ALSACAT-1954-10-11-HEIMERSDORF-1
The regional newspaper L'Alsace for October 12, 1954, reported on page 5 that an "incandescent barrel" landed in Heimersdorf on October 11, 1954:
"We are told from Heimersdorf in the Sundgau that two girls, Misses Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 18 and 22 (respectively), saw on Sunday night around 07:30 p.m., while they were returning home by bicycle, a gleam in a pasture, at the exit from Heimersdorf to Feldbach. They first thought it was a fire ignited by a shepherd, but driven by curiosity, they went off across the fields."
"They came back quickly, completely terrified by what they had seen: the said light came from an object 2 meters high like a barrel. At their approach, the red glowing craft suddenly rose without noise in the sky to disappear quickly. Let's add that the phenomenon was also observed by two gypsies who live near the place."
The case was cited by other French newspapers, later repeated without investigation by ufologists Aimé Michel, Jacques Vallee, Charles Garreau, Raymond Lavier, Figuet Michel, Jean-Louis Ruchon etc.
In 2005, I heard from the mouth of a retired M.D., author, and well-known personality of the area, who had contemporary knowledge of the case, that Annie Pracht was actually a "simply minded" person that nobody believed. She had already claimed to have seen the "Blessed Virgin": which had proven to have been just a fire lit by gypsies. This information that I published in 2005 did not deter other authors and webmasters to continue to publish the case as if it were valid, "unexplained".
| Date: | October 11, 1954 |
|---|---|
| Time: | ~07:30 p.m. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | October 12, 1954 |
| Reporting delay: | 1 day. |
| Department: | Haut-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Heimersdorf |
| Place: | In a pasture at the exit of Heimersdorf to Felbach, UFO on ground then took off. |
| Latitude: | 47.563 |
| Longitude: | 7.240 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 100 m |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 4 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | ? |
| Number of named witnesses: | 2 |
| Witness(es) ages: | 18, 22, ?, ?. |
| Witness(es) types: | Two sisters, and two gypsy women or girls. |
| Reporting channel: | Regional Press. |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | In a pasture at the exit of a village, UFO on ground then took off. |
| Visibility conditions: | Night |
| UFO observed: | Yes |
| UFO arrival observed: | No |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes |
| Entities: | No |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Puzzled. |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Hynek: | CE1 |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: | Tall-tale by witnesses. |
[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":
And it goes on... Here is a new witness to the daily topic of UFOs.
It is reported from Heimersdorf in the Sundgau that two girls, Misses Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 18 and 22 years (respectively), saw on Sunday night around 07:30 p.m., while they were returning home by bicycle, a gleam in the grazing, at the exit of Heimersdorf to Feldbach. They first thought it was a fire ignited by a shepherd, but driven by curiosity, they went off across the fields.
They came quickly back, totally terrified by what they saw: the mentioned light came from an object, 2 m high, looking like a barrel. As they approached, the craft changed suddenly to a glowing red, rose silently into the sky to disappear quickly. Let's add that the phenomenon was also observed by two gypsies who live near the place.
[Ref. fso1:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE-SOIR":
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NANCY, October 13 ("France-soir" news brief). - At about 1:30 a.m., yesterday morning, when everything was asleep in Doncourt-Village (the Meurthe-et-Moselle), an abnormal whistling sound awoke the inhabitants of a farm, out in the country. Worried, the farmers went at the window and saw a flat object, "three times as big as a setting sun", they said, posed at the edge of the woods nearby. Soon the object rose with great speed to the vertical and disappeared. At the place indicated by the farmers, the gendarmes found that the stones had been calcined and had taken on a brick-red color on a circumference of 1 m. 50. The earth, everywhere else soaked by rain, was, within this circumference, reduced to ashes on a depth of three centimeters.
YAOUNDE (Cameroon), Oct. 12 ("France-soir" news brief). - An enormous illuminated disk was observed Sunday in Yaoundé by a group of trustworthy people: Colonel Cauvin, director of the health and prophylaxis services of Cameroon; Dr. Menn, chief medical officer of the hospital; MM. Dumont, Director of the Security Services; Poileux, Councilor of the Territorial Assembly; Moreau, administrator and deputy mayor of Yaoundé. It was the dog of the house who, by barking, attracted the occupants. Under the disc hung a sort of oscillating cylinder. The machine, after a few seconds, disappeared quickly towards the east.
