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Case of Issenheim, on October 18, 1954:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1954-10-18-ISSENHEIM-1

Summary:

The case was first published by the regional newspaper Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, German-speaking issue of Colmar, on 20 October 1954, wondering if a flying saucer had landed in Issenheim on 18 October 1954.

The newspaper reported that at 4 o'clock that morning, Lucien Flesch, 19, living in Rouffach, found himself facing a flying saucer, just before the crossing at the entry of Issenheim. The saucer was a hundred meters from the road, had a diameter of 5 to 6 meters, a height of 1 meter, and emitted no light.

He did not think of approaching the mysterious object, but he had insisted that the saucer shone under the glare of the moon like aluminum and had the shape of a bell.

There was no trace of any landing at the place.

On the same day, the Strasbourg edition of the same newspaper titled "Mars-Issenheim round-trip" and published the same narrative, locating the place at the northern entrance of Issenheim.

Still on the same day, Les Dernières Nouvelles du Haut-Rhin again published a similar narrative, stating that the witness was half paralyzed by fear and had a throbbing voice when he came to work at the Schlumberger factory in Guebwiller. The reason he did not approach, in his words, was "because we cannot know what lies behind." He spoke of a bell shape but stated that he was not entirely sure because he had "seen the craft aside."

It is reported in this newspaper that it was according to Mr. Flesch himself that five other persons on their way to work would have seen the thing an hour and a half later in the same place, and witnessed its take-off at high speed.

It was also Mr. Flesch who, wishing to check whether the machine had left any trace, had returned to the scene without finding anything particular.

The newspaper L'Alsace published about the case the next day, adding that the witness was going to work. The object is said to have been a sphere, and hovering at one meter above the ground.

The young man was apparently terrified, he had pedaled at full speed and joined his workplace at Guebwiller where he had told his adventure to his comrades.

L'Alsace mentioned without specifying the source or the hours that five Bergholtz residents who were going to their work "reportedly also saw the sphere, when it was rising in the air."

In subsequent ufological sources, Mr. Flesch becomes Mr. Fiesch or Fish, the date sometimes changes to October 20, the bike sometimes becomes a moped, the landed metallic craft that took off becomes a "luminous" and "landing" "object". The case is often located on the national road 83 between Rouffach and Guebwiller.

In his 2012 book about UFOs in Alsace, former journalist Christian Valentin reproduces the sources of the regional Press, notes as much as I do the errors in ufological versions, and explains that to his great regret he failed to find any trace of the witness by his phone investigation at the end of 2008 among the phone subscribers of Rouffach and its surroundings.

Data:

Temporal data:

Geographical data:

Witnesses data:

Ufology data:

Classifications:

Sources:

[Ref. dna1:] NEWSPAPER "DERNIERES NOUVELLES D'ALSACE":

[Ref. dna2:] NEWSPAPER "DERNIERES NOUVELLES D'ALSACE":

[Ref. dnh1:] NEWSPAPER "DERNIERES NOUVELLES DU HAUT-RHIN":

[Ref. las1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

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

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

[Ref. cmn1:] NEWSPAPER "CENTRE MATIN":

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

[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:

[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:

[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:

[Ref. gla1:] CHARLES GARREAU ET RAYMOND LAVIER:

Ufologist Charles Garreau and journalist Raymond Lavier report in their book that on October 20, 1954, in Issenheim in Haut-Rhin, according to personal file and newspaper clips, Mr. Lucien Fisch experienced the following encounter:

He was going to his workplace on motorcycle and was on the National Road RN 83 between Issenheim and Rouffach, it was still night.

There he saw a luminous apparatus arriving at high speed; which landed in a field. He was frightened and rather than to wait to see what may happen next, he went away full throttle.

[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates that on October 20, 1954, Mr. Lucien Fisch saw a luminous object land in Issenheim, near Guebwiller in the Haut-Rhin.

[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

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

The two authors indicate that in Issenheim in the department of Haut-Rhin, on October 18, 1954 at 04:30 of the morning, a young man, Lucien Fisch, was riding his motorcycle on the National Road 83, between Rouffach and Guebwiller, when at the northern entry of Issenheim, he saw within 100 meters of the road in a field an object from 5 to 6 meters length and high of one meter.

The machine had the color of aluminum and shone in the moonlight.

One hour later, at approximately 05:30 a.m., five inhabitants of Bergholtz going to their work are said to have seen the departure of the machine at a tremendous speed.

The authors say that the date is not the 20th as in the Vallée catalogue but the 18th as it was a Monday.

They indicate that the sources are case 290 of the Vallée catalogue; C. Garreau and R. Lavier in "Face aux E.T" page 28; Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace for October 20, 1954; Quincy; Paris-Presse for October 22, 1954.

