ALSACAT ▶ Home ☰

Cette page en français

ALSACAT:

◀ Previous case Next case ▶

Case of Jettingen, on October 8, 1954:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1954-10-08-JETTINGEN-1

Summary:

The primary source for this case is an article in the regional newspaper L'Alsace, by its newsroom in Mulhouse, on October 9, 1954 (Many "ufological versions" exist, but with very meager information and a date error).

The witness is Mr. René Ott, 35, residing in Berentzwiller, an official at the SNCF (National Society of French Railways), working in Mulhouse, 16 km in a straight line from his home.

At about 5:30 a.m. on October 8, 1954, he left his home in Berentzwiller, to go, like every morning, by "scooter", to Altkirch (11 km from his home), where used to take the train to Mulhouse.

He told the newspaper:

"It was about 5:30 of the morning and I had just left my home in Berentzwiller, to go, like every morning, to Altkirch, where I take the train for Mulhouse. I drove by scooter when at this precise place, at the exit of the village towards Jettingen, approximately 3 m on the left of the road, in the meadow, I clearly saw in the beam of my headlight, a craft, mushroom-shape, in the medium of which a door was opened...

I was seized by fright and accelerated, but I had not made 50 m that I was taken, from behind, in the beam of a powerful headlight, whose white light carried well at two hundred meters. A few seconds later, I suddenly saw in front of me, approximately three meters away and at a 6 m height above the road, a craft of conical shape whose rainbow gleams dazzled me and lit as in full day...

Instinctively, I put the headlight of my scooter in low mode. At the moment when it me exceeded me I clearly felt the breath of the machine. It then preceded me, always at the same distance and the same height and this, on several hundreds of meters, to the first house of Jettingen.

There, I stopped, feeling more reassured. It is at this time that the "luminous mushroom" went up vertically and an unbelievable speed behind the first houses of Jettingen to quickly disappear in the sky.

It made absolutely no noise, at least, I did not hear anything, owing to the fact that the engine of my scooter was running and that I wore a helmet.

At no time have I seen men or living beings around or in the machine, not even moving shadows. The mushroom was opaque when it was on the side of the road and completely luminous, even blinding, when it preceded me at 6 m from the ground".

The newspaper explains that the fright was still visible on his face, when, for the fifteenth time, he repeated in the morning of October 8, 1954, what he had experienced.

One or more journalists from L'Alsace went on site at the exact place, three meters from the D16 road, where the craft had been hovering initially. They did not find anything there, neither grass stride nor any engine oil stain, but understood it: according to Mr. Ott, the craft was not directly posed on the ground, but hovering at about 50 cm above it.

He told them that the craft was shaped like a "mushroom" or "hut", about 3 meters long, it was rounded at the top like a dome, in the middle of which was a door, lit from the inside, 1.50 meters high and about 60 centimeters wide.

The newspaper explains that everyone in the SNCF service, Bld of the Chemin de Fer in Mulhouse, had listened with interest tinged with more or less skepticism, the story of their office colleague. He was considered a serious person, and his bosses confirmed this to the journalists who comment that it is unthinkable that he invented this adventure and that the emotion that still gripped him was not fake.

Curiosity had prevailed, and his bosses, two SNCF inspectors, had decided to bring him back to the place so that he could explain in detail what he had seen.

A car with a driver was ordered and one rushed to Berentzwiller. The journalists were the first there, and soon after, they say, came a commissioner of the General Intelligence of Saint-Louis, an inspector of the General Intelligence at the airfield of Blotzheim, the lieutenant of the Gendarmerie of Altkirch and four Gendarmerie officers - they can be seen in a photograph published in the newspaper.

The newspaper concluded:

"Anyway, nobody could find the least contradiction in this testimony which corroborates as a whole all those already provided on the saucers: total silence, high speed, dazzling multicolored lights."

Data:

Temporal data:

Geographical data:

Witnesses data:

Ufology data:

Classifications:

Sources:

[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":

[Ref. ner1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-ECLAIR":

[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":

[Ref. fso1:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE-SOIR":

[Ref. afp1:] USAF PROJECT BLUE BOOK / AFP:

US Air Force Project Blue Book was in charge of studying UFO sighting reports, and thus collected media information about it. The text below is their translation into English of an Agence France Presse (AFP) news release for October 9, 1954.

[Ref. nmn1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-MATIN":

[Ref. cpd1:] NEWSPAPER "LE COURRIER PICARD":

[Ref. jps1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":

[Ref. ppe1:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-PRESSE":

[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":

[Ref. lln1:] NEWSPAPER "LE LORRAIN":

[Ref. ner2:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-ECLAIR":

[Ref. jgu1:] JIMMY GUIEU:

The author indicates that the newspaper L'Alsace for October 9, 1954 reports "an interesting observation made the day before, close to Berentzwiller, is a S.N.C.F. civil servant considered serious, his chiefs confirmed it to us."

