The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 8-Oct-54-Bordas.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper La Voix du Périgord for October 9, 1954, reported that the prevous evening, a flying saucer had been sighted near Bordas.
"One of our sympathetic compatriots," Mr. Mathias, an electrician on the rue Limogeanne, was driving back from Bergerac, when, "at the famous turn a little before Bordas", he had, he said, "glimpsed a big top that held the entire width of the road and of a height of about 3 meters. My engine was stalled suddenly. Just a second later, the object became luminous and disappeared flying over the trees."
"At the start-up, my car went back to normal, I could not tell if the famous saucer was occupied or not, I arrived too early or too late and it disappeared over the forest, subtracted from my eyes."
In 1979, the two "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker say that the Bergerac electrician told them verbatim in a telephone conversation, that he did not exclude the fact of javing stalled his car by surprise because everything had happened very fast. They conclude (without laughing) "that there are no cases with physical effects since saucers do not exist."
In 1997, Jean Sider indicates the time as 08:45 p.m., the place as the RN21 National Road, in Bordas in the department of Dordogne:
Mr. Massias, 31, electrician resident in Périgueux, rue Limogeanne, was driving back from Bergerac with his brother-in-law, Mr. Vigier. At the big bend of Bordas, the headlights of their vehicle illuminated a metal machine posed on the road. When he reached 50 meters from the object, a luminous beam forced Mr. Massias to slow down and the engine stopped. The radio began to sizzle and the programs were rendered inaudible by intense crackling.
According to the two witnesses, the mysterious machine was almost in the shape of a top and was between 2m80 and 3m wide by 2 to 3m high, and had the hue of dull aluminum.
The machine then rose vertically, suddenly taking off with a rocket sound and disappeared in a luminous halo.
The sighting lasted only two seconds. With the craft gone, the car's engine could be restarted.
Jean Sider indicated other sources of newspapers: the newspaper La Gazette du Périgord, of Périgueux, for October 9, 1954, page 2 and the newspaper La Dordogne Libre, of Périgeux, for October 10-11, 1954, page 2, which spells "Mathias" the name of Mr. Massias.
[Ref. vpd1:] "LA VOIX DU PERIGORD" NEWSPAPER:
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The Dordogne could not fail in its touristic reputation. This is why its sites being known worldwide and even beyond, the mysterious craft trailing no less mysterious characters, came to visit the area...
Mr. Roger Ravidat has just worked with the Progil factory, in Lardin, saw, whereas he was in Lavalade, a sphere of one meter to one meter fifty of diameter flying over the valley of Vézère. This sphere was very luminous and seemed to be a phosphorescent round which moved while whirling in the sky.
The same phenomenon reproduced towards the Chambon, but then it appeared much more closer.
On October 5, around 09:45 p.m., Mr. Jules Nicolas, domiciled at the mill of Rafalle, perceived a noise as powerful as sudden, in front of his place. He went outside and scanned the sky. He then saw at a height of approximately 200 meters and magnifying as if it made an operation to go down, a whirling and luminous sphere, which suddenly changed color. He called his wife who also noted the presence of the machine which, suddenly taking height, started to slip by at a vertiginous pace in direction of Lajemaye, leaving behind itself three luminous trails.
Let's add that Mr. Nicolas, who is a city council man, is absolutely certain of what he saw.
In addition, Mrs. Lamothe, farmer in Trémolat, experienced, on her part, one of these "big scare" that one remembers all his life...
In the early morning of Tuesday October 5, at one o'clock exactly, whereas she had just spent the evening with parents and friends and as she was alone on her doorstep, she was suddenly dazzled by three "balls connected by a luminous cord", very illuminating, one white, the other green, the third red, superimposed, but definitely separate.
This trio, in a perfectly synchronized movement, rose, went down, swung... Then red two new "balls" appeared, each one of the size of the full moon, providing a tender green light lighting perfectly the details of the summits of the close slopes (trees, thickets). The two spheres had just disappeared after an upswing, when the first three balls emerged.
In front of their fast forward movement, Mrs. Lamothe retreated hurriedly and double closed the door of her kitchen.
