nuit, Lumieres dans la Nuit; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".
[Ref. uda2:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website, in a double entry for the same case, indicates that in February 1954 at 14:00 in Lombez, the Gers, France, "While pushing her son in a baby carriage across the bridge over the River Save, Mrs. Jandot observed a motorcyclist staring into the sky. Going a few feet further, and seeing no change in his concentration at something above, she too looked upwards and, a short way off over a grove of poplars, just above the river; she saw a motionless, silent object of oval form and metallic appearance. A little cone at the rear ejected a white smoke; inside the object she was able to see two human heads, "heads like you and me." She thought it was perhaps 4 meters across. The heads were seen presumably through transparent ports or windows, although this is not stated. After a short period of time, the object departed at a vertiginous speed in the direction of Toulouse. There were two other persons on or near the bridge who had also stopped to watch, and whom Mrs. Jandot knew. Curiously, not one of the four witnesses acknowledged to any other having sighted such a strange spectacle; rather they all continued on their way as if nothing unusual had just occurred."
The source is indicated as "Rosales, Albert, Humanoid Sighting Reports Database".
[Ref. jgz1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:
The author says that a CE3 case took place in Lombez in the Gers in February 1954 at 14:00.
The witnesses are Mrs. Jandot, wife of Dr. Jandot, of Lombez, and three other witnesses, anonymous.
Mrs. Jandot walked her son in pram, and she noticed a stopped motorcyclist looking up in the air on the bridge of the Save. She also looked up and saw a machine of approximately 4 meters in length, motionless, silent, oval-shaped, of metal aspect, with a kind of cone at the rear from where smoke escaped which went down vertically to the river.
She also distinguished two heads of figures "like you and me".
The object quickly disappeared in a sudden way in the direction of Toulouse.
There were in addition to the motorcyclist two other witnesses, two women that Mrs. Jandot knew. All the four had remained strangely quiet then each went away on his side; which Mrs. Jandot estimated to be an abnormal behavior.
The two other known witnesses could not be joined, and did not answer the mails of the investigators.
Julien Gonzalez indicates that the source is "Lumières Dans La Nuit", #176, on page 15, with an investigation of D. Lacanal, G. Menu and G. Romeo.
[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19540200 | 00.02.1954 | Lombez | France | 14.00 | CE III |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
February 1954. 1400hrs.
LOMBEZ (GERS : FRANCE)
Mrs Jandot, a doctor's wife was walking her baby son in his pram on the bridge across the Save. Halfway along she became puzzled by the behaviour of a motorcyclist sat still on his stationary bike looking up at the sky. She carried on her short journey and when she came back she saw the cyclist still there. Looking up herself Mrs Jandot saw, in the southern sky, at the height of the poplars, a stationary, oval metallic looking object with a sort of cone at its rear, which was emitting white smoke vertically. Mrs Jandot swore she saw two human heads, "like yours and mine" in the thing. She had no concept of time elapsing during the observation. The object then shot off at dizzying speed.
GRROVNI [sic] in Lumieres dans le [sic] Nuit 176 p15 citing their own investigation
[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:
Location: Lombez Gers France
Date: February 1954
Time: 1400
While pushing her son in a baby carriage across the bridge over the River Save, Mrs Jandot observed a motorcyclist staring into the sky. Going a few feet further, and seeing no change in his concentration at something above, she too looked upwards and, a short way off over a grove of poplars, just above the river; she saw a motionless, silent object of oval form and metallic appearance. A little cone at the rear ejected a white smoke; inside the object she was able to see two human heads, "heads like you and me." She thought it was perhaps 4 meters across. The heads were seen presumably through transparent ports or windows, although this is not stated. After a short period of time, the object departed at a vertiginous speed in the direction of Toulouse. There were two other persons on or near the bridge that had also stopped to watch, and whom Mrs Jandot knew. Curiously, not one of the four witnesses acknowledged to any other having sighted such a strange spectacle; rather they all continued on their way as if nothing unusual had just occurred.
Source: D Lacanal, G Menu & G Romeo LDLN # 176
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Several aspects of the case make me think it was a helicopter:
There is only one mentioned feature that goes against this explanation: the silence of the immobile saucer. This, in a context where the helicopter had to be really close since she was able to see that the faces of the occupants were human.
This could however be the only aspect of the case that she forgot with the passage of time.
Which leaves me with a helicopter, not proven, but at least probable.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
February 3, Lombez, Gers, Jandot, multiple, object, craft, bridge, river, motionless, hovering, reaction, humanoid, human, fast
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | May 6, 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 28, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Addition [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | September 13, 2014 | Additions [lgs1], [uda2]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | October 14, 2016 | Additions [jgz1], [jbu2], [ubk1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | February 1, 2019 | Additions [mft1], [lhh1], [prn2]. Addition of the Note for source [lgs1]. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | August 25, 2021 | Additions [tbw1], [tai1]. |