Jimmy Guieu states that it is unthinkable that he invented this observation and that the emotion which still grabbed him is not falsified.

Guieu indicates that the witness told:

"It was about 05:30 in the morning and I had just left my home in Berentzwiller to go, like every morning, in Altkirch where I take the train for Mulhouse. I drove by scooter when at the exit of the village towards Jettingen, approximately 3 meters from the road D16, in a meadow, I clearly saw, in the beam of my headlight, a craft in the shape of a mushroom or a hut. It was approximately three meters high and three meters long and was rounded at the top like a cupola in the middle of which was an opened door, opened to the inside, of a height of 1 m 50 and 60 centimeters large approximately."

"I was seized by fright and accelerated, but I hardly drove fifty meters when I was taken, from behind, in the beam of a powerful headlight whose white light lit a good 200 meters. A few seconds later, I suddenly saw in front of me, approximately three away meters, and six meters height above the road, a craft of conical shape whose rainbow gleams dazzled me and lit as in broad daylight. Instinctively I put the headlight of my scooter in low mode. At the time when it passed me by, I clearly felt the blow of the craft. It preceded me then, to the first house of Jettingen. "

"There, I stopped, feeling more reassured. It is at this time that the luminous "mushroom" went up vertically at an incredible speed behind the first houses of Jettingen to disappear quickly in the sky. It did not make any noise at all, at least I did not hear anything owing to the fact that the engine of my scooter was on and that I wore a helmet. At no time did I saw men or living beings around or inside the craft, not even moving shades. The "mushroom" was opaque when it was near the roadside, and completely luminous, even dazzling, as soon as it preceded me six meters above the ground."

[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:

Aimé Michel indicates that in Jettingen, near Mulhouse, a rather spectacular landing took place during the night of the 7th to the 8th of October 1954. He gives the account of the witness, René Ott, a civil servant of the national railroads:

"I was riding my scooter between Berentzwiller and Altkirch on the secondary road 16, when a little before the village of Jettingen, I clearly saw in the ray of my headlight, at about 3 meters of the road on the left, in a meadow, a machine in the shape of a mushroom or a hut. It could be measuring 3 meters in span, and in his silhouette in the shape of cupola I distinguished a luminous rectangle, like a door, of a height of 1.50 meter and broad of 60 centimeters approximately. Seized be fear, I accelerated. But a few tens of meters further, I was taken by behind in an intense white light increasing to at least 200 meters, and whose source seemed to approach very fast. The machine indeed exceeded me at a height of 5 or 6 meters above the road, and I very clearly felt a very strong air volume displacement. It then preceded me above me by the road to the village, during several hundreds of meters. At the first house, it went up almost vertically and disappeared behind the village. But I had the time to observe it. It was extremely luminous in flight, with gleams of rainbow. I did not understand anything, but on the other end I was wearing a helmet."

[Ref. aml2:] AIME MICHEL:

Claiming an alignment of sightings for October 7, 1954, Aimé Michel lists:

[Ref. aml3:] AIME MICHEL:

Aimé Michel explained that since December 1957, he was convinced that the "alignments" of cases on straight lines, such as those of October 7, 1954, are inexplicable, or more exactly, that they can only be explained "by the reality of the flying saucers", and that his opinion "is also that of a large number of scientists, among whom several are world-renowned."

He published a map of these alignments for this date, indicating that all the observations of October 7, 1954, are reported there:

For the case of this file, he noted:

[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:

[Ref. mcs1:] MICHEL CARROUGES:

Michel Carrouges reports that René Ott, aged 35, employee of S.N.C.F. (the national railroad company), travelling by scooter on October 8, 1954, at 05:30 a.m. on a road near Jettingen in the department of the Haut-Rhin, suddenly saw in the light of his headlight, within 3 meters of the road in a nearby meadow, a kind of large "mushroom" with an hemispherical cupola, of aluminum color.

He also noticed a luminous rectangular cut out like a door, in the cupola.

Frightened, he accelerated, but a few tens of meters further, he is caught in an intense white light which seemed to chase him. The craft caught up with him, flew above him at a height from 5 to 6 meters above the road, exceeded him during several hundreds of meters up to the village of Jettingen, where it flew away almost vertically.

Michel Carrouges tells of the mystifications of two journalists of the Samedi-Soir weekly newspaper, according to their articles in this newspaper from October 21 to 27, 1954: these journalists left Paris by car, and went in the South, the areas of Cahors, Montauban and Toulouse, equipped with accessories such as diving suits, fireworks and various products of pyrotechnics, to play Martians.