One of our sympathetic compatriots, Mr. Mathias, electrician on street Limogeanne, returned by car yesterday evening, Friday, from Bergerac, when at the famous well known turn, a little before Bordas: "I saw - it is Mr. Mathias himself who speaks now - a large spinning top which occupied the entire width of the road and of 3 meters height approximately. My engine was fixed stalled. Hardly one second after, the object that had become luminous disappeared by flying away above the trees.
"When I started my car car again it started normally. It was impossible to me to know if the famous saucer had occupants or not. I arrived too early or too late and its disappearance above the forest withdrew it from my sight."
[Ref. mcs1:] "MICHEL CARROUGES":
"Michel Carrouges" notes the case in his chapter on physical effects caused by flying saucers.
He indicates that on October 8, 1954, in the Dordogne, Mr. M., electrician in Bergerac, who was in a car, was the witness of a luminous ray coming from a metallic machine posed on the road 150 meters in front of him. Carrouges notes that the car slowed down and then stopped.
He indicates as source the newspaper La Nouvelle République of October 11, 1954.
[Ref. ufa1:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "UFOLOGIA":
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October 08, 1954 BERGERAC (DORDOGNE)
A car driver sees a UFO posed 150 meters ahead, on the road: slowing down of the engine, then complete stop.
(ref. "Nouvelle République" - 10/11/1954)
[Ref. gab1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "G.A.B.R.I.E.L.":
During a chance meeting in Paris, Jimmy Guieu, with whom we were discussing the problem [od the engine stalls], gave us the following interpretation: "When a car or moped passes by, there is interference on television sets... (and he remarked, not without humour) Cars and mopeds were not built with the intention of interfering with televisions...” So, to sum up the thought of a large number of researchers, stopping engines and extinguishing headlights would only be an involuntary and fortuitous inconvenience due to the operation of "Flying Saucers", vehicles passing close to them would suffer the effects and, beyond a certain radius of action, these effects would no longer be perceptible. This deduction seems quite logical, however by carefully studying specific cases from the year 1954, we have come to radically different conclusions!
Around 4:15 a.m., Mr. Labonde was driving. On leaving the wood of Vernusse, he noticed a reddish glow. He looked for the source and discovered a luminous globe of red-orange color and 2m in diameter which followed him at 25m. Worried, the witness accelerated, then slowed down... The object, while approaching, modeled its course on that of a car. The witness accelerated at full speed, the object did the same... Approaching a built-up area, the object disappeared. (A. Michel)
10/08/1954 Bergerac (Dordogne)
Mr. M, an electrician, was driving. Suddenly, a light ray coming from a craft posed at 150m on the road stalled the engine of his car. ("Nouvelle République" for 10/10/1954; M. Carrouges)
If the engine stops were linked to the proximity of a "Flying Saucer" in motion, how to explain that an engine is stalled at 150m and not at less than 25? We found the following points: as a rule, nothing happens for a distance greater than 200m; nothing happens either for a distance less than 20m; 1, phenomena considered are only effective for distances between 20 and 200m unless the "Flying Saucer" itself takes the initiative. (comes to see the ground vehicle more closely, follow it, precede it... ). Of the 10 cases of engines stalled by "Flying Saucers" on the ground, we have 9 for which the craft was posed on the road. This observation seems to us to be of capital importance. Indeed, when a "Flying Saucer" has to land on a road, what better way would it have to avoid any collision with a terrestrial vehicle than to stop it purely and simply?
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors indicate that Jacques Vallée's catalogue says:
"On October 8, an electrician, close to Bergerac was stopped on the road by a flying spinning top. Arrived at 150 meters of the apparatus, a luminous ray forced him to slow down and the engine of the car stopped. He also reported that at the approaches of the apparatus, the radio set of his car made static noises and the broadcast was made inaudible by an intense crackling. Mr Massias who was with his brother-in-law, was deeply disturbed. It is said he made a report with the official services."
The two authors indicates that the electrician of Bergerac told them textually in a telephone conversation that he did not exclude the fact of having been able to stall his car because of the suprize for all had been very fast, and that thus this is an example that there is no case with physical effects since the saucers do not exist.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
French ufologist and author Jean Sider announces the case of October 8, 1954, at 08:45 p.m. on National Road RN21, Bordas, in the department of the Dordogne:
Mr. Massias, aged 31, electrician living in Périgueux, Limogeanne street, was returning by car from Bergerac in company of his brother-in-law, Mr. Vigier. AT the great turn of Bordas, the headlights of their vehicle lit a metallic craft posed on the road. When they arrived within 50 meters of the object, a luminous ray forced Mr. Massias to slow down and the engine stopped. The radio set started to make static noises and the brodcast were made inaudible by intense crackling.
