The 1954 French flap:

"CIGARS" AND "SAUCERS" SEEN IN THE AUVERGNE

CLERMONT-FERRAND. -- Six inhabitants of Langeac (Haute-Loire) saw a white gleam moving in the sky in direction of the South.

A resident of Gelles (Puy-de-Dome), Mrs. Vve Melles, claimed to have seen in the sky a luminous machine of elongated form "in the kind of a cigar". The machine moved without noise.

A resident of Clermont-Ferrand was picking mushrooms: he saw in the sky, at high altitude, a luminous trail "slightly colored in pink".

Rugby players training at the Vichy stadium saw a "flying cigar".

... and near La Rochelle

LA ROCHELLE. -- In A Charron (Charente-Maritime) three fishermen and a customs officer state to have seen, during one of these last nights, a formation of flying saucers evolving very low and flying over the shore before disappearing.

The sky of Auvergne
crisscrossed with "cigars"
and "saucers"

Clermont-Ferrand, September 25. -- Six residents of Langeac (Haute-Loire) saw a white glow moving in the sky towards the South.

A resident of Gelles (Puy-de-Dôme), Mrs. widow Melles, claimed to have seen in the sky a luminous craft of shape lying "like a cigar." The craft moved silently.

A resident of Clermont-Ferrand was picking mushrooms; he saw in the sky, at high altitude, a luminous trail "slightly colored in pink."

Rugby players in training at the Vichy Stadium spotted a "flying cigar."

New invasion of flying cigars in the sky of France
Witnesses claim: "They had the dimension of a rugby ball"

Bayonne, September 25. -- Residents of Bayonne claim to have seen, this afternoon, very high in the sky, in the north-eastern direction, three mysterious objects of light color, contrasting on the pure sky at this hour there.

A policeman, Mr. Carrions, who was in the district of the Halles, observed these three motionless machines, laid out in triangle, of slightly oval shape. They had, he said, the dimension of a rugby ball and appeared to be at a considerable height.

Passers by stated to have seen the same luminous objects in other places.

In the Meurthe et Moselle

Several tens of workmen of "Sidelor" living the area of Lantefontaine-les-Baroches (Meurthe et Moselle) claim to have seen in the sky, six flying cigars, between 04:30 and 05:30. "We initially saw, they stated, two "cigars" then four other apparatuses came to join the two first. All remained perfectly motionless one moment to finally disappear instantaneously." These statements are confirmed by several other people.

In Le Puy

Mrs Chaumard, living in the La Girette district in Le Puy, saw in the sky, a machine having the shape of a cigar, reddish at an end. Silent and appearing motionless, she managed to observe the machine during nearly a quarter of an hour, then the "cigar" suddenly disappeared by taking altitude.

In the sky of the Auvergne

Clermont Ferrand. - Six residents of Langeac (the Haute Loire) saw a white gleam moving in the sky in direction of the ground.

A resident of Gelles (the Puy de Dôme), Mrs widow Melles claims to have seen in the sky, a luminous machine of lengthened form "of the cigar kind". The craft moved silently. A resident of Clermont Ferrand gathered mushrooms: he saw in the sky at high altitude, a luminous trail "slightly pink colored".

Rugby players, training in the Vichy stadium, saw a flying cigar.

Near La Rochelle

La Rochelle. -- At La Charron - (the Charente Maritime), three fishermen and a customs observer state to have seen, during one of these last nights, a formation of flying saucers moving very low and flying over the shore, before disappearing.

"Cigars" and "Saucers"

Six residents of Langeac (Haute-Loire) saw a white gleam move in the sky towards the south.

A resident of Gelles (Puy-de-Dôme) said she saw in the sky a luminous craft of elongated shape "like that of a cigar." The craft moved silently.

A resident of Clermont-Ferrand picked mushrooms: he saw in the sky, at high altitude, a luminous trail "slightly colored in pink."

Rugby players in training at the Vichy Stadium, saw a "flying cigar".

[...]

Rugby players practicing on the stadium of Vichy have seen a "flying cigar"."

[...]

Flying saucers

of a rugby ball and appeared to be at a considerable height."