The journalists concluded that all testimonies of flying saucers are stupidities and especially the testimonies of October 13, 1954, one by "Mr. Ott in Toulouse", another by Mr. Carcenac in Graulhet, in the Tarn and also that of Mr. Mitto on October 9 in the Tarn, but without naming him.

Carrouges considers it regrettable that what could have been an interesting experiment on the psychology of perception turned into a joke, and that the roads that they followed was given only very partially, the journalists not having specified any date. He also specifies that they actually did not give any proof of their effective passage in the localities they claim to have been in and, ultimately, it is not so outrageous to even wonder whether their reports were not completely made up.

He notes all the same that there are some photographs of witnesses whose good faith was fooled by the journalists in the articles and that it seems difficult that they were invented; that it can thus be admitted these journalists actually operated a round of hoaxes, but that its importance, the precise places and the exact hours are so lacunar that nothing certain can be concluded form the whole.

Michel Carrouges reconstitutes that they have apparently followed the road of Brive, Cahors, Montauban, Toulouse, stopping their car and putting on their disguise and shooting earthly fireworks from time to time at the following places: Pouzergues (in the south of Cahors), Varreye (on the road of Montpezat de Quercy), Montalzet (on main road 20), Saint-Gomhiez (between Fronton and Bouloc, on secondary road 4), from there, or from near there, they made a turn towards Graulhet, then returned at the entry of Toulouse, near the Blagnac airfield, and that thus any testimony on this route, and at this time, is suspect to be illusory.

[Ref. lcp1:] LEONARD G. CRAMP:

The author indicates that "beyond Montlevic, at Jettingen, near Mulhouse (Haut Rhin), "a landing case was reported during the night of 7-8 October 1954, and witness M. Rene Ott, a railway official, told:

"I was riding a motor scooter along Route D-16, between Beeantzwiller [sic] and Altkirch, when just this side of the village of Jettingen I saw in my headlight, very clearly, an object in the meadow to the left of the road, only nine or ten feet away. It was shaped like the top of a mushroom, or a low hut, and it might have been ten feet from tip to tip. In the cupola-shaped silhouette I could see a lighted rectangle, like a door, about four and half feet high by two feet wide."

"The thing frightened me and I speeded up. But maybe 60 feet farther along, I was caught in a fierce white light from behind me, that shone at least 200 yards ahead and that seemed to be coming closer at terrific speed. In fact, the machine or whatever it was passed over my head no more than 15 or 20 feet above the road, and I distinctly felt a very strong current of air."

[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. fle1:] FERNAND LAGARDE:

This ufologist believed there is a connection between UFOs, earthquakes and geological fault lines. He listed "Jettingen", without precision on the geology, indicating that is was a "Mysterious Celestial Object" reported on the gound or near the ground by Aimé Michel at page 181.

[Note: the entire plain of Alsace as well as the German side of the Rhine river there is a geological fault and a seismic area!]

[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates that on October 7, 1954, in Jettingen in the Haut-Rhin, a railwayman saw an object in a field, within 3 meters of the road and 1 meter above ground-level. It had the shape of a mushroom of approximately 3 meters in diameter. A luminous rectangle, like a door opening, was observed on one of the sides. It took off and flew at approximately 5 meters above the witness, following him to the village.

[Ref. pis1:] "PHENOMENES INCONNUS" UFOLOGY BULLETIN:

This ufology bulletin published a map supposed to show alignments of cases of October 7, 1954, and it included a case in Jettingen:

[Ref. cgu1:] CHARLES GARREAU:

Charles Garreau mentions that there was an observation on 7 October 1954 in Mulhouse.

[Ref. ous1:] "OURANOS" UFOLOGY MAGAZINE:

About cases with very close observation distances, this magazine lists:

"10/07/1954 in Jettingen - Mr. René Ott at less than 5 m."

[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:

The two authors and ufologists report on the case of Schwoben in the Haut-Rhin, on October 8, 1954, at 05:35, indicating that the references are personal files and newspaper clipping.

They report that Mr. Ott, an S.N.C.F employee [Société National des Chemin de Fer is France's state railway service], resident of Berentzwiller, left his home to go to the station of Altkirch. At the exit of Jettingen, in a field, on the side of the road, he sees a strange object thanks to the light of his headlight.