AN ORANGE DISC emitting bright lights was observed in Champagne-sur-Seine (the Seine-et-Marne) by M. T ..., a seasonal worker in Machault, who took pictures. A butcher at Seine-Port saw at Savigny-le-Temple a similar machine, as well as in Meaux, Mr. Lefranc, a bank clerk in Paris.
AN INCANDESCENT BARREL, two meters high, was seen in a pasture by two young girls from Heimersdorf (Haut-Rhin). The craft rose and disappeared quickly.
[Ref. lit1] NEWSPAPER "L'INDEPENDANT":
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MULHOUSE. -- Having seen a mulière in a pasture, two girls of Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, 22 and 18 years old, approached, thinking that it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a machine of a height of approximately 2 meters. On their approach, the machine, in the shape of a barrel, changed to the incandescent red, rose in the airs and disappeared at the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
Passage of spheres on Perpignan
PERPIGNAN. -- Sunday evening, towards 08:30 p.m., Mr. Olivieri, living on Avenue du General-of-Gaulle, who was around 08:50 p.m. in a street close to his residence saw in the sky two spheres which moved at a high speed. They were, he says, at approximately 3.000 meters of altitude and at little distance one from the other, their front was dark but they left while moving a very marked orange wake. I called at once my daughter Jacqueline, 19 years old, who was able to make the same observations as I. Having spent several years in aviation, I can say with certainty that they were not planes, not even jet planes. The moonlight enabled me however to observe them with precision during their short passage.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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Mr. Hoge, cinema operator, saw on Saturday evening, near Munster, four men coming out of a flying saucer.
These men, 1.20 meters, had a strongly developed torso and a large head. In contrast, their lower limbs were short and lean.
Mr. Hoge was on his way home when he saw a bluish light in a field, sixty meters from the road. At first he thought it was a crashed plane. Then he noticed that the light was coming from an object in the shape of a cigar. Four men, in rubber suits, were working under the craft. None of them said a word.
Hoge watched them work for ten minutes, not approaching, because he was afraid. Finally, the four men entered the cigar which, a few meters after taking off, took the shape of a saucer projecting a dazzling light.
A colonial teacher, currently on leave in the island of Oléron, claims to have met two pretty "Martian girls" measuring about 1.70 meters., in boots, gloves and helmets of leather. The two "Martians" grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook. Mr. Martin keeps this manuscript in a safe place.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales) Mr. Sebelli, saw, posed in a street of this village, a cigar-shaped object about two meters in length, surrounded by iridescent lights. Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the craft.
On the other hand, three young hunters saw Monday above Gaillac (Aveyron), moving at a high altitude, a cigar-shaped object which flew in a series of big "s" in the sky.
Each maneuver was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared heading North.
Having seen a light in a pasture, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 22 and 18, approached, thinking it was a fire started by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a craft of a height of about 2 meters. As they approached, the barrel-shaped craft turned incandescent red, rose into the air and disappeared over the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
[Ref. lhe1:] NEWSPAPER "LE HAVRE":
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ALBI, October 12. -- A car driver from Briatexte (Tarn), M. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exposing at the "Household Arts" of Toulouse, said he met in the dark, on the national road No. 631, the passengers of a flying saucer.
"Returning to Toulouse, with two parents, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights, two little people who crossed the road, a few meters away from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our amazement, we then saw from a nearby meadow a large red disk with a diameter of 6 meters, fly away, rising vertically. The craft disappeared into the sky in a few seconds".
MULHOUSE. -- Having seen this evening a light in a pasture, two young girls of Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht aged 22 and 18, came closer thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. Then they saw, they claim, a craft of a height of about 2 meters. At their approach, the barrel-shaped craft turned to a glowing red, rose into the air and disappeared over the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
MELUN. -- Mr. Jules Lefranc, bank employee, Paris resident, saw in the sky, near the François - de - Tessart stadium in Meaux, for about three minutes, an object brightly lit from the inside that, he said, was shaped like a small soccer ball. This craft disappeared while leaving behind, the witness said, a luminous trail of the size of a stovepipe.