[Ref. mft3:] MICHEL FIGUET:

The source "2" is indicated as "(2) OVNI: le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochées en France par Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon at Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979. Book now incomplete."

[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:

This ufologist noted:

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

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on October 18, in France, in Issenheim, "Lucien Fisch saw an object which lands close to the R. N. 83. It was luminous."

The sources are indicated as "Quincy", "Paris-Presse, 22 oct 1954" et "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 286".

She notes that another version says: "the young witness drives by motorcycle on the N 83 between Rouffach and Guebwiller at 4 o'clock in the morning. In a field within 100m of the road he sees a posed object having the color of aluminium and shining in the moonlight. One hour later, towards 5:30 5 inhabitants of Bergholtz going to their work are said to have seen the departure of the machine at a vertiginous speed. The facts occurred a Monday, therefore the 18th and not 20th as indicated by error by J. Vallée."

The source for this is indicated as "FIGUET/ J.L. RUCHON: 'Ovni, premier dossier complet...' - Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979, p. 184".

[Ref. uwb2:] "UFOWEB" WEBSITE:

[Ref. cvn1:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:

Journalist Christian Valentin reports that on Monday, October 18, 1954, at 4 o'clock in the morning, a young man from Rouffach going to his work had seen a spherical object to the metal reflections, close to Issenheim, that had a diameter from 5 to 6 m, and hovered 1 m above ground-level.

Seized with panic, the young man pedaled away at full speed to his workplace where he told of his strange adventure.

The same object was seen half an hour afterwards by 5 inhabitants of Berghotz, as it flew away at a vertiginous speed.

[Ref. bph1:] "BUHL - PAGE D'HISTOIRE":

[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:

Jérôme Beau indicates as sources: "Quincy" and "Paris-Presse, 22 octobre 1954".

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates that in the Haut Rhin in Issenheim on October 18, 1954 at 04:30 hours "a young witness rides by moped on the N83, between Rouffach and Guebwiller. At the northern entry of Issenheim, he sees in a field within 100 meters of the road, an object from 5 to 6 meters in length and one meter high, posed, having the color of aluminium and shining in the moonlight."

"One hour later, towards 5:30, five inhabitants of Berghoitz [Bergholtz] going to their work were said to have seen the departure of the machine at a vertiginous speed."

The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** éd. Alain Lefeuvre 1979".

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 18 October 1954 at 04:00 in the north of Issenheim, France, "UFO lands near N83 Highway. At 0530 hours 5 witnesses see it take off at very high speed."

The website adds: "An object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft. One multi-colored object was observed by five witnesses on a highway for 90 minutes."

The source is indicated as "Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002".

[Ref. rre1:] RAOUL ROBE:

In the article on an Alsatian alleged sighting, that of Merxheim, the author shows a series of other "known UFO sightings around" that location, including:

ISSENHEIM - 10/20/54 at 3,200 km S-W-W [from Merxheim] quasi-landing

[Ref. isu1:] "ISUNDGAU" BLOG:

That blog presents several cases in Alsace they fished on the web, including this one:

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 the sighting on Monday, October 18, 1954, at 4:00 a.m. in Issenheim in the Haut-Rhin, was first published on October 20, 1954, in two different newspapers: Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace (DNA) of Colmar on page 2 of the biligual issue, who covered the Bas-Rhin, and its counterpart Les Dernières Nouvelles du Haut-Rhin (DNHR).

He indicates DNHR published this article:

He then provides the article in Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace for Wednesday, 20 October 1954, French-speaking issue of Strasbourg, on page 2:

And then the article in Les Dernières Nouvelles du Haut-Rhin for Wednesday, 20 October 7954, bilingual edition of Colmar:

He comments that DNA released the information in two distinct versions according to the issues, the bodies of articles providing in a different writing a consistent description of the phenomenon. He however notes the fundamentally different titles and the omission of witnesses of the takeoff in the Colmar issue.

He indicates the DNHR article published the same day is factual and identical to that of DNA, although more detailed, including some psychological details. He notes that it is suggested that the additional testimony of five residents of Bergholtz was reported second-hand.

In its October 21 issue, the newspaper L'Alsace (below, French-speaking issue of Thursday, October 21, 1954, on page 5) seems a priori to rather settle for a brief transcript of the information of the previous day by the other newspapers, but this impression is offset by two original features: first the 1 m height measure no longer refers to the size of the object, but the object height above the ground, and then we learn that the young man had been cycling.

Valentin says that the next Friday, October 22, the information was condensed and used in other French newspapers, with a transcription error in the name of the witness as "Flesch" changed to Fiesh. Valentin says this is an example "from the website of Patrick Gross" - my website - as an excerpt from the newspaper Centre Matin for October 22, 1954:

Valentin then says that later, in the 1970s, the sighting was published in various ufology books such as on page 309 of the "Chroniques des Apparitions Extraterrestres" by Jacques Vallée, published by EP / Denoel, 1972:

He notes that the facts lost their original meaning, and it illustrates the reductions of the observations as time goes by. The information loses its representativeness with the errors and results in this example to a description opposite to what happened.