Garreau and Lavier provide Mr. Ott's account:

"It had the shape of a mushroom, or a hut. It was a kind of semi-spherical cupola, approximately 3 meters in diameter. It seemed to me that I distinguished a door or an enlightened trap door from the interior. I became frightened. I made a full-turn. But I had not made 50 meters that I was in the beam of a powerful projector. A few seconds later, I was overflown by a machine which flew at 5 or 6 meters above the road. It was conical, with rainbow gleams, which lit as in full day, and which dazzled me. Instinctively, I put the headlight of my scooter in code. When the machine buzzed me, I clearly felt a flow of air. It preceded me while maintaining the same distance and the same height, to the first houses of Jettingen, i.e. during 800 meters approximately. There, I stopped. I was a bit reassured. The machine then rose vertically, at a fantastic speed. I quickly lost it from sight."

[Ref. jve4:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. aldl:] MRS. GUEUDELOT, "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" ARCHIVE:

[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON:

[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. gab1:] "G.A.B.R.I.E.L" UFOLOGY GROUP:

[Ref. jge11:] JEAN-FRANCOIS GILLE:

[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:

[Ref. mft2:] MICHEL FIGUET:

[Ref. tbw1:] TED BLOECHER AND WALTER WEBB:

Note: I did not expect to find this case with no occupant in a catalog of encounters with UFO occupans reports. But there it was.

[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The two authors indicate that on October 8, 1954 at 05:35, in Jettingen, in the department of Haut-Rhin, the witness left his residence in Berentzwiller, to go to his work by scooter, at the railway station of Altkirch. Right before entering in Jettingen, he sees, in a field, within 3 meters of the road, and at approximately 1 meter above ground-level, an object in the shape of a mushroom, like a half-spherical cupola, approximately 3 m in diameter, a door or a trapdoor illuminated from within is visible on the side of the apparatus. It could have had a height of 1 m 50 and a width of 1 m 60 cm. Seized by fear, the witness accelerates (A. Michel), or made a U-turn (Garreau). He is then taken in an intense light, from behind, light which illuminates at 200 meters, and whose source seems to approach at full speed. The witness is exceeded by the machine which flies at approximately 5 to 6 meters of altitude, and is preceded by this one during a few hundreds of meters, to the village of Jettingen. At the first houses, it goes up vertically and disappears behind the village in the direction to Altkirch.

The authors indicate that the sources are case 206 of the Vallée Catalogue with the date October 7, 1954; Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier in "Face aux ET" pages 110-111 with the date October 8, 1954; Jimmy Guieu in "Black-out sur les S.V. pages 202-203 with the date October 8, 1954; Quincy with the date 8 October 1954; Aimé Michel in "A propos des S.V." pages 181 with the date October 7, 1954; and L'Alsace for October 9, 1954 indicating it occurred the previous day thus on October 8, 1954.

[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:

[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:

Jean Sider indicates that on October 8, 1954, at 05:35, in Jettingen, France, René Ott, then aged 35, drove on a scooter and sees in a field, 3 meters from the road, an object approximately 3 meters in diameter, mushroom shaped. He is frightened, made a half-turn, and is suddenly taken in an intense light from behind, whose source approaches more and more. He is passed by the flying object at 5 or 6 meters of altitude and feels at its passage an effect of air volume displacement.

Jean Sider indicates that the source is Michel, pages 180,181.

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The Belgian ufologist indicates in her chronology that in 1954, on October 7, in France, in Jettingen, at dawn, at 05:35, Rene Ott, SNCF employee, saw an object having the shape of a mushroom 3 m in diameter in a field at 3 m from the road and 1 m of the ground. It took off and rose at approximately 5 m above the witness, following him to the nearby village.

Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that the sources are "France-Soir, 10 oct 1954; Jacques Vallée: "Chronique des apparitions ET" - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 270, 271 "which dates October 8" [no true, but it is actually the correct date.].

She adds that he also notes a luminous rectangle cut like a door in the cupola. Frightened he accelerates but several dozens of meters further he is taken in an intense white light that seemed to chase him. The craft catches up with him, flies over him at 5 or 6 m above the road, flies in front of him like that on several hundred meters until the village of Jettingen there it flies away almost vertically. She says the source for this is "Michel Carrouges: 'Les apparitions de Martiens' Fayard pub., 1963, p. 91".

[Ref. uwb2:] "UFOWEB" WEBSITE:

[Ref. uwb3:] "UFOWEB" WEBSITE:

[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:

Jérôme Beau indicates that his source is "France-Soir, 10 October 1954".

[Ref. cvn1:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN, "LES SAISONS D'ALSACE":

Christian Valentin indicates among the many observations in Alsace in 1954, that on October 8, quoting from the newspaper L'Alsace for October 9, 1954.

