The 1954 French flap:

Abundant flying saucers

Six months after Easter a bell is still flying in the air

Louviers, October 12. -- A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen, on the Evreux-Louviers railway track, while riding a motorcycle, around 3 in the morning, a bell-shaped machine, 2.50 m. to 3 meters high, which was one meter above the ground. The bottom of the craft was shaped like a ring. The object emitted sparks with greenish and reddish reflections. It first jumped 10 to 12 meters, while an orange glow sprang from its base.

A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for almost an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the craft rose vertically very quickly, heading east.

A math teacher took measurements

Lisieux, 13. -- Mr. Bon, professor of mathematics at Lisieux, saw at the beginning of the afternoon at Saint-Germain de Livet, 200 or 300 meters from the road, above a wood, a silver disc of a diameter of 7 to 8 meters, which rose suddenly in the sky, without noise.

The disc was in rotation movement. After having dived towards the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters, it suddenly left horizontally at a dizzying pace.

On the sides of the mushroom fair...

La Roche-sur-Yon, 13. -- Mrs. Drouillard, residing in La Roche-sur-Yon, said he saw in the sky, on Monday evening, around 11:30 p.m., a luminous machine resembling a mushroom, which moved quickly without noise.

Nevers, 13. -- Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henri Gallois and Louis Vigneron, fairground merchants, said that they had seen a cylindrical craft in a meadow near Corbigny.

They state that while they were about 50 meters from the craft, they felt an electric shock while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone, the headlights came on again, but they had to restart the engine.

Lyon, 13. -- Doctor Durand, general councilor of Belleville-sur-Saône, and Mr. Bourgeois, bartender in Saint- Georges de Reneins, saw a flying saucer above La Chapelle de Brouilly.

Also, Monday evening, around 7:30 p.m., two athletes, MM. Dubuis, rugby player, and Coulon, swimming champion, saw, flying at low altitude, towards Montgelas, a ball of fire which changed color several times.

Giant rocket in the sky of Toulouse

It left traces on the ground

Toulouse, 13. - Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, MM. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, were able to see Tuesday morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their home, a giant rocket which, starting from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky causing a clarity of rare intensity.

The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been flattened on a circular surface of 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered in the ground, four footprints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft.

The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and which smelled of petroleum.

The police went to the scene.

The saucers chronicle

LOUVIERS. -- A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen on the railway from Evreux to Louviers, as they drove a motorcycle, at about 3 a.m., a craft shaped like a bell, 2 m. 60 to 3 meters high, which was at one meter above the ground. The craft emitted sparks shimmering in greenish and reddish. First it rose a good 10 to 12 meters, while gushing from its base an orange glow.

The lower part of the apparatus had the shape of a ring.

A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for about an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the object rose very fast vertically, taking the direction of the east.

Lisieux. -- Mr. Bon, professor of mathematics at Lisieux, saw early in the afternoon in Saint-Germain-de-Livet, 2 or 300 meters from the road, over a wooden area, a silver disc with a diameter of 7 to 8 meters, which rose suddenly in the sky, without noise.

The disc was animated of a rapid movement of rotation. After diving to the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters it suddenly left horizontally at a tremendous speed.

LA ROCHE-SUR-YON. -- Mrs. Drouilard, residing in La Roche-sur-Yon, said she saw in the sky Monday night around 11:30 p.m., a luminous machine resembling a mushroom, moving silently and rapidly.

NEVERS. -- Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henry Gallois and Louis Vigneron, stallholders, stated to have seen in a meadow near Corbigny, a cylindrical craft.

They say that while they were about fifty meters from the object, they felt an electrical shock, while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone the headlights came on again but they had to restart the engine.

LYON. -- Dr. Durand, general counsellor of the Township of Belleville-sur-Saône and Mr. Bourgeois, cafe owner in Saint-Georges de Reneins saw over the chapel of Brouilly, a flying saucer.

On the other hand, around 7:30 p.m. Monday night, MM. Dubois, rugby player and Coulon, swimming champion, saw, flying at low altitude, in the direction of Montgelas, a ball of fire that changed color several times.

TOULOUSE. -- Two residents in the Toulouse suburb, Mr. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, saw yesterday morning at dawn, a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket, fly away from a field and disappearing into the sky while producing a clarity of rare intensity.

The two men then went to the place where they thought the starting point of the mysterious craft was located. There, they found that the grass had been trampled on a circular area with a diameter of 6 meters. In the center of the area they found in the ground, four prints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy machine.

The grass was covered with droplets of fat steam condensation and smelled of oil.

The police went to the scene.

CHATEAUBRIANT. -- A 13-year-old boy, young Gilbert Lelay, said he saw on Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m., a mysterious craft in a field some 600 meters from his parents' home in the village of Sainte-Marie en Erbray near Chateaubriant.