According to the two witnesses, the mysterious machine had approximately the shape of a spinning top and was between 2.80 meters and 3 meters broad on 2 to 3 meters height, and had the colour of mate aluminum.
The machine then rose vertically, taking off suddenly with a rocket noise and it disappeared in a luminous halation.
The observation lasted only two seconds. After the machine had left, the engine of the car was restarted.
Jean Sider indicates as sources the newspaper La Gazette du Périgord, of Périgueux, for October 9, 1954 on page 2 and the newspaper La Dordogne Libre, of Périgeux, for October 10-11, 1954, on page 2, in which the name of Mr. Massias is mispelled "Mathias."
Jean Sider notes that Barthel and Brucker claimed to have spoken with the witness who they say has admitted that the engine could have stopped by his own fault because of the surprise, which allows Barthel and Brucker to wrongly dismiss the case and to regard it as an "explained case". Jean Sider specifies that he spoke to the widow of Mr. William Massias, who confirmed the observation and the interferences on the radio operator of the vehicle.
Jean Sider adds elsewhere in his book that the counter-investigation by Barthel and Brucker on the CE2 case in Bordas/Bergerac in Dordogne is "imaginary."
He adds that he spoke with the widow of the witness William Massias - deceased in the early 1990 - and, residing in Périgueux, she confirmed the statements of her husband.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4019: 1954/10/08 20:50 1 0:39:00 E 45:02:20 N 3333 WEU FRN DRD 7:7
BORDAS,FR:2/N21:3M SCR/ROAD!:BEAM STOPS ENGINE:RFI:VERTICAL EXIT:/r217p100
Ref#194 LUMIERES dans la NUIT.(LDLN France) Issue No. 319 : ROAD+RAILS
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Dordogne in Bordas on October 8, 1954 at an unknown hour in the evening, the witness arrives at a turn a little before Bordas coming back from Bergerac when he observes a large spinning top as large as the width of the road and 3 m high approximately. The engine of the vehicle stalled suddenly. At the end of one second the object became luminous and flew away above the trees.
Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 8 October 1954 at 20:50, there was a sighting in Bordas, France.
The source is indicated as "Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".
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On page 223 of their book "La Grande Peur Martienne", Barthel and Brucker, in their list of witnesses whom they say to have contacted and thank, appears the name of Mr. "W. Massias" correctly spelled, but without the whole first name "William."
Bergerac, from where the witness arrives, is located 25 km southeast of the hamlet of Bordas. There is indded a "famous bend" on National Road 21 just before Bordas.
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Daytime view in 2019 of the turn. The road, probably widened since 1954, is surrounded by trees on both sides along the entire length of the bend. There are several clearings around to land a helicopter.
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I think it is not entirely obvious that the craft was a helicopter; which one might think of as the "least worse" trivial explanation. The craft "becomes luminous" and takes off in a second, at least according to one version. The craft stood in the middle of a road on a most dangerous bend whereas a force-landed helicopter would have logically been pushed to the roadside by its pilot. The start also seems very fast, which would add an element of coincidence. A helpless helicopter pilot confronted with the arrival of a car would logically rather have stood next to his craft and made gestures.
As the engine "stall" apparently occurs after the witness had spotted the object, it may indeed have been caused unintentionally by the witness's surprise or fear. The radio interefrences would make another coincidence.
Unfortunately, there does not seem to have been a real and documented investigation, so the doubt subsists for me, especially since I miss two press sources.
So: extraterrestrial craft or helicopter...
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Bordas, Dordogne, Matthias, William Massias, electrician, car, road, landing, night, machine, object, spinning top, failure, engine, operation, ray, radio, statics, sound, halation, luminous, low
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | March 9, 2006 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | January 26, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lcn1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | August 13, 2019 | Addition [lhh1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | November 7, 2019 | Addition of the Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | August 14, 2021 | Addition [ufa1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | July 8, 2022 | Addition [gab1]. |