He indicates that Rene Ott was aged 35, that he was an office clerk at SNCF, France's National Railway company, that he lived in Berentzwiller and was, according to the journalists of L'Alsace, "a civil servant considered serious, his chiefs confirmed it to us. It is impossible that it invented this adventure, and the emotion which still gripped him was not made-up."

Valentin gives the account of the witness as published in the newspaper L'Alsace:

"It was about 5:30 in the morning and I had just left my residence in Berentzwiller, to return like each morning in Altkirch where I took the train for Mulhouse; I drove by scooter when at this precise spot, at the exit of the village, towards Jettingen, at approximately 3 meters on the left of the road, in a meadow, I clearly saw in a ray of my headlight a machine in the shape of a mushroom, in the middle of which a door was opened... I was seized by fright and accelerated, but I had not made 50 meters that I was taken, from behind, in the beam of a powerful headlight, whose white light ranged well 200 meters. A few seconds later, I suddenly stand in front of me, approximately 3 away m and 6 m height above the road, a machine of conical shape whose rainbow gleams dazzled me and lit as in broad daylight... Instinctively, I put the headlights of my scooter in low mode... At the time when it exceeded me, I clearly felt the breath of the machine. It then preceded me, always at the same distance and the same height, and this on several hundreds of meters, to the first house of Jettingen."

"There, I stopped, feeling more reassured. It is at this time that the luminous mushroom went up vertically and at an incredible speed behind the first houses of Jettingen, to quickly disappear in the sky. It made absolutely no noise, at least I did not hear anything owing to the fact that the engine of my scooter was running and that I wore a helmet."

"At no time I saw men or living beings around the machine or inside, not even moving shadows. The mushroom was opaque when it was beside the road, and completely luminous, even blinding, when it preceded me within 6 meters above the ground."

[Ref. spi6:] "SPICA" UFOLOGY ASSOCIATION:

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates that in the Haut-Rhin in Jettingen on October 8, 1954 at 05:35 hours, "the witness had just left his home in Barentzwiller [sic], to go, by scooter, to his work, at the train station of Altkirch. Right before entering in Jettingen, he sees, in a field, 3 meters from the road, and approximately 1 meter above ground-level, an object in the shape of a mushroom, like a half-spherical cupola, approximately 3 m in diameter, a door or a trapdoor enlightened from the inside is visible on the side of the apparatus. It can have a height of 1 m 50 and a width of 60 cm. Frightened, the witness accelerates (A. Michel), or make a half-turn (Garreau). He is then taken in an intense light, from behind, a light which lit on 200 meters, and which source seems to approach at high speed. The witness is passed by the craft which flies at approximately 5 to 6 meters of altitude, and is preceded by the latter during a few hundreds of meters, to the village of Jettingen. At the first houses, it goes up vertically and disappears behind the village in the direction of Altkirch.

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 7 October 1954 at 06:00, in Jettingen, France, a railroad employee, Rene Ott, saw a mushroom-shaped object three meters in diameter, in a field three meters away from Route N16 and one meter above ground. A luminous rectangle, like a door, was seen on the side. It took off and flew about five meters above the witness, following him to the next village.

The source is indicated as "Vallee Magonia Database".

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 8 October 1954 at 05:30 in Jettingen, France, a motorcyclist "saw mushroom-shaped object, 10 feet wide, with open door 2'x5'. Saw no occupant. After driving past was struck by a powerful beam of light. An object was observed. Gravity effects were noted. One domed disc, about 10 feet across, was observed by one experienced male witness on a farm (Ott, R)."

The sources are indicated as "Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports; Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500), (in JVallee01); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Cramp, Leonard G., Piece for a Jig-Saw, Somerton, Isle of Wight, 1966; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Newspaper Clippings; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".

[Ref. dfk1:] FABRICE AND DANIEL KIRCHER:

The authors indicate that on October 8, 1954 in Jettingen in the Haut-Rhin, Rene Ott drove by scooter on a countryside road at approximately 5:30 a.m. when he spotted in a field within three meters of the road an object in the shape of a mushroom approximately three meters in diameter, where one distinguished an enlightened door from 1.50 meters by 60 centimeters.

The witness prudently made a half turn and suddenly he was caught in an intense light, before being exceeded by the flying object at 5 or 6 meters of altitude, and feeling at its passage an effect of air volume displacement.

The authors indicate that the source is Jean Sider in "La Vague de 1954 et l'Imposture Rationaliste".

[Ref. cvn2:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:

Christian Valentin, former journalist in Alsace, give in his book about the UFO sighting reports in that region, the text and reference of the article of the time in the newspaper L'Alsace [lae1]. And the case, for the first time, is noted at the correct date.