Residents of Trilport reportedly saw an identical craft motionless.
MELUN. -- A resident of Fontainebleau stated he saw
(4) Continued on the last page
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Riom, 12. -- During the night from Sunday to Monday, the peacekeepers Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, of Riom's urban corps, who were doing a round, saw in the sky a cigar-shaped craft which went from South to North. Three balls of red light detached from it and illuminated for a few moments part of the sky. The cigar was metallic in appearance, similar to duralumin.
Melun, 12. -- Mr. Jules Lefranc, a bank employee living in Paris, saw in the sky, near the François de Tessart stadium in Meaux, for about three minutes, an object brightly lit from the inside which, he stated, had the shape of a small soccer ball. The object disappeared, leaving behind, said the witness, a luminous trail the size of a stove pipe.
Residents of Trilport reportedly saw an identical stationary apparatus.
Limoges, 12. -- In Saillat-sur-Vienne, Sunday evening at dusk, Mr. Roger Gayout, transporter at Limoges, his wife and relatives saw in the sky a very brilliant mysterious machine which, after having moved for a few minutes, seemed to land a few kilometers further.
Nancy, 12. -- In the night from Sunday to Monday, inhabitants of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village de Moncours (Meurthe-et-Moselle), were stirred by an abnormal whistling sound, through the shutters they distinguished a blinding glow which seemed fixed on the side of a hill and which disappeared shortly after while rising vertically. In the afternoon, research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses revealed traces of intense calcination on a dirt road. Stone and earth samples were taken to be submitted to experts.
Melun, 12. -- Mr. Demarcy, a butcher at Seine-Port, and one of his friends, who were traveling by car in Nandy, said they saw a luminous disc moving at an altitude of around 800 meters. The two butchers got out of their car and followed the move of the craft for about a minute.
Mulhouse, 12. -- Having seen a light in a pasture on Sunday evening, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, 22 and 18 years old, approached thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a machine about 2 meters high. At their approach, the barrel-shaped object, turned to glowing red, rose in the air and disappeared on the horizon. The same phenomenon was seen by two other people.
Quimper, 12. -- Mr. Corentin Couarch, 38 years old, living in the village of Elliant (Finistère), agricultural worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters above sea level, a luminous craft whose shape and size he could not specify. He said that in fright he had turned off the lantern of his bicycle so as not to attract attention and moved away quickly. At 1 km, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
Toulouse, 12. -- In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli, saw, posed in a street in this village, a cigar-shaped object about two meters in length, surrounded by iridescent lights.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the apparatus.
Also, three young hunters saw moving yesterday above Gaillac (Aveyron), at a high altitude, an object in the shape of a cigar which described in the sky a series of large "S". Each maneuver was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared towards the North.
Finally, in Pont de Salars (Aveyron), a person saw last night u the sky, towards the sunset location, a disc surrunded of a large luminous circle with an unbearable brightness. Descended slowly toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
Melun, 12. -- A resident of Fontainebleau said he saw above Machault, a circular craft emitting a fairly bright glow, orange in color. The disc, which was about the diameter of a full moon, was moving at a fairly slow pace, crossing the sky horizontally.
La Rochelle, 12. -- A colonial teacher, currently on leave on the island of Oléron, Mr. Martin, claims to have met on the island of Oléron two pretty Martian women measuring approximately 1 m. 70, in boots, gloves and leather helmets. The two Martians took hold of Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin is said to have taken great care of this manuscript.
The "Martians" (broad shouldered) repair on the spot and take back the air
Munster, 12. -- Mr. Hoge, a film operator, was near Münster (Westphalia) when he saw in a field four "men" in rubber suits who were busy under an object in the shape of cigar. Mr. Hoge watched them work for ten minutes, without approaching, and, finally, the four men entered by a sort of ladder into the cigar which, after taking off, took the form of a saucer projecting a dazzling light.
