The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 16-Oct-54-Moret.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The Press of October 22 and 23, 1954, mentioned that a "craft" was seen in the sky of the Melun region on October 21, 1954, in the evening. It was said that one of the observation places was Moret.
[Ref. jps1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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Melun, 22. -- Many witnesses, residents of the communes of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery, said they saw a strange phenomenon after dark: an oval-shaped object, yellow orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at 300 or 400 meters of altitude. Clarification: the 20 meters would be the real measure of the object and not its size as it appeared to them.
The craft remained motionless for a while and disappeared at breakneck speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L..., a weather specialist, who lives in Thomery, believes that the speed of machine was of the order of 10,000 km.p.h, quite simply. Mr. L... clarified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this question well, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon."
In Melun itself, several young girls coming out of an evening class claim to have seen an almost similar craft in the sky; which, after having stopped for ten minutes, would have risen very quickly in the sky.
However, a luminous ball resembling a car headlight would have appeared, six times, to two industrialists from Melun who were traveling on the road national Melun-Rubelles. The appearance of this luminous hearth would have caused each time a very large flash illuminating the region.
Finally, several horsemen from a horse center in La Rochelle claim to have seen a character flee from their park. "He was strange", they said, "he could only be a Martian".
La Rochelle. -- A motorist from Cherbonnières was driving on the road to Souzou with his three-year-old son when he felt all over his body tingling sensations similar to electric shocks which increased as his car moved forward. The child, who felt the same discomfort, began to cry. Soon the car engine stopped and the headlights went out.
At the same time, a bright glow was seen, going from bright red to orange. Blinded, the motorist could however distinguish a craft stationary in space, for a few moments and then it would disappear soon. Immediately afterwards, the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
Rome, 22. -- Many discs, saucers and flying cigars were seen in the sky of Italy. Several people saw these craft move over Milan. While inhabitants of Perugia, Bologna, and other localities in the north of the Peninsula were also eyewitnesses to these incursions of flying discs or cigars.
The most precise testimony was collected in Naples, where two workers who were in the suburbs of the city clearly distinguished an apparatus, of circular shape, moving in the sky at an altitude of 800 meters approximately following a North-East direction. The phenomenon lasted three minutes and the two workers were able to specify that the metal carcass of the disc was painted red and that white smoke escaped from it.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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A motorist from Cherbonnière (Charente-Maritime) was driving with his 3-year-old son, when he felt all over the body tingling similar to electric shocks that got worse as his car moved forward.
The child who felt the same stings began to cry. Soon the engine of the car stopped and the headlights went out.
At the same time, a bright glow passing from bright red to orange blinded the motorist who was however able to make out a motionless craft in space for a few moments, then it soon disappeared. Immediately afterwards the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
On the national road 393, near Turquestein (Moselle), the engine of a truck was again suddenly stopped by a bright apparition. The driver, Mr. Schonbrenner, his hands riveted to the wheel as if he were paralyzed, saw a sort of phosphorescent-based cone, the tip of which was yellow-orange. Mr. Schonbrenner said he had felt a sensation of warmth, as already other people had in similar circumstances.
Many witnesses, inhabitants of the municipalities of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thoméry, stated they had seen, at nightfall, a strange phenomenon: an oval-shaped craft, yellow-orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at an altitude of 300 or 400 meters.
The craft stood still for a while and vanished at breakneck speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L., weather specialist, who lives in Thoméry, estimates that the speed of the craft was of the order of 10,000 kilometers per hour, quite simply.
Mr. L. clarified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I am familiar with this issue, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon."
Several workers at a factory in Pozzuoli, near Naples, said a Pekinese dog died of fright upon seeing a "flying saucer."
The workers and the dog saw a motionless silver object in the sky. Suddenly the object rose vertically, with a shrill hissing sound. The Pekinese dog barked and fell dead to the ground.
[Ref. lnr1:] "LA NOUVELLE REPUBLIQUE" NEWSPAPER:
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Melun. -- Hundreds of witnesses, living the communes of the areas of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret and Thoméry say they saw, Thursday evening, a strange phenomenon: a machine of oval shape, orange yellow color, measuring more than twenty meters, at 300 meters of altitude.
The machine remained motionless during a certain time and disappeared at a vertiginous speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L..., a weather specialist, who lives in Thoméry, estimates that the speed of the machine was about 10.000 kilometers per hour, quite simply. Mr. L... specified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this matter well, that this was neither a plane nor a weather balloon."
A motorist of Cherbonnières (Charente-Maritime), drove on the road of Souzou in company of his three year old son, when he felt on all the body ticklings similar to electric discharges which were accentuated as his car advanced.
