ALSACAT:

ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

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Case of Obernai, in 1953:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1953-00-00-OBERNAI-1

Summary:

In his investigation report published in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit in June 1977, which focused on a case in 1976 in the Lower Rhine, ufologist Philippe Wiedenhoff indicated that one of the witnesses of this case of 1976, Gendarmerie officer Paicheler, had stated that while he was on boarding at Obernai in 1953, he had seen a cigar-like phenomenon. He had never talked about it.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	1953
Time:	?
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1977
Reporting delay:	24 years.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	Obernai
Place:	?
Latitude:	48.461
Longitude:	7.488
Uncertainty radius:	10 km

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	1
Number of known witnesses:	1
Number of named witnesses:	1
Witness(es) ages:	?
Witness(es) types:	?

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Told to local ufologist.
Type of location:	?
Visibility conditions:	?
UFO observed:	Yes
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
Entities:	No
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Hynek:	NL or DD
ALSACAT:	Possible meteor.

Sources:

[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":

- Constable Paicheler, while boarding in Obernai in 1953, claimed to have seen a cigar-like phenomenon. He had never mentioned it.

[Ref. cvn2:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:

Former journalist in Alsace interested in the topic of the unidentified flying objects, Christian Valentin published in his 2012 book a report about the case at Ernosheim-lès-Saverne in 1976. It was an investigation report Philippe Widenhoff on this case, published in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit in June 1977. The latter reports that one of the witnesses of the case of 1976, Gemdarmerie officer Paicheler, affirmed that then he was in a boarding house in Obernai in 1953, he had seen "a cigar-like phenomenon. He had never talked about it."

Discussion:

With so little information, all I can say is that meteors are often described as "cigars", especially in the 1950s, so a meteor is a possible explanation of the observation of the policeman.

Evaluation:

Possible meteor.

Sources references:

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

[ldl1] * In an investigation report by Philippe Widenhoff, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #166, page 20, June / July 1977.
[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 118-122, 2012.

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	June 2, 2018	Creation, [cvn2].
1.0	Patrick Gross	June 2, 2018	First published.
1.1	Patrick Gross	February 21, 2023	Addition [ldl1].

This page was last updated on February 21, 2023.