[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

[Ref. spi4:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":

[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database recorded this case 10 times:

[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

Discussion:

Mr. Ott and the Samedi-Soir pranks operation

In these days, in the South of France, two journalists of the weekly Samedi-Soir had played the "Martians" by disguising themselves with diving suits and by launching firecrackers. They intended to demonstrate that the witnesses of the flying saucers and Martians were deluding themselves.

It turns out that in their affirmations is at least a proof that they have invented at least one of their mystifications; which makes it possible to doubt everything.

Indeed, they claimed to have pranked Mr. Ott, in Toulouse. However, if Toulouse would be well on their route, the observation of Mr. Ott did not take place at Toulouse in the South, but Mulhouse, in the East, in Alsace, practically at the other end of France!

The mistrust of Michel Carrouges and other ufologists with regard to these claims of hoax by these journalists is not entirely unfounded.

The location:

Above: René Ott (under the crossmark) indicates the place where the object hovered to the Gendarmes and two Home Intelligence officers.

Mr. Ott had just left his home in Berentzwiller, and was driving on the D16 road aka "Rue de Berentzwiller" at this location, to drive towards Altkirch (to the northwest). The route, its surrounding, did not change since 1954, but for a few trees that were replaced.

It seems that the encounter took place after the exit of Berentzwiller and started several hundred meters to the first houses of Jettingen where is ended (red line on the map). The place is a road surrounded by fields, without particular visual obstacles. The terrain is slightly sloping, a descent from the left side to the right side of the witness, with a row of trees along the small river Hundsbach at 170 meters on the right of the road relative to the direction of travel of the witness.

The alleged UFO was on the left side of the road relative to the witness, 3 meters from the road, 50 centimeters above the ground. It took off, overtook Mr. Ott, remained several hundred meters above the road in front of him, then at the first houses of Jettingen, it flew away vertically.

What I heard:

A local ufologist in 2005 who knew about this case told me that he had discussed the matter with Mr. Ott's son, who told him that his father had always maintained his story, and had never explained to himself what the thing was.

The officials:

We note that the newspaper L'Alsace indicated an impressive official presence, at least partially proven (gendarmes in uniforms) by the photo above:

"... a commissioner of the General Intelligence of Saint-Louis, an inspector of the General Intelligence at the airfield of Blotzheim, the lieutenant of the Gendarmerie of Altkirch and four Gendarmerie officers..."

As for Renseignements Généraux (Homeland Intelligence), no document on UFO cases has ever been made public on their side.

The Gendarmes being present, there was necessarily a written report of their findings. But it has not been declassified yet. On this matter, my idea is that for every case in which the identity of the witness(es) is publicly known (by press reports for example), "one" refrains from publishing the documents. This is in any case what I see for the cases of 1954 in France. Documents were released from 2014 on, but only for cases where the witness(es) name is (are) not known.

Explanation?

The moon had set at 01:43 a.m. in the night and place of the observation.

Mr. Ott told that the craft was absolutely silent, although he felt the movement of air. Mr. Ott stopped his scooter when the object was still in front of him. True, he was wearing his helmet, but it is out of the question that the sound of a helicopter was attenuated enough to become silent. The object blinded him with rainbow-colored lights. It hovered 3 meters from the edge of the road, lined with trees, practically in the ditch, its rotor would have endangered any truck driver passing there - so this is a quite absurd landing spot, if only for that. We have a General Intelligence agent at Blotzheim Airport involved, who was certainly unlikely to ignore helicopters, or perhaps unlikely to ignore a helicopter night flight in his area. I think this cannot have been a helicopter. Mr. Ott is not a prankster, say his bosses; which nothing has come to deny. It could have been an extraterrestrial craft.

Evaluation:

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

• [lae1] * Article in the regional newspaper L'Alsace, Mulhouse, France, October 9, 1954.
• [lcx1] * Article in the national newspaper La Croix, Paris, France, page 6, October 10, 1954.
• [ner1] * Article in the regional newspaper Nord-Eclair, Roubaix, Nord, France, page 10, October 10, 1954.
• [nnm1] * Article in the regional newspaper Le Nouveau Nord Maritime, France, page 9, October 10, 1954.
• [afp1] * Agence France Presse (AFP) newsbrief transcription and translation, in the Project Blue Book archive, US Air Force archive at the National Archive and Record Administration (NARA), Washington DC, USA.
• [fso1] * Article in the national newspaper France-Soir, Paris, France, October 10, 1954.
• [nmn1] * Article in the regional newspaper Nord-Matin, Nord - Pas-de-Calais, France, page 10, October 10, 1954.
• [cpd1] * Article in the regional newspaper Le Courrier Picard, France, pages 1,2, October 11, 1954.
• [jps1] * Article in the regional newspaper Le Journal du Pas-de-Calais et de la Somme, France, page 1, October 10, 1954.
• [ppe1] * Article in the national newspaper Paris-Presse, Paris, France, page 5, October 10, 1954.
• [nll1] * Article in the regional newspaper Nord Littoral, Calais, France, page 8, October 10, 1954.
• [lln1] * Article in the regional newspaper Le Lorrain, France, October 11, 1954.
• [ner2] * Article in the regional newspaper Nord-Eclair, Roubaix, Nord, France, page 10, October 13, 1954.
• [jgu1] * "Black-Out sur les Soucoupes Volantes", book by Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publisher, France, pp 202-203, 1956.
• [aml1] * "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Arthaud publisher, France, 1958.
• [aml2] * "Soucoupes volantes - L'étrange découverte d'Aimé Michel", article by Aimé Michel, in the popular science magazine Science et Vie, France, #485, February 1958.
• [aml3] * "Un nouvel accès au problème des soucoupes volantes - (suite et fin)", article by Aimé Michel, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #5, pages 3,4, June 1958.
• [aml1] * "Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery", book by Aimé Michel, English version of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", S. G. Phillips publisher, USA, page 143, 1958.
• [gqy1] * "Observations 1954", monograph by Guy Quincy, France - Algeria, private publication, page 14, the 1950's.
• [mcs1] * "Les Apparitions de Martiens", book by Michel Carrouges, (aka Louis Couturier), Fayard publisher, France, page 91, 1963.
• [lcp1] * "Piece for a Jig-Saw", book by Leonard G. Cramp, Somerton publisher, U-K., 1966.
• [jve1] * "Catalogue préliminaire de 500 observations", listing in "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace", book by Jacques and Janine Vallée, Table Ronde publisher, France, 1966.
• [aml1] * "A Propos des Soucoupes Volantes", book by Aimé Michel, reprint of "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", Planète publishers, France, 1966.
• [fle1] * "'M.O.C.', séismes et failles", article par Fernand Lagarde, dans le magazine d'ufologie Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, N° 92, page 5, janvier / février 1968.
• [jve2] * "Passport to Magonia - On Ufos, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publishers, USA, 1969.
• [jve3] * Summary by Jacques Vallée in "The Humanoids: A Survey of World-Wide Reports of Landings of Unconventional Aerial Objects and their Alleged Occupants", book by Charles Bowen, Neville Spearman publishers, U-K., 1969.
• [pis1] * Ufology bulletin Phénomènes Inconnus, C.F.R.S, France, #14, pages 20,21, 1971.
• [cgu1] * "Soucoupes Volantes - 25 Ans d'Enquêtes", book by Charles Garreau, Mame publisher, France, page 33, 1971.
• [jve4] * "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, Denoël publisher, France, page 293, 1972.
• [jgu1] * "Black-Out sur les Soucoupes Volantes", book by Jimmy Guieu, Omnium Littéraire publisher, France, pp 202-203, 1972.
• [ous1] * "La 'paralysie' - synthèse provisoire des recherches entreprises par l'équipe G.A.B.R.I.E.L.", article dans le magazine d'ufologie Ouranos, France, nouvelle série numéro spécial 1, page 7, 4^ème trimestre 1973.
• [jve1] * "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, Denoël publisher, France, pp 270-271, 1974.
• [jve3] * Summary by Jacques Vallée in "En Quête des Humanoïdes", book by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", J'ai Lu publisher, France, page 44, 1974.
• [gal1] * "Face Aux Extra-Terrestres", book by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, Delarge publisher, France, pp 110-111, 1975.
• [gal1] * "Face Aux Extra-Terrestres", book by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, Delarge publisher, J'Ai Lu, France, 1975.
• [ald1] * Record in the archive by Mrs. Gueudelot, of the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, not dated, published circa 2020 by the ufology association SCEAU, France, at https://sceau-archives-ovni.org/fonds/fond_gueudelot/base_guy_jpr_fiches_gueudelot.html