The four "men" whose height was about 1.20 m. had, according to Mr. Hoge, a rather large torso, a head proportionally too large for their body and slender legs.
Three children from Pournoy-la-Chétive, near Verny (Moselle) claim that they saw a saucer and its passenger. They told their story to their parents, repeated it to the teacher, and confirmed it to the Mayor. All three were roller-skating on Friday afternoon near the cemetery. There was Gilbert Calba, 12 years old; Daniel Hirsch, 9, and his brother Jean-Pierre, 5.
"At around [?]:30, said Gilbert, we saw a luminous and round machine landing, about 2.30 meters in diameter. The craft landed very close to us. It had yellow and white stripes and landed on three feet.
"Soon a man came out, holding an electric lamp in his hand.
"He was very small (about 1.20 m), had large eyes, a hairy face and wore a sort of black cassock like the priest. The man came to speak to us in incomprehensible language and we fled, frightened.
"We looked back a little further. The very bright object rose very high and very quickly in the sky."
This story is partially confirmed by another resident of Pournoy-la-Chétive, Robert Maguin, 16, who said he also saw around the same time a mysterious machine, but he was not close enough to distinguish the details.
Albi, 12. -- A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Household Arts" of Toulouse, claims to have met, at nightfall, on the National Road Nr 631, the passengers of a flying saucer.
"Coming back from Toulouse, in the company of two relatives, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two little characters who crossed the road, barely a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw flying away from a neighboring meadow a large red disc with a diameter of six meters. Climbing vertically, the craft disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
[Ref. jpc1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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La Rochelle, 12. -- A colonial teacher, currently on leave on the island of Oléron, Mr. Martin, claims to have encountered on the island two pretty Martian women measuring approximately 1.70 m., booted, gloved and with leather helmets.
The two Martians grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin is said to have treasured this manuscript.
Albi. -- A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Household Arts" in Toulouse, stated having met the passengers of a flying saucer at nightfall on national road 631.
"Coming back from Toulouse, in the company of two parents, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two little characters who crossed the road, barely a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw flying away from a neighboring meadow a large red disc with a diame-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
[Photo caption:] This photographer, installed on the roof of a Parisian building, armed with a telephoto lens, a pair of spotting scopes and a lot of patience, does he hope to photograph a flying saucer, a "cigar" or simply... the moon? Obviously the last objective is the easiest, but is it not currently the most ambitious dream of all image hunters. An authentic photo of the famous "saucer" or of a Martian, well, this is glory and fortune. (Keystone)
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ter of about 4 meters, rising vertically. The object disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
Nancy. -- The inhabitants of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village of Moncourt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) were disturned by an abnormal whistling sound. Through the shutters, they saw a blinding glow which seemed to be fixed on the hillside and which disappeared soon after, rising vertically.
This afternoon, research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses, revealed, on a dirt road, traces of intense calcination. Stone and earth samples were taken to be submitted to experts.
Quimper. -- Mr. Corentin Couarch, 58, domiciled in the village of Elliant (Finistère), agricultural worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters of height, a luminous craft whose shape and size he could not specify. Frightened, he put out his bicycle's light so as not to attract attention and moved away quickly. 1 kilometer away, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
Toulouse. -- A baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli, saw an object in the shape of a cigar about two meters in length, surrounded by an iridescent glow.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the craft.
Also, three young hunters saw moving above Gaillac (Aveyron), at a high altitude an object shaped like a cigar which flew in the sky in a series of big "S".
Each evolution was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared towards the north.
Finally, in Pont de Salars (Aveyron), a person saw in the sky, towards sunset, a disc surrounded by a large luminous circle with unbearable shine. Descended slowly toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
Mulhouse. -- Having seen a light in a pasture, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 22 and 18, approach thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a craft about 2 meters high. As they approached, the barrel-shaped object turned glowing red, rose in the air and disappeared on the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Aimé Michel notes that at dawn on October 11, 1954, two young girls of Heimersdorf in High Alsace, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, going out of their home, were intrigued by a curious light coming from the close pasture.