The child claims to have spent ten minutes looking at ten meters this craft that was shaped like a phosphorescent cigar.

A passenger, a man wearing a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly told him in French, "Look but do not touch." He put the hand on his shoulder, while with the other he held a ball launching purple lights. He climbed into the craft through a door that slammed. On what could have been a dashboard, there were several colored buttons.

Still according to the child, the machine rose slowly vertically, throwing light in all directions, flew two rounds in the air and suddenly disappeared.

Abroad

VIENNA. -- Harald Kreutzberg, the Austrian Serge Lifar, living in Seefeld in Tirol, observed while he was in his garden, a flying saucer that flew over the small town for a few seconds before heading north and disappearing behind mountains.

Several residents of Seefeld also observed the phenomenon and tried unsuccessfully to photograph the mysterious craft.

A GIANT ROCKET, taking off from a field, was seen by M. Pierre Vidal, cook, residing at Croix Daurade, near Toulouse, and his nephew, Ange Hurle. It disappeared in a bright orange and pale green wake. At the presumed location of the rocket, the grass was covered with a fatty vapor with an oil smell.

A professor of mathematics from Lisieux, Mr. Bon, saw in Saint-Germain-de-Livet, above a wood, a silvery disk seven or eight meters; which rose silently in the sky, rotating on itself. After diving to the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters, it left again at the horizontal at a dizzying pace.

A GENERAL COUNCILMAN, a coffee-maker, a rugby player and a swimming champion, saw above the chapel of Romilly in the direction of Montgelas (Rhone) a flying saucer looking like a ball of fire.

A three meters high bell, moving with twelve meters jumps in an orange glow and emitting greenish sparks, was seen for an hour on the Evreux Louviers railway by an artisan, his apprentice and a farm worker.

A LUMINOUS MUSHROOM, which moved quickly and silently, was seen Monday evening around 9:30 p.m., by Mrs. Drouillard, at La Roche-sur-Yon.

A FLYING CIGAR, of metallic appearance, from which three red balls detached, was seen by Messrs. Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, guardians of the peace of the urban body of Riom (Puy-de-Dôme).

ANOTHER CIGAR, surrounded by iridescent lights was observed in Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales) by the baker M. Sebelli.

AN OBLONG-SHAPED ENGINE, moving in the sky as in a big "S" and making a sound of steam under pressure was seen by three young hunters above Gaillac (Aveyron). The same machine was reportedly observed in Pont-de-Salars.

At La Roche also, a
flying saucer was seen

Having learned, Monday evening, that a resident of La Roche sur Yon, Mrs. Drouillard, who owns the coffee shop of the hippodrome, road of Aizenay, at La Roche sur Yon, had seen what it is agreed to call a "flying saucer," we went to interview her Tuesday.

"I am unaware if the machine that I saw is a flying saucer, she told us. It was last Thursday. It was approximately 10:30 P.M. Before going to bed, I am used to contemplating the sky. Great was my surprise and my emotion to see, on the side of the garden, with a height which I could not evaluate, a luminous machine resembling a mushroom, or, if you prefer, an umbrella of the past times, slightly deformed, i.e. it was not perfectly round. It was longer than broad."

"I did not expect a vision of this kind and I acknowledge to you that I was so much impressed that I went up in haste, without awaking my children who, them, slept peacefully and which, the following day, reproached me for not having informed them when I announced to them what I had seen.

- did the machine advance or did it remain motionless?

- Very frankly, I was thrown into such a panic that I did not look at it a long time. I had the impression however, that it moved very quickly and without noise. It was of green yellow color.

And our interlocutress adds:

"Again, I do not say that it is a flying saucer, but I am absolutely sure of what I saw."

4073: 1954/10/11 23:30 1 1:28:00 W 46:39:00 N 3333 WEU FRN VND 7:6

LA ROCHE-sur-YON,FR:Mme DROUILLARD:LUMn MUSHROOM:FAST SLNT MNVRS:/r138#4p48

Ref#197 WEINSTEIN, D: French Newsclips 1954 Page No. 81 : RESIDENT'L

Encounters with Aliens on this Day

October 11

1954 - At 11:00 p.m. a luminous, mushroom-shaped saucer made fast, silent maneuvers over La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendee, France. A Mrs. Drouillard was the single witness. (Source: Loren E. Gross, The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse: UFOs: A History. 1954: October, p. 48).

Thursday, October 7, 1954

[...]

22:30 A la Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée), 1 femme s'apprête à se coucher, quand elle voit au loin un phénomène lumineux jaune/vert en forme de champignon ou parapluie, semblant se déplacer très vite.

[...]

*Oct. 11, 1954 - At 11:00 p.m. a luminous, mushroom-shaped saucer made fast, silent maneuvers over La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendee, France. A Mrs. Drouillard was the single witness. (Source: Loren E. Gross, The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse: UFOs: A History. 1954: October, p. 48).