The child, who felt the same annoying sensation, started to cry. Soon the engine of the car stopped and the headlights died out. At the same time, a sharp gleam passing from a sharp red to the orange color dazzled the motorist who could nevertheless distinguish a craft, motionless in space during a few moments. Then, the latter soon disappeared. At once afterwards, the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
Same phenomenon in Critreuil-la-Magdeleine (Charente), where Tuesday around 8 p.m., Mr. Sion had the headlights of his car extinct and his battery emptied by a red ball of two meters in diameter, which rose from road causing a violent displacement of air volume.
In Italy, saucers and cigars are reported everywhere, while in Sweden, a "disc in rotation" was seen in various points of the area. It was said to be a meteor.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Few flying saucers have appeared in France in the past 24 hours, and those that have appeared, according to people who have seen them, were moving without much fantasy. One of them, near Luzy, even contented itself, affirm a pensioner of the Nevers railways, his wife and his son, to take the form of a metal airship flying at a very low altitude, but, it is true, at a "dizzying" speed...
Near Ham (Somme), the passage of a mysterious craft was marked by a curious phenomenon. Two inhabitants of the region were traveling side by side, one on a motorbike, the other on a moped, when they saw an orange mass moving in the sky. When this mass was above them, the two engines suddenly failed and did not resume until the mass had moved away.
On national road 393, near Turquestein, the engine of a truck was suddenly stopped again by a "luminous apparition." The driver, Mr. Schonbrenner, hands riveted at the wheel as if he was paralyzed, saw a kind of cone with a phosphorescent base, the tip of which was yellow-orange, which moved in the sky while lighting the ground.
Mr. Schonbrenner said he felt a warm feeling, as did other people in similar circumstances.
- Also in Lorient, a retired navy worker, Mr. Jean Roignant, saw a circular white craft which emitted white and purple gleams. It is a disc, orange in color this time, that was seen by Mr. Leonard Roumy, deputy mayor of Raveau. In Chevenon, near Imphy, Guy Chevrier only saw a kind of rocket.
Melun, 22. - Many witnesses, inhabitants of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery, said they saw a strange phenomenon after dark: an oval-shaped object, yellow orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at 300 or 400 meters of altitude. Note: the 20 meters would be the real measure of the object and not its size as it appeared to them.
The craft remained motionless for a while and disappeared at breakneck speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L..., weather specialist, who lives in Thomery, believes that the speed of craft was in the order of 10,000 kilometers an hour, quite simply. M. L... clarified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this question well, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon."
For their part, several riders from a horse center in La Rochelle claim to have seen a character flee from their park. "He was strange, they say. It could only be a Martian."
[Ref. ler1:] NEWSPAPER "L'EST REPUBLICAIN":
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Paris. -- The gentle sky of Ile-de-France has been criss-crossed over the past twenty-four hours by many mysterious craft.
All of them did not appear until dark, but the witnesses brought a lot of details and they are now on the long list of "those who have seen it". In Bray-sur-Seine like in Lagny, in Moret like in Thomery, many inhabitants have seen at nightfall, an oval-shaped craft, of orange-yellow color, measuring more than 20 meters at 300 or 400 meters of altitude. Precision: the 20 meters would be the real measure of the object and not its dimension as it appeared to them.
The craft remained stationary for some time and disappeared at a dizzying speed. It could only be a Martian!
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L..., a weather expert, estimated that the craft was traveling at ten thousand Kms-hour approximately. So he must have, at the same time, a good view and a precise idea of the speed. Mr. L... specified: "I am absolutely certain of what I am saying, because I know the question well." But no one doubts it.
In Melun itself, several young girls, coming out of an evening class, claim to have seen in the sky, a similar craft which, after stopping for about ten minutes, would have gone up very rapidly in the sky.
Meanwhile, a luminous ball resembling a car headlight appeared six times to two industrialists of Melun who were traveling on the national road Melun-Rubelles. The appearance of this luminous spot caused every time a very wide flash illuminating the area.
Finally, several riders from a horse racing center in La Rochelle say they saw a character escape from their park. "He was strange," they said. "It could only be a Martian." These are witnesses who are not devoid of a certain sense of humor.
Much more disturbing, if not funny, is the testimony of a motorist of Cherbonnières (Charente-Maritime). He was driving along the road to Souzou with his son, aged three, when he felt tingling like electric shocks all over his body which increased as his car moved on. The child who felt the same discomforts, began to weep. Soon the engine stopped and the headlights went out. At the same moment a bright glow "changed" from a bright red color to an orange color.