They close in, initially thinking that it could be a shepherd's fire but discover that it is a circular and luminous craft of a height of two meters. When they approach, the craft turns glowing red and takes off and then disappears at the horizon.
Michel notes that two other people of the village of Heimersdorf have been able to see the take-off and the fast departure of the object, and that all happened in silence.
He put the sighting location on a map supposed to demonstrate cases are lined up:
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[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 302 | -007.23951 | 47.57400 | 11 | 10 | 1954 | 06 | 00 | 2 | HEIMERSDORF HT-RH | F | 0014 | 1C** | 272 |
[Ref. fle1:] FERNAND LAGARDE:
This ufologist thought that UFO sightings occur at geologically active places and noted this case in a table:
| FLYING SAUCER Ref. | Departements Nr. | Localities name | Fault just above | Fault at 2.5 km | Fault at à 5 km | Observations | Numbering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | 68 | HEIMERSDORFF | 1 | at 4 km in the S., fault of Altkirch | 77 |
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
October 11, 1954, dawn, Heimersdorf (France):
Anny Pracht, her sister Roselyne, and two other persons saw a luminous object on the ground. It became fiery red in color and flew away when they came near. (Le Figaro, Oct. 13, 1954).
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on October 11, 1954, at dawn, four people of Heimersdorf, close to Mulhouse, saw a luminous apparatus on the ground. When they approached the machine, it became fiery red of flame and fled away.
[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:
The two authors and ufologists report that on October 10, 1954 around 08:00 P.M., in Heimersdorf in the department of Haut-Rhin, according to an AFP newsbrief and their personal file, two girls of the village, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, saw a light in a pasture.
They thought that a shepherd had lit a fire and approached it. They then discovered that the light came from a barrel-shaped machine of approximately two meters of diameter.
When they approached, the machine changed to a glowing red, took off, and rose quickly in the sky.
The authors add that two other people saw it from a little further away.
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
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410 11 October 1954 Dawn
HEIMERSDORF (FRANCE) Anny Pracht, her sister Roselyne, and tvo other people saw a luminous object on the ground. It became fiery red, and flew avay when they came near. (M235: Figaro, 13 Oct 54: Michel II, 162)
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET ET JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors indicate that on October 11, 1954 at dawn with Heimersdorf, Misses Annie and Roselyne Pracht, aged 18 and 22, leave their home(s) and are intrigued by a light in a meadow. They approach thinking that it is a brush fire lit by a shepherd, and then see a two-meters-high luminous machine in the shape of a barrel, on the ground.
When they approach, the apparatus becomes red incandescent, rises in the air and disappears at the horizon.
Two other people see the same phenomenon.
The authors indicate that the sources are "Quincy", Aimé Michel in "A propos des soucoupes volantes" page 201, and Le Figaro for October 13, 1954.
[Ref. mft3:] MICHEL FIGUET:
| Nr of the J. C. Fumoux list | Nr of Francat list | Localization | Date | Class | Credibility | Sources | Number of W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 068 | 176 | Heimersdorf | 11/10 | CE1 | NI [=non identified] P Quincy | 2-9. 150 | 2 W + 2 |
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:
This ufologist noted:
| CASE Nr | CLASSIFICATION | DATE | HOUR | PLACE | ZIP CODE | CREDIBILITY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 178 | CE1 | 11 10 1954 | dawn | Heimersdorf | 68560 C6 | NI-RS[=Unidentified, sparse information]-P: OVNI: p. 150 |
[Ref. lh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4066: 1954/10/11 07:00 8 7:14:20 E 47:32:40 N 3332 WEU FRN HRH 7:8
HEIMERSDORF,FR:2+2 OBS:SLNT LUMn DISK/FLD TURNS RED+^^ as 2 GIRLS NEAR:/r138#9
Ref# 67 BOWEN,Charles (ed.) The HUMANOIDS. Page No. 42 : TOWN &CITY
[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that on October 11, 1954 in France, in Heimersdorf, Annie Pracht and her sister Roselyne as well as other people saw at dawn a luminous object on the ground. It was of a blazing red color and flew away as soon as they approached.