He notes that in this case the ground observation of a non-luminous object shining in the moonlights is changed to the landing of a luminous object.

The name of the witness and the date assigned to the observation by J. Vallée are inaccurate. It is likely that Vallée or its source (an unpublished catalog by Mr. Guy Quincy), gave the date of publication.

Valentin then gives this other example: a few years later, in 1975, in Mame publisher's "Face aux Extraterrestres" by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, the sighting is on page 28:

Again, Valentin notes, we end up with the phenomenon in an inverted sequence, and incorrect date and with voluntary blurry references and emphasis clearly focused on the dramatization rather than facts.

Valentin then concludes "this tedious enumeration" by citing a last example from the voluminous book by Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon published in 1979 by Editions Alain Lefeuvre with the title "OVNI: le premier dossier des rencontres rapprochées en France." The Issenheim observation is therein summarized in a synthesis of different sources. However, the authors did put the event at its correcte date, but did not do the same for the name of witness. References are provided, although in chronological disorder.

Valentin then explain that to his great regret, a telephone investigation he conducted in the end of 2008 among phone subscribers of Rouffach and its surroundings failed to find any of the witnesses.

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

[Ref. spa4:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":

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

This database recorded the case five times:

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

Discussion:

The witness, riding from Rouffach to Guebwiller, a journey of about 10 km by road, was on National Road 83, or its part entering Issenheim from the North while the current "D83" bypasses the village by the East:

For this time, we can eliminate the moon, since the witness sees its reflections on the object. But was the Moon at least there, visible? Otherwise, we would have a proof of false testimony.

Yes, the moon was at 129°, the south-east, thus on the left of the witness, and at an elevation of 55°, from which it could actually reflect on the object.

The location is described with almost good accuracy. The witness comes from Rouffach and is on the road entering Issenheim in the north, before the "crossing" which is now a roundabout. In 1954, the national road 83 actually entered Issenheim, which was later bypassed by the east by a new route of the RN 83.

My guess is that the witness was probably at the red dot, maybe further back or forward on the road. The posed "saucer" would have been about 100 meters on his left if it is considered that he had at the same time seen the moon, since he indicated it reflected on the "craft", and this presumably presupposes that the moon was about the same visual direction, and it was indeed on his left. I would put the "saucer" in the blue dot.

As a result, the saucer could have been on the "route de Merxheim". And it is then possible that the bell-shaped craft of metallic appearance was a car stopped there. The witness, I recall, neither sees the "saucer" land nor take off nor move. A car may have a metallic appearance, may well reflect the moon, and seen from the side as the witness specifies, it can be compatible with the bell-shape he evokes. There is actually a place on the route de Merxheim at this level where it would be logical to park, a crossing with a path leading to the road where the witness would have been.

The dimensions he gave, from 5 to 6 meters long by 1 meter in height, cannot be totally reliable because stereoscopic vision allowing an estimation of an object in these orders of magnitude is reliable only withinn 50 meters, it is no longer reliable at 100 meters, especially at night and for an unrecognized object.

This could have been a Renault Frégate for example, which existed with metallic-looking paint on upper parts, and less visible black paint on the lower parts of the sides (photo above).

Of course, if the witness said the truth when he told there were other witnesses who would have seen the thing take off 1:30 later, that it was the same thing, such an explanation would not hold. But no one has indicated any attempt to verify the existence of these other witnesses, except Christian Valentin who failed to find even one of them.

So I do not have a bulletproof ordinary explanation, but I have a possibility that seems to me neither absurd nor negligible.

Evaluation:

Unidentified, possible car.

Sources references:

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

• [dna1] * Article in the regional newspaper Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, German-speaking issue, Sélestat, France, page 2, October 20, 1954.
• [dna2] * Article in the regional newspaper Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, French-seapking issue, Strasbourg, France, page 2, October 20, 1954.
• [dnh1] * Article in the regional newspaper Dernières Nouvelles du Haut-Rhin, German-speaking issue, Colmar, France, October 20, 1954.
• [las1] * Article in the regional newspaper L'Alsace, Mulhouse, France, French-speaking issue, page 5, October 21, 1954.
• [ppe1] * Article in the national newspaper Paris-Presse, Paris, France, page 7, October 22, 1954.
• [nll1] * Article in the regional newspaper Nord Littoral, Calais, France, page 8, October 22, 1954.
• [cmn1] * Article in the regional newspaper Centre-Matin, Montluçon, France, October 22, 1954.
• [nmm1] * Article in the regional newspaper Le Nouveau Nord Maritime, France, page 10, October 22, 1954.
• [gqy1] * "Observations 1954", monograph by Guy Quincy, France - Algeria, private publication, page 20, the 1950's.
• [gqy2] * "Atterrissages au XXe siècle", monograph by Guy Quincy, France - Algeria, private publication, unnumbered pages, the 1950's.
• [jve5] * "Catalogue préliminaire de 500 observations", listing in "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace", book by Jacques and Janine Vallée, Table Ronde publishers, France, 1966.
• [jve1] * "Un Siècle d'Atterrissages", article by Jacques Vallée, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit (LDLN), France, #103, page 7, December 1969.
• [jve2] * 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.
• [jve1] * "Passport to Magonia - On Ufos, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds", book by Jacques Vallée, Contemporary Books publishers, USA, 1969.
• [jve3] * "Chronique des Apparitions Extra-Terrestres", French translation of "Passport to Magonia", book by Jacques Vallée, J'Ai Lu publisher, France, page 286, 1972.
• [gla1] * "Face aux Extra-Terrestres", book by Charles Garreau and Raymond Lavier, Delarge publisher, France, page 28, 1975.
• [jve2] * Summary by Jacques Vallée in "En Quête des Humanoïdes", book by Charles Bowen, French translation of "The Humanoids", J'ai Lu publisher, France, page 59, 1974.
• [prn1] * "INTCAT Part 9 - An international catalogue of type 1 reports", compiled by Peter Rogerson, in the ufology magazine MUFOB, U-K., New Series #4, page 9, Autumn 1976.
• [jve5] * "Catalogue préliminaire de 500 observations", listing in "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace", book by Jacques and Janine Vallée, Robert Laffont publisher, France, page 253, 1978.
• [fru1] * "OVNI, Premier Dossier Complet des Rencontres Rapprochées en France", book by Michel Figuet and Jean Louis Ruchon, Alain Lefeuvre publisher, France, page 184, 1979.
• [mft3] * "ATTERRISSAGES D'UFO sur le continent français du 26 septembre 1954 au 18 octobre 1954", list by Michel Figuet dans le magazine d'ufologie Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, N° 249-250, page 28, March / April 1985.
• [mft1] * "Catalogue Francat des rencontres rapprochées en France (Listing 800 1982) (2 - Suite)", list compiled by Michel Figuet, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #257-258, page 20, November / December 1985.
• [lhh1] * "*U* Computer Database", database by Larry Hatch, USA, circa 2002.
• [goe1] * "Chronologie OVNI", compiled by Godelieve Van Overmeire, Belgium, circa 2000, at users.skynet.be/sky84985/afin54.htm
• [uwb2] * "68", listing by the UFOweb ufology website, France, circa 2003, at http://ufoweb.free.fr/68.htm
• [cvn1] * "1954, l'Année des OVNIS - en Alsace et dans le Monde", dossier by Christian Valentin, in the quarterly magazine "Saisons d'Alsace", #23, page 92, summer 2004.
• [bph1] * "C'était en 1954 - Cela fait déjà 50 ans", article on the web page "Buhl - Page d'Histoire", at perso.wanadoo.fr/mjc.buhl/Elfaluter/1954.htm.
• [djn1] * "Encounters With Aliens On This Day", web page compiled by Donald Johnson, USA, circa 2005, at www.ufocat.com.
• [jbu1] * "Mercredi 20 octobre 1954", web page by Jérôme Beau, RR0 website, France, circa 2006, at www.rr0.org/data/1/9/5/4/10/20/index.html
• [lcn1] * Base OVNI France, website by Luc Chastan, France, circa 2005, at baseovnifrance.free.fr/detobs.php?numobs=1124
• [uda1] * "18 Oct 1954 - Issenheim, France", web page at the UFOdna website, circa 2007, at www.ufodna.com/uf16/uf2/162583.htm
• [rre1] * "Une Rencontre du IIIe Type... Type Soupe aux Choux Allemande", electronic article by Raoul Robé, CNEGU ufology group, found in 2014, at http://cnegu.info/manuals/UNE%20RENCONTRE%20DU%20IIIE%20TYPE%20Merxheim.pdf?osCsid=ee817df634b558cb272432e5a3b3ed17
• [isu1] * "OVNI en Alsace", article on the iSundgau blog, France, January 31, 2011, at http://isundgau.over-blog.com/article-ovni-en-alsace-2-65957531.html
• [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 44-46, 2012.
• [nip1] * List on The NICAP Website, USA, found in 2014, at http://www.nicap.org/reports/1954_ufocat.htm
• [spa4] * "DEPARTEMENT 68 - HAUT-RHIN", listing of UFO sighting reports by the Alsatian ufology group 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

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