Blinded, the motorist was able, however, to distinguish a stationary machine in space for a few moments, then the latter disappeared soon. Immediately after that, the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
Numerous discs, saucers and flying cigars have, moreover, been seen in the Italian sky, above Milan as well as Perugia or Bologna.
The most precise testimony was taken in Naples, where two workers who were in the suburb of the city, clearly distinguished a craft, circular in shape, moving in the sky at about eight hundred meters, in a northeasterly direction. The phenomenon lasted three minutes and both workers were able to specify that the metal carcass of the disc was painted red and that a white smoke came out of it.
Finally, a luminous object having, according to certain witnesses, of the appearance of a rotating disc, and according to Others that of a violently lit aircraft, was seen over several cities in the center-west of Sweden. The object was surrounded by sparks. It is assumed to be an aerolite of exceptional brightness.
[Ref. ppe1:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-PRESSE":
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VERY numerous witnesses, residents of the communes of the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery declared to have seen, at nightfall, a strange phenomenon: an oval shaped object, of orange yellow color, measuring more than twenty meters, at 300 or 400 meters of altitude.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L ..., weather specialist, who lives in Thomery, estimates that its speed was of bout 10,000 kilometers per hour.
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this question well, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon," he said.
In Melun itself, several young girls coming out of an evening class, claim to have seen in the sky an almost similar machine which, after having stopped for ten minutes, would have risen very quickly in the sky.
Also, a luminous ball resembling a car headlight would have appeared, six times, to two industrialists from Melun who were traveling on the Melun-Rubelles national road. The appearance of this luminous source would have caused each time a very large flash illuminating the region.
Other "flying saucers" were seen yesterday. One near Luzy, the second on the RN 393, near Turquestein; the last ones finally near Ham, in Lorient and in Chevenon.
Near Altkirch, a motorist thought he had seen one too, but it was only the moon.
[Ref. nll1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD LITTORAL":
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Melun, October 22.
Numerous witnesses, residents of municipalities in the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery declared to have seen, at nightfall, a strange phenomenon: an oval shaped object, yellow orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at 300 or 400 meters of height. Clarification: the 20 meters would be the real measure of the object and not its size as it appeared to them.
The craft remained motionless for a while and disappeared at breakneck speed.
One of the witnesses, Mr. André L ..., weather specialist, who lives in Thomery, estimates that the speed of the craft was of the order of 10,000 km per h., quite simply. Mr. L ... clarified:
"I am absolutely certain, because I know this question well, that it is neither an airplane nor a weather balloon."
In Melun itself, several young girls coming out of an evening class claim to have seen an almost similar craft in the sky, which, after having stopped for ten minutes, would have risen very quickly in the sky.
However, a luminous ball resembling a car headlight would have appeared, six times, to two industrialists from Melun who were traveling on the national road Melun-Rubelles. The appearance of this luminous focus would have caused each time a very large flash illuminating the region.
Finally, several riders from an equestrian center in La Rochelle claim to have seen a character flee from their park.
"He was strange, they said. He could only be a Martian."
La Rochelle, October 22.
A motorist from Cherbonnière was driving on the road to Pouzou with his five-year-old son when he felt all over his body tingling sensations like electric shocks which increased as his car moved forward. The child, who felt the same discomfort, began to cry. Soon the car engine stopped and the headlights went out. At the same time, a bright glow was seen, changing from bright red to orange. Blinded, the motorist could however distinguish a craft hovering in space for a few moments and then it soon disappeared. Immediately afterwards, the driver was able to restart the engine of his car.
Rome, October 22.
Many discs, saucers, and flying cigars were seen yesterday in the sky of Italy. Several people have seen these craft move over Milan. While residents of Perugia, Bologna, and other localities in the north of the peninsula were also eyewitnesses to these incursions of flying discs or cigars.
The most precise testimony was collected in Naples, where two workers who were in the suburbs of the city clearly distinguished a circular craft, moving in the sky at about eight hundred meters of altitude, following a direction to the northeast. The phenomenon lasted three minutes and the two workers were able to specify that the metal casing of the discs was painted red and that white smoke escaped from it.
Oslo, October 22.
Around Kongsvinger, a city about eighty kilometers northeast of Oslo, several people said they saw several luminous objects flying in the sky last night at an extraordinary speed, from the west to the southeast, to disappear on the horizon after a few seconds.
Some witnesses claim that these balls of fire exploded in their course.
According to most observations, it is a giant fireball that ignites on contact with the atmosphere.