In the Meurthe-and-Moselle, several tens of workmen of "Sidelor", living the area of Lantefontaine-les-Baroches (M.-and-M.). claim to have seen six flying cigars between 04:30 and 05:00 in the sky .

"We initially saw, they said, two "cigars", then afterwards, four other craft came to join the two first. All remained motionless one moment for finally disappearing instantaneously."

In Le Puy, Mrs. Chaumard, resident of the district of La Girète, saw in the sky a machine having the shape of a cigar reddish glowing at an end, silent and appearing motionless. She managed to observe the machine during nearly a quarter of hour, then the "cigar" suddenly disappeared by taking altitude.

The same observations were made by six inhabitants of Langeac (Haute-Loire) and several inhabitants of Gelles (Puy-de-Dome) or Clermont-Ferrand.

In this area, rugby players training at the Vichy stadium saw a "flying cigar".

In the Aveyron

From Villefranche-of-Rouergue in Aveyron, it is reported that an owner of Vabre-Tézac, Mr. Marre, saw a yellowish mass of color which moved away towards the south, without leaving behind any trace of smoke.

The attention of Mr. Marre had been drawn by the noise of an engine.

Other inhabitants of the locality also heard, from the inside of their house, the same noise, but not having come out, they did not see the weird "mass."

September 24 [1954]

Baginning of the afternooni: Vichy (Allier): lumin. oval object

Let us now apply these relations to the famous BAVIC alignment of 24th September, 1954. on this day, from midnight to midnight, there were a number of 10 sightings, of which 6 lie on a line stretching from Bayonne to Vichy [...]

Appliquons maintenant ces relations au fameux tracé de BAVIC du 24 septembre 1954. Ce jour-là, de minuit à minuit, 10 observations ont été observées, dont six sur une ligne allant de Bayonne à Vichy [...]

Published in 1958 by Arthaud, Mystérieux Célestes was printed in Vichy, where we remember that an essential observation of the alignment took place (since Bavic means Bayonne Vichy). The technical editor of the Arthaud editions, Jacques Roblin, had personally checked on maps, controlling each alignment in detail.

Based on two of the most accurate points of the alignment, namely the landing of Lencouacq and the zenith of Bayonne, he obtained a line which passed exactly south of Vichy.

However, my original text stated that the rugby team of the city had seen a machine fly over its training ground, and Mr. Roblin knew, knowing the city well, that said ground was located north of Vichy. Disturbed by this contradiction, Mr. Roblin asked to consult the logbook of the rugby team. He thus discovered that on September 24, 1954, exceptionally, the rugbymen had trained on the field of the old pigeon shooting range, ground that this time, the line cut in the middle.

Among the alignments Michel thought he had succeeded in tracing, one in particular catches the attention at first glance. We will take it as an example.

For the single day of September 24, 1954, the French press reported the following sightings, here listed with their classifications: Lantefontaine [Actually Sep. 23], Type IV; Le Puy [Actually Sep. 23], Type IV; Langeac [Actually Sep. 22], Type IV; Tulle [Actually Sep. 22], Type IV; Ussel [Actually Sep. 20], Type I; Gelles [Actually Sep. 17], Type IV; Vichy [exact day not known], Type IV; Lencouacq [Actually Sep. 23], Type I; Bayonne [Actually Sep. 23], Type III.

At least half these eyewitness accounts would be rejected if studied within the limits of the usual official criteria. The Type IV sightings in particular could be judged insufficiently documented. Moreover, the phenomena reported at Tulle and Lencouacq were seen by only one witness. The Gelles sighting was of a "luminous cigar-shaped machine crossing the sky at a quite high speed and without sound." Must we immediately exclude it as being a meteor?

It is clear that the problem is one of method. To reject a measurement made on a known and reproducible physical phenomenon is certainly permissible when a new measurement may improve the accuracy; but to reject a piece of testimony concerning an unknown phenomenon deprives us of a certain quantity of information about the phenomenon and implies that the lost quantity is negligible. But how can we tell whether it really is negligible, since the phenomenon is unknown?