• [prn1] * "The Catalogue", compiled by Peter Rogerson, in the ufology bulletin MUFOB, U-K., New Series #2, page 9, March 1976.
• [jve5] *"1954: 7 jour, 40 observations", article by Jacques Vallée, in the History magazine Historia, France, Special Issue #46, "Les Soucoupes Volantes", page 45, 1976.
• [aml1] * "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Seghers publisher, France, pp 197-198, 1977.
• [aml1] * "Mystérieux Objets Célestes", book by Aimé Michel, Robert Laffont publisher, France, pp 197-198, 1978.
• [gab1] * "Les Soucoupes Volantes: le Grand Refus?", collective book by the G.A.B.R.I.E.L. group, Michel Moutet publisher, France, page 38, 1978.
• [jve1] * "Catalogue préliminaire de 500 observations", listing in "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace", book by Jacques and Janine Vallée, Robert Laffont publisher, France, page 250, 1978.
• [tbw1] * "HUMCAT", catalogue by Ted Bloecher and Walter Webb, USA, circa 1979.
• [fru1] * "OVNI, Premier Dossier Complet des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, page 134, 1979.
• [jge1] * "L'isocélie de Fumoux: un premier résultat scientifique", article by Jean-François Gille, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #209, page 17, November 1981.
• [mft1] * "ATTERRISSAGES D'UFO sur le continent français du 26 septembre 1954 au 18 octobre 1954", liste par Michel Figuet dans le magazine d'ufologie Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #249-250, page 26, March / April 1985.
• [mft2] * "Catalogue Francat des Rencontres Rapprochées en France - Listing 800", catalogue by Michel Figuet, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #257-258, page 18, November - December 1985.
• [lcp1] * "UFOs and Anti-Gravity: Piece for a Jigsaw", book by Leonard G. Cramp, Adventures Unlimited Press publishers, U-K., pp 127-128, 1997.
• [lgs1] * "The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse - UFOs: A History - 1954 October", monography by Loren E. Gross, USA, page 14, 1991.
• [jsr1] * "Le Dossier 1954 et l'Imposture Rationaliste", book by Jean Sider, Ramuel publisher, France, page 1248, 1997.
• [lsr1] ? "Computerized Catalog", compiled by Luis Schoenherr.
• [lhh1] * "*U* Computer Database", database by Larry Hatch, USA, circa 2002.
• [goe1] * "Chronologie OVNI", compiled by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 2003, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/chron13.html
• [uwb2] * "68", listing by the UFOweb ufology website, France, circa 2003, at http://ufoweb.free.fr/68.htm
• [uwb3] * "68", listing by the UFOweb ufology website, France, circa 2003, at http://ufoweb.free.fr/68.htm
• [djn1] * UFOCAT's "On this day" web page, by Donald A. Johnson, Ph.D., compiled from the UFOCAT 2003 computer database, www.ufocat.com/on_this_day/October08.html.
• [jbu1] * "Thursday, October 7, 1954", web page compiled by Jérôme Beau, RR0 website, France, circa 2005, at rr0.org/data/1/9/5/4/10/07/index.html.
• [cvn1] * "1954, l'Année des OVNIS - Des Observations par Dizaines, des Témoins par Centaines", article by Christian Valentin in "Saisons d'Alsace", quarterly magazine, Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace publisher, Strasbourg, France, pp 90-91, summer 2004.
• [spi6] * "Il y a cinquante ans - Les Ovnis en Alsace", article by the Alsatian ufology association SPICA, in the UFOmania ufology magazine, Didier Gomez publisher, France, #41, Fall 2004.
• [lcn1] * Base OVNI France, website by Luc Chastan, France, circa 2005, at baseovnifrance.free.fr/detobs.php?numobs=801
• [uda1] * "7 Oct 1954 - Jettingen, France", web page at the UFOdna website, circa 2007, at www.ufodna.com/uf18/uf9/189080.htm
• [uda2] * "8 Oct 1954 - Jettingen, France", web page at the UFOdna website, circa 2007, at www.ufodna.com/uf02/uf2/022183.htm
• [dfk1] * "Ce Qu'ils Ont Vu à l'Intérieur des Soucoupes Volantes", book by Daniel and Fabrice Kircher, Le Temps Présent publisher, France, page 75, 2008.
• [cvn2] * "Mythes et Réalités des Phénomènes Aériens Non Identifiés - Histoire des soucoupes volantes en Alsace jusqu'en 1980", book by Christian Valentin, Grimoires d'Alsace publishers, France, pp 33-34, 2012.
• [nip1] * List on The NICAP Website, USA, found in 2014, at http://www.nicap.org/reports/1954_ufocat.htm
• [spi4] * "DEPARTEMENT 68 - HAUT-RHIN", listing of UFO sighting reports by the Alsatian ufology groupe SPICA, Alsace, France, not dated, found in May 2015, at http://www.spica.org/Page_Listing_68.htm
• [ubk1] * Online database UFO-Datenbank, Germany, found in 2016, at ufodatenbank.de
• [prn2] * "INTCAT 1954", catalogue compiled by Peter Rogerson, U-K., circa 2016, at https://intcat.blogspot.com/search?q=1954

File history:

Authoring:

Changes history:

Feedback  |  Top  |  Back  |  Forward  |  Map  |  List |  Home

This page was last updated on August 6, 2023.