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FEBRUARY 17, 1949, FRANCE, ALAIN BERARD:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

An author of sensationalistic UFO books reported in 1958 without indication of his sources than one French peasant Alain Berard, in France at an unknown place, on February 17, 1949 at night, saw a "large object" landing not far from his farm "with a flash of green fire illuminating the whole sky".

Berard, who was at his bedroom window, did not wake his wife but took his rifle and descended into the courtyard, moved toward the "thing" fallen in the middle of his property. He is said to have claimed "later" that when the object passed over the few trees in the bottom of the courtyard he saw a large, dark mass from which three figures moved toward him.

It is said he claimed that he got very amazed because those beings, though moving upon short and stocky legs, had no head. While he tried to keep his cool, he pointed his rifle and shot three times at them, and the "horrible figures" remained still for a moment, then disappeared, "mingling into the darkness of that giant black object", which a moment later took off, disappearing with another blinding green flame.

The story was picked up by ufologist Jacques Vallée and nothing more is known about it.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. ko1:] PETER KOLOSIMO:

The first source for that alleged sighting was an article by Peter Kolosimo published in "Oltre il Cielo" issue No. 16, 16-31 March 1958, pp. 355-356, whose full text is:

"There is, for example, the story of French peasant Alain Berard, who was completely unaware of flying saucers or cigars and who saw, on the night of 17 February 1949, a "large object" landing not far from his farm "with a flash of green fire illuminating the whole sky". Berard, who was at his bedroom window, did not wake his wife but took his rifle and descended into the courtyard and moved toward the "thing" fallen in the middle of his property."

"When I [it] passed over the few trees in the bottom of the courtyard - he later claimed - I saw a large, dark mass from which three figures moved toward me. I got very amazed because those beings, though moving upon short and stocky legs, HAD NO HEAD. While I tried to keep my blood cold, I pointed my rifle and shot three shots. The horrible figures remained still for a moment, then disappeared, mingling into the darkness of that giant black object, which a moment later took off, disappearing with another blinding green flame".

"These were the literal claims by Alain Berard. As fantastic as they sound, it is not to be forgotten that several similar events have been recorded, especially in the last years, and reported by the press with a lot of details."

[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

French ufologist Jacques Vallée indicates in his catalog of UFO landings that on February 17, 1949, at night, in France, in an unknown location, Alain Berard saw a large, bright object land near his farm with a green lightning flash. It became dark. As he approached the craft, the witness saw three figures with stocky short legs, apparently without heads. Frightened, he fired at them three times. A moment later the object took off vertically.

In the earliest version of his catalog, Vallée indicates as source "Oltre il Cielo, Vol. I".

In a later French version of Vallée's catalogue, the source is indicated as "Oltre it Cielo, Missili e Razzi, vol I, p. 445."

[Ref. jb1:] JEROME BEAU:

In his chronology for 1949, Jerome Beau includes the summary of Jacques Vallée and indicates as source "Oltre it Cielo, Missili E Razzi, Vol I, p. 445."

[Ref. jr1:] JEAN-PAUL RONECKER:

This author indicates that somewhere in an unknown place in France, on February 17, 1949, in the night, farmer Alain Bérard observed a large luminous object, very shining and green, posed in a field not far from his farm. The object then became suddenly dark. Bérard was intrigued, approached and then saw three entities with short and stocky legs, curiously " twisted ", and apparently without heads. Frightened he went to get his rifle and shot three times at the beings, who returned in their craft which soon took off vertically and disappeared in the night. The author indicates as sources "Oltre it Cielo, Missili E Razza, 1-445," and "Chroniques des apparitions extra-terrestres" by Jacques Vallée and "Des ombres sur les étoiles" by Peter Kolosimo.

Points to consider:

In the later French version of Vallée's catalogue, the source is indicated as "Oltre it Cielo, Missili e Razzi, vol I, p. 445." This is an Italian magazine that proposed a patchwork of science fiction and rather technical articles on aerospace and apparently articles on UFOs.