[Ref. las1:] NEWSPAPER "LIBRE ARTOIS":
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Numerous witnesses, residents of municipalities in the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery, declared to have seen, at nightfall, a strange phenomenon: an oval shaped object, yellow orange in color, measuring more than 20 meters, at 300 and 400 meters of altitude.
The craft remained motionless for a while and disappeared at breakneck speed.
Other strange apparitions were reported throughout France and especially on the coasts of our region.
The day before yesterday evening, around 7:30 p.m., various people noted the presence above Boulogne and the surrounding area, of a mysterious craft.
The object in question was heading in a fixed direction, that is to say coming from the sea heading for Desvres. It looked like fireworks according to all witnesses.
This craft was seen around the same time on Boulogne, Outreau and Desvres.
Around 8 p.m., Mrs. Decobert-Delhaye, residing Vieilles-Rue in Audruicq, was in her kitchen when she heard an unusual noise resembling a pendulum ticking. Immediately she went out into the courtyard and was amazed to see in the sky, towards Nortkerque, at a very low height, a ball of fire in multiple colors.
Frightened, she went home and, through the window, noticed that the ball remained motionless. A few moments later, she clearly saw the ball heading towards Calais.
Other people also noticed this phenomenon happening at the same time.
In the sky of Le Touquet, at 6:15 p.m., a craft of round shape and very shiny appeared. Its color was yellow-red, it looked like a plate. This object was followed by a trail, also very bright, whose length was about 2.5 times its diameter.
Coming from the sea, it was moving at a dizzying speed towards the east and it disappeared very quickly in front of the observers.
[Ref. lqh1:] NEWSPAPER "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE-LOIRE":
[...]
A very large number of witnesses, residents of the communities of the areas of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, Thomery stated to have seen at the fall of night, a strange phenomenon: a craft of oval shape, of orange yellow color, measuring more than 20 meters, at 300 or 400 meters of altitude, let us specify; the 20 meters are said to be the real measurement of the object and not its dimension such as it appeared to them. The machine remained motionless during a certain time and disappeared at a vertiginous speed.
[...]
[Ref. usa1:] US AIR FORCE ARCHIVE:
The file of the US Air Force UFO investigation project "Blue Book" include a number of Press reports about the flying saucers in France in 1954, including this one, with no source reference:
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Very numerous witnesses, living in the regions of Bray-sur-Seine, Lagny, Moret, and Thomery, saw a strange phenomenon at nightfall: an oval-shaped craft of yellow-orange color, more than 20 meters in diameter, at an altitude of only 300-400 meters. (N.B.: this 20 meters is given as the actual size of the object, not its apparent size.) The machine remained motionless for a while, then disappeared at breathtaking speed.
One of the witnesses, M. André L... meteorological specialist, who lives in Thomery, estimates the speed of the craft as being of the order of 10,000 km/hr. (6000 mi/hr, nearly 2 mil/sec.) M. L... stated: "I am absolutely certain, since I am quite familiar with this subject, that what was seen was neither an aircraft nor a weather balloon."
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4234: 1954/10/21 19:00 2 3:14:00 E 48:26:00 N 3332 WEU FRN S&M 6:A
BRAY-sur-SEINE+LAGNY+MORET+THOMERY,FR:20M YLW-ORG DISK HVRS:AWAY/10000kph
Ref#138 GROSS,L.:UFOs a HISTORY-1954/10 bks Book # 9 Page 71 : RESIDENT'L
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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Night of October 22 to 23 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
? [=unknown hour]: Region of Bray-sur-Seine/Lagny/Moret/Thomery/Melun (Seine-et-Marne): lumin.obj.
[... other cases...]
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in Seine et Marne at Moret sur Loing on October 21, 1954, at an unknown hour, "Several people observed an object of oval form of orange yellow color measuring more than 20 meters. The object remained motionless at 300 or 400 m of altitude before disappearing at a vertiginous speed."
Luc Chastan indicates that the source is "Le Méridional".
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Probable meteor.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Moret, Seine-et-Marne, oval, object, yellow, orange
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | March 16, 2006 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | January 12, 2010 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | July 17, 2010 | Additions [usa1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | November 28, 2016 | Addition [ler1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | January 3, 2020 | Addition [ppe1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | February 26, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | June 11, 2020 | Additions [nll1], [las1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | July 6, 2020 | Addition [jps1]. In the Summary, "The Press of October 23, 1954" changed to "The Press of October 22 and 23, 1954". |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | January 4, 2021 | Addition [lcx1]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | May 18, 2022 | Addition [gqy1]. |