The sources are indicated as "Le Figaro, 13 oct 1954" and "Jacques Vallée: "Chronique des apparitions ET" - DENOEL 1972 - COLL. J'AI LU - p. 276".
[Ref. cvn1:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:
Christian Valentin indicates that on October 10, 1954, at 07:30 p.m. in the Haut-Rhin, two girls of in Heimersdorf returned home on bicycles when a gleam in a pasture puzzled them.
They approach, and panic when realizing that it is an object in the shape of a barrel of 2 meters height. When they approach, the object changes to red incandescent and rises without noise in the sky, to disappear there.
Two residents of Heimersdorf have also seen the objet.
[Ref. pgs1:] PATRICK GROSS:
In the summer of 2005, as I was hosting a tiny conference on UFOs in the Sundgau area, I met again an aged man whom I had already met several time 20 years ago. This gentleman was a very well-known doctor in the Sundgau, the area of this event, and he exerted there then.
Once retired, this exceptionally knowledgeable man of an encyclopedical culture became a writer. This fascinating man has a huge memory and can talk for hours about the local history and many other matters and it never becomes boring.
It is him who could give me certain information on this case, new information that throws a new light on this: all things considered, a first point is that Annie Pracht was, to use the expression of my old friend the doctor, known as "a not fully grown girl", i.e., she was a little simple minded. The second thing is that one year before she had already observed some vague vision, but had then reported this appearance as being that of the Virgin Mary, Virgin Mary who proved to be a simple gypsy campfire.
In fact, as for her observation of 1954, since her credibility was already known as poor, her reliability as bad and her imagination as quite wild, nobody had believed her one second then.
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Donald Johnson indicates that on October 11, 1954, Ms. Anny Pracht, her sister Roselyne, and two other witnesses in Heimersdorf, France saw a luminous object on the ground. It became fiery red in color and flew away when they came near.
Donald Johnson indicates that the source is Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 225.
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
Jerome Beau indicates that on October 11, 1954, at dawn, in Heimersdorf, France, Annie Pracht and her sister Roselyne, like two other people, see 1 luminous object on the ground. It became of a blazing red color and flew away as soon as they approached.
Jérôme Beau indicates that the source is "Le Figaro, October 13, 1954".
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Haut Rhin in Heimersdorf on October 11, 1954 at approximately 8 p.m., two young girls who leave their home(s) see a light in the meadows. Believing that it is a campfire lit by a shepherd, they approach and then discover it is a circular and luminous apparatus of approximately 2 meters in diameter. At their approach, the craft becomes glowing red and takes off, rising quickly in the sky. It should be noted that two other people will be witness of the takeoff sequence.
Luc Chastan indicates that the sources are Chroniques des apparitions E.T. by Vallée Jacques ** DENOEL 1972 - coll. J'AI L; and Face aux Extra terrestres by Garreau et Lavier ** DELARGE 1975.
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 11 October 1954 at 06:00 in Heimersdorf, France, Anny Pracht, her sister Roselyne, and two other persons saw a luminous object on the ground. It became fiery red in color and flew away when they came near.
The website comments that "an object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft. One red ball, about 5 feet across, was observed by four witnesses in a city for eight minutes."
The sources are noted as 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; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002.
[Ref. isu1:] "ISUNDGAU" BLOG:
That blog presents several cases in Alsace they fished on the web, including this one:
In Heimersdorf, a few days later, four people see a luminous craft on the ground.
October 11, 1954, dawn. Heimersdorf (France): Anny P. and her sister Roselyne, along with two other people, saw a luminous object on the ground. It took a flaming red color and flew away as soon as they approached. (Le Figaro, Oct 13, 1954)
The two authors and ufologists Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier report that on October 10, 1954, around eight in Heimersdorf in the Haut-Rhin, two young girls from the village, Anny and Roselyne P., saw a light in a pasture. They thought a shepherd had lit a fire and got close to it. They then discovered that the light came from a barrel-shaped craft about two meters in diameter. As they approached, the craft changed to incandescent red, took off, and rose rapidly in the sky.
The authors add that two other people attended the scene from a little further distance.
Garreau and Lavier indicate that their sources are A.F.P. and personal folders.
There is no source reference for this case, cited among other cases. There is simply, at the end of the article, a series of links to several ufology websites and web pages, including a link to the old URL of the home page of my own website.
[Ref. cvn2:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:
Former journalist Christian Valentin published in 2012 a very interesting book telling the story of UFO sightings, flying saucers sightings, in Alsace, from the beginning to 1980.
In this book, he reports that there was a case in Heimersdorf on Sunday, October 10, 1954 as reported in "L'Alsace " of Tuesday, October 12, 1954, page 5 of the French edition:
And it goes on... Here is a new witness to the daily topic of UFOs.
It is reported from Heimersdorf in the Sundgau that two girls, Misses A. and R. P., aged 18 and 22 years (respectively), saw on Sunday night around 07:30 p.m., while they were returning home by bicycle, a gleam in the grazing, at the exit of Heimersdorf to Feldbach. They first thought it was a fire ignited by a shepherd, but driven by curiosity, they went off across the fields.
They came quickly back, totally terrified by what they saw: the mentioned light came from an object, 2 m high, looking like a barrel. As they approached, the craft changed suddenly to a glowing red, rose silently into the sky to disappear quickly. Let's add that the phenomenon was also observed by two gypsies who live near the place.
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Oct. 11, 1954 - At dawn Ms. Anny Pracht, her sister Roselyne, and two other witnesses in Heimersdorf, Haut-Rhin, France saw a luminous object on the ground. It became fiery red in color and flew away when they came near. (Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 162; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 225, case # 235).
[Ref. spa1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":
| City | Date and hour of observation | General shape Identification |
General color Hypothesis |
Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEIMERSDORF | Monday 11 October 1954 at 20h00 | Circular, round or disc (2D) Unidentified |
red None |
Unsolved -lack of info |
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case seven times instead of one:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | 04.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | 04.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | 06.00 | ||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | Start of day | ||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | Start of day | ||||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | Start of day | CE I | |||||
| 19541011 | 11.10.1954 | Heimersdorf | France | Start of day | CE I |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 11 1954. Dawn.
HEIMERSDORFF [sic] (HAUT-RHIN : FRANCE)
Anny Pracht (18) and her sister Roselyne (22) saw a light in a field, which they first thought was lit by a shepherd. When they approached they saw it came from a barrel shaped object 2m tall. This rose up, glowing redder, and took off. The same thing was seen by two other people.
Gross 1954. citing L'Independent [sic] 12 October 1954.
Michel 1958b p159.
Evaluation - Anny had the previous year claimed a vision of the Virgin Mary, which turned out to be a gypsy encampment fire. She was thought to be rather simple. (Info supplied to Gross in 2005)
|
In 2005, see [pgs1], I gave important information about the case.
Not a soul found it useful to cite it. All subsequent sources silence it: Jérôme Beau, Luc Chastan, Christian Valentin, UFOdna. All of them know my website, and my "France 1954" catalog where this was published in 2005.
How the place looks in 2005.
Tall-tale by witnesses.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editeur: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 6, 2003 | First published in the France 1954 catalogue. |
| 0.2 | Patrick Gross | December 21, 2005 | Addition [pgs1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 17, 2008 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions, [fru1], [goe1], [djn1], [lc1], [jbu1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | June 28, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | October 25, 2011 | Addition [lit1]. |
| 3.0 | Patrick Gross | April 24, 2014 | Addition [cvn2]. |
| 3.1 | Patrick Gross | April 24, 2014 | First published in the ALSACAT catalogue. |
| 3.2 | Patrick Gross | May 11, 2015 | Addition [spa1]. |
| 3.3 | Patrick Gross | January 4, 2017 | Additions [fso1], [ubk1]. |
| 3.4 | Patrick Gross | February 14, 2018 | Addition [isu1]. |
| 3.5 | Patrick Gross | May 1, 2019 | Additions [prn1], [mft1], [mft3], [lh1], [prn2]. |
| 3.6 | Patrick Gross | May 27, 2021 | Additions [lcx1], [fle1], [nnm1], [jpc1]. |