Jacques Vallée lists another case with this same source, it seemed probable to me, thus, that the magazine is not the primary source and had published a general article with some UFO reports.

However a ufologist in the search of early post-Arnoldian cases noted on this matter that the Italian ufologists could not find an issue of this magazine in which this story appeared, and added that the magazine had begun its publication in 1967.

But an Italian website on the topic of science fiction magazines (www.sfquadrant.com/Edizioni%20SF/edital.htm "the principali collane E rivist di fantascienza italiane in processes cronologico: 1952 - 1959") indicate that the magazine started in September 1957 not 1967, that there were 155 issue sat variable intervals: 5 times per annum until number 136, monthly magazine and bi-monthly from 137 to 154 (February 1970) and a final number 155 published in September 1975. Another source (www.delos.fantascienza.com/delos59/numeri-1.html) also states that the magazine begun in September 1957. When I asked, the Italian ufologist confirmed that is started in 1957, that it was published twice a month in the beginning, and that although it was not a line by line search, the Berard story was not found. He also informed that there was a French edition of that magazine.

Then, diligent and erudite ufologists made a search for original sources of this case, and what follows was found.

The reference indicated by Vallée was not correct. Issue No. 1 of "Oltro il Cielo" was dated "16 Sept. - 30 Sept. 1957". The first volume comprised the first 20 issues (up to "1 to 15 July 1958"), each of them having 28 pages, and keeping page numbering going on, so that that July 1958 issue No. 20 closed the Vol. 1 with page 560. The page 445 alleged by Vallée was in issue No. 16 (1-15 May 1958), and there was the regular UFO column by Rome ufologist Marcello Galassia (pseudonym of a famous musician), but there was no mention of the Alain Berard story. It was in an earlier issue.

The first source for that alleged sighting was the article by Peter Kolosimo published in "Oltre il Cielo" issue No. 16, 16-31 March 1958, pp. 355-356, which is now in this file.

Peter Kolosimo indicated absolutely no source, he was used to that, and my erudite ufologist correspondant reminds that for that reason he was once called "dictator of the unverifiable".

Kolosimo republished the same story in his 1966 book "I prigionieri delle stelle" (Prisoners of the stars) on mysterious disappearances). Kolosmo also makes a summary of the case shorter than Vallée in his book "Ombre sulle stelle" (Shadow on the stars) at page 366 of the 1970 edition and page 358 of its 1966 edition.

Another erudite ufologist then indicated that the article was also published in the French translation of "Oltre il Cielo", "Au-delà du Ciel", vol. 1, #4, 1 - 15 May 1958, pp. 93-94 and 96 with the title: "Les prisonniers des étoiles" (Prisoners of the stars). The French version he provided is identical to the Italian version.

I later found that author Jean-Paul Ronecker also indicated Peter Kolosimo in his sources for the case.

It is very possible that the entire story was purely and simply invented. It was carelessly included by Vallée in his catalogue without any further checking and with incomplete and wrong references.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

It is very possible that the entire story was purely and simply invented.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [ko1] * Article by Peter Kolosimo in Oltre il Cielo, science fiction and aerospace magazine, Italy, issue No. 16, 16-31, pp 355-356, March 1958.
• [ko1] * "Les prisonniers des étoiles", article by Peter Kolosimo in Au delà du Ciel, science fiction and aerospace magazine, French version of Oltre il Cielo, France, vol. 1, #4, 1, pp 93-94,96, May 15, 1958.
• [jv1] * "Un Siècle d'Atterrissages", aka "Magonia database", case 69, compiled by Jacques Vallée in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit - contact lecteurs, #100 bis, page 3, July 1969.
• [jb1] * "1949", web page by Jérôme Beau, circa 2000, at www.rr0.org/1949.html.
• [jr1] * "B.A.-BA des Extraterrestres - Volume 2", book by Jean-Paul Ronecker, Pardès publisher, France, page 39, 2001.

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This page was last updated on February 11, 2008