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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 the Hardt forest, on November 1, 1982:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1982-11-01-LAHARDT-1

Summary:

The regional newspaper L'Alsace for November 3, 1982, reported that in the Hardt forest, a young motorist had been chased by a blue light on November 1, 1982, around 11:30 p.m.

Thierry Stehlé, 18, from Zillisheim, was crossing this forest aboard his red Opel Manta between Petit-Landau and Habsheim. He had accompanied a female friend to Petit-Landau, and was returning home. After the Huningue canal bridge, the whole car was suddenly bathed in blue light, "the rays coming from above, ten meters from the car."

Some rays of light went out, then came on again. Mr. Stehlé told the newspaper:

"I felt that my car was starting to rock, then several times I had the impression that it was going to take off, as if it were being sucked up, by a magnetic attraction. The engine was only running on three pistons, it misfires. I also heard strange parasitic noises in the speakers of the vehicle even though the radio was not turned on. Me, I was paralyzed, petrified. I felt a great cold in the car, and yet the heating was on."

"I also smelled a strong smell of burning emanating from the car. I was afraid, and I drove slowly, at forty an hour. But the light was following me, as if the UFO was advancing behind me above my car. It lasted five minutes, maybe more. I looked in the interior rear view mirror and I saw a big white light, in ball shape, in the sky, at the back of the vehicle."

At the entry to Habsheim the light faded and Thierry Stehlé saw the "luminous craft" gradually disappear above the forest, changing color towards orange red. Arrived at home, he called the "rescue police".

Although saying he was previously skeptical, Thierry Stehlé said he was convinced that he had dealt with a UFO and wondered whether there were no other witnesses to the phenomenon, in particular people driving on the highway.

On November 14, 1982, the newspaper L'Alsace published a second article on the case, adding that on November 13, 1982, Mr. Wissler, member of the "GLAIVE" ("Groupement Libre d'Activités Insolites et de Vues sur l'Etrange", ie., "Free Grouping on Unusual Activities and Views on the Strange"), of Meyenheim, had informed that on November 12, 1982, Thierry Stehlé had been "put under hypnosis", and that during this hypnosis session, "the young man, somehow put back in situation, asleep, confirmed point by item by item in front of several witnesses the statements he had made on the evening of November 1. Thierry thus revealed that a ball of blue light had followed him (while he was driving in his car on the road in the crossing of the Hardt in the direction of Habsheim, coming from Petit-Landau), that the luminous ball "sent a kind of ray", and that other strange phenomena appeared."

The GLAIVE made the connection with the observation of a luminous ball a few minutes later in the sky of Obernai.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date: November 1, 1982
Time: 11:30 p.m.
Duration: 5 minutes.
First known report date: November 3, 1982
Reporting delay: 1 day.

Geographical data:

Department: Haut-Rhin
City: Habsheim
Place: The Hardt forest.
Latitude: 47.728
Longitude: 7.488
Uncertainty radius: 100 m.

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses: 1
Number of known witnesses: 1
Number of named witnesses: 1
Witness(es) ages: 18
Witness(es) types: Young adult, resident.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel: To the regional Press.
Type of location: Inside car driving on forest road.
Visibility conditions: Night.
UFO observed: Yes.
UFO arrival observed: Yes.
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: ?

Classifications:

Hynek: CE2
ALSACAT: Unidentified, possible extraterrestrial visitors.

Sources:

[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

Scan.

New UFO case in the Hardt

A young motorist
followed by a blue light

A strange adventure happened Monday around 11:30 pm to a young motorist of Zillisheim, Thierry Stehlé, 18-year-old, while crossing the forest of the Hardt, between Petit-Landau and Habsheim. His story is reminiscent of that lived in April 1980 in the same area by a young woman from Bollwiller, Miss Patricia Dziomba. Like her