What Michel does is this. He draws a straight line from Bayonne to Vichy (see Figure 12.) This line passes through Lencouacq, Tulle, Ussel and Gelles; of the nine groups of sightings, six are along one and the same straight line. Tracing the straight line from Le Puy to Tulle, we see that it passes through Langeac, No single standard phenomenon (release of a balloon, aircraft flight, etc.) will account for this arrangement. To convince ourselves of this, it is enough to look at the times. The Bayonne and Vichy sightings are dated some time in the afternoon. The Lencouacq sighting falls four hours later. The Gelles sighting is at the beginning of the night. The one at Ussel is still later, and the Tulle case is at 11 P.M. Furthermore, the Bayonne sighting involves a triple object, whereas the other reports speak of single phenomena.

The same considerations apply to any attempt to establish the permanent and extended character of some of the lines, as envisaged in a subsequent article by Michel (1). In this he suggests that the Bayonne-Vichy line, established for September 24, 1954, is such a line and supports his statement by pointing out that the line passes through a number of regions in which large numbers of sightings later occurred. This is admittedly indicative of the extended character of the line, but not conclusive. A far more valid demonstration would be to find, within one or more of the regions concerned, during a limited time-period, a 3-pt., 4-pt., or 5-pt., ... line which was manifestly identical with the Bayonne-Vichy line. So far as I know, this has not been done.

1. Vichy, afternoon: Football players practicing in a stadium and spectators saw an elliptical, cigar-shaped object cross the sky swiftly and silently.

BAVIC Line joining Bayonne and Vichy, in France (BAyonne - VIChy). Aime Michel discovered that 6 out of 10 sightings recorded in France on Septemberc 24th, 1954, lay on this line. It has been suggested that this line may be a permanent feature, of global significance so far as UFOs are concerned. This is because, when continued around the world the line runs through areas which have experienced intensive waves of UFO sightings. (See also "0rthoteny.")

Francis SCHAEFER.

ORTHOTENICAL STUDY OF "BRUTUS"

On September 24, 1954, six observations of Spacecraft of Undetermined Origin were found on a 485 kilometers long single line, a line connecting Bayonne and Vichy via Lencouacq, Tulle, Ussel and Gelles; readers who have followed the research of the past years in the orthotenic branch recognize the famous "BAVIC" line which resists all the examinations of the skeptics.

[...]

This is how on September 24, 1954, there are in France (and there is only) nine observations: at Lantefontaine [Actually on the 23rd], Vichy [Actually without exact date], Gelles [Actually on the 17th], Ussel [Actually on the 20th], Tulle [Actually on the 22nd], Lencouaq [Actually on the 23rd], Bayonne [Actually on the 23rd], Langeac [Actually on the 22nd], Le Puy [Actually on the 23rd]. To check this, one just needs to read "France-Soir" for the 26th, "Paris-Presse" fot the 28th, "La Croix" for the 28th, "Le Parisien Libéré" for the 27th, where these observations are recorded.

Checking four Parisian newspapers, it this so tiresome? This being done, let's search this places on a map. One finds that Vichy, Gelles, Ussel, Tulle, Lencouaq and Bayonne are on a single line that is absolutely straight, and that Le Puy and Langeac are on a line with Tulle. Only Lantefontaine is not on a line. So: a) is this true?; b) is this explainable? It is Vallée who went the deepest in the explanation. However he did let this alinement and numerous others unexplained; c) did I invent the four newspapers?; d) is it likely that local correspondents who did not know each other invented all this so that, three years later, it is discovered that they are in line on a large circle?

- Map rep. A

(I): BAVIC (Bayonne - Vichy)

1. Bayonne [actually on the 23rd]
2. Lencouacq [actually on the 23rd]
3. Tulle [actually on the 22nd]
4. Ussel [actually on the 20th]
5. Gelles [actually on the 17th]
6. Vichy [actually without precise date]

"BAVIC" is an orthotenic alinement (day of 9/24/1954, map Nr 1 of "MOC" by Aimé Michel.)

24/09/1954 Vichy (après-midi).

Rugbymens [sic] in training and spectators saw pass in the sky an elliptical craft in the shape of a cigar which silently crossed the space at high speed. This observation allowed the first discovery of the orthotenic line BAVIC. (Centre matin for 09/29/1954).

One point in your argument about the 1954 wave, however, startled me. You write, on p. 24: "Does the BAVIC line, sole survivor of orthoteny, prove that anxiety propagates in a straight line?"

Alas! If we were able to believe for a while that BAVIC survived the general collapse of orthoteny, we must now make up our minds BAVIC has also joined the herd of lines explicable by chance alone, because from the initial six points, there are (latest news...) only three left!

At the time when I was writing my study: "Orthoteny: a disappointed great hope?", published in Inforespace #23 to 27, Pierre GUERIN had already informed me that the so-called case of USSEL had in fact taken place 7 km from the city center, located on BAVIC, and 4.3 km from the line [and October 20]: and one!

Subsequently, the Parisian ufologist M. Jeantheau, who undertook a study investigating the 1954 wave, discovered that the sighting of Bayonne had taken place on September 23 and not 24. Here is how the error occurred: the 24 is the date of publication of the local newspaper, found by Jeantheau, who published the original information, and the article specified: "yesterday, one observed..." The national dailies, which then picked up the news, and that Aimé MICHEL consulted, gave as date that of the local newspaper omitting the "yesterday": and two. Even more recently, Michel Jeantheau found that the case of TULLE was on the 22nd: and three! There are therefore 3 points left on BAVIC on September 24: Lencouacq [the 23rd and not the 24th], Gelles [the 17th], and Vichy [precise day unknown], which chance explains perfectly, since there are about fifteen observations in all that day. One can console oneself by noting that there remains all the same a mystery: by what diabolical chain of involuntary errors of dates and places was Aimé MICHEL led, in all good faith, to find an (imaginary) alignment of six points, high improbable? But the explanation of this series of coincidences that went in the same direction is a purely human phenomenon, and therefore no longer has anything ufological.

WHAT ABOUT BAVIC IN ALL THIS!

And yes, BAVIC remains! because orthoteny, more or less consciously, has finally identified with this line. For this memorable day of 09/24/1954, it remains undeniable at the challenge of all the "certainties of chance", six places of observation (Vichy, Gelles, Ussel, Tulle, Lencouacq and Bayonne) are yet perfectly alined.

Unable to refute the alignment, many researchers tried to deny any meaning to it.

026 09/24/54 AM [?Afternoon] Vichy
Silent and fast cigar (BAVIC)

Now here is a series of articles that Daniel Vidal of Nîmes sent us. This young boy, well known to the VERONICA group had to carry out a long and painstaking research work in the archive of the newspaper "Midi-Libre" in order to be able to communicate to us these articles and we congratulate him.

- The sky of France is furrowed with "cigars" and "flying saucers"

Paris, September 25 - In several localities in France, there is the appearance of "cigars" or "flying saucers" in the sky.

Thus in Charron (Charente-Maritime), three fishermen and a customs officer declare having seen during one of these last nights, a formation of flying saucers moving very low and flying over the shore before disappearing.

In Bayonne, locals say they saw high up in the sky three mysterious objects of clear hue, sharply visible on the sky. A peace officer, Mr. Carrions, observed these three immobile craft set in triangle, of slightly oval shape.

"They had, he said, the size of a rugby ball and seemed to be at a considerable height."

In the Meurthe-et-Moselle, dozens of workers from "Sidelor" living in the region of Lantéfontaine-les-Baroches (M-and-M) claim to have seen six "flying cigars" in the sky between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.

"We first saw, they said, two "cigars", then after four other craft joined the first two, all remained motionless to finally disappear instantly."

In Le Puy, Mrs. Chaumard, living in the Trinité district, saw in the sky a craft in the shape of a cigar glowing red at one end, silent and motionless. She was able to observe the craft hovering nearly fifteen minutes, then the "cigar" suddenly disappeared while gaining altitude.

The same observations were made by six residents of Langeac (Haute-Loire) and several others from Les Gelles (Puy-de-Dôme) or Clermont-Ferrand. In this region, rugby players at the Vichy stadium, saw a "flying cigar".

In the Aveyron

From Villefranche de Rouergue in the Aveyron, an owner of Vabre-Tizac, Mr. Marre, is reported to have seen a yellow-colored mass moving southwards, without leaving behind any traces of smoke.

Mr. Marre's attention was drawn to the sound of a motor. Other inhabitants of the locality also heard the same noise from inside their house, but not having come out, they did not see the singular "mass". (Midi Libre 09/26/54.) (2-3)

In 1972, "Flying Saucer Review" published an article by Aime Michel, called: "AN ENIGMATIC FIGURE OF THE XVI CENTURY", (1), an absorbing study of a Saint who was born in France in 1579 on the Bayonne-Vichy line. However, as J.C. Dufour said in a subsequent article, "THE BIRTHPLACES OF PROMINENT PEOPLE IN RELATION TO BAVIC" (2) this discovery proved very little; the connection with UFOs is obvious - the extraterrestrial is not - unless one accepts that UFOs are from outer space.

September 24th. Vichy.

Moving at great speed, a strange object passed over the town of Vichy (Allier) the aftemoon of September 24th. A crowd at a practice soccer match were spectators to the elliptical, almost cigar-like, UFO. 117.

Orthoteny

It is nice to remember that it is his friend, poet Jean Cocteau, who will suggest to Aimé Michel the idea of seeking an order in the observations of the "mysterious celestial objects" that appeared during the autumn of 1954.

To begin with, Aimé Michel painstakingly pointed out on a map the observations of October 14, 1954, made between 06:30 p.m. and 07:35 p.m.. His stupefaction will be great in discovering that five points seem to align perfectly. He then resumes all the observations, and reports them, for every 24 hours, on a map. Here again, everything seems to be ordered according to lines of which the most famous, that of September 24, 1954, will be known under the name of "BAVIC line", contraction of BAyonne and VIChy, which will align no less than six observations (Bayonne [in reality on the 23rd], Lencouacq [in reality on the 23rd], Tulle [in reality on the 22nd], Ussel [in reality on the 20th], Gelles [in reality on the 17th] and Vichy) [without precuse date].

3834: 1954/09/24 15:00 1 3:28:00 E 46:06:00 N 3332 WEU FRN ALR 6:9

VICHY,FR:STADIUM/OBS:FAST SLNT CGR CROSSES SKY S/L:=origin/BAVIC theory:/r3p71

Ref#194 LUMIERES dans la NUIT.(LDLN France) Issue No. 128 : TOWN &CITY

Encounters with Aliens On this Day

September 24

[...]

1954 - 1954 - At sometime before 3:00 p.m. in Bayonne, Pyrenees-Atlantique, France three metallic ovoid objects hovered in a triangular formation for over one minute, then flew away fast. At 3:00 p.m. a fast silent cigar-shaped object crossed the sky slowly over the Vichy stadium, Allier, France and was seen by many. These are two of the defining sightings of the Bayonne to Vichy (BAVIC) orthotenic line discovered by Aime Michel and confirmed by Dr. David R. Saunders.(Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 76; David R. Saunders, Is BAVIC Remarkable?, FSR, Vol. 17, No. 4, July-August 1971).

[...]

September 1954

Fri 24

6 observations of that day geographically lined from Bayonne to Vichy (including that of Ussel) 4.

4. Will be spotted by Aimé Michel, who will devellop the othoteny [sic] theory, among others in his book Mystérieux Objets Célestes (MOC). Jacques Vallée will call the line BaVic, but will finally concluded to simple hazard.

Orthotenic lines of UFO activity were found on which numerous sightings occurred over a time span of many years. The most famous of these is BA VI C, originally a six-point line extending from Bayonne to Vichy, France. Although the six original sightings all occurred on September 24, 1954, subsequent study has revealed other cases of high strangeness occurring on other dates along the BA VIC line.

[... other cases...]

September 24 [, 1954]: ufos are observed in six cities [in reality at least 11] (Bayonne [in reality the 23rd], Lencouacq [in reality the 23rd], Tulle [in reality the 22nd], Ussel [in reality the 20th], Gelles [in reality the 18th], Vichy).

[... other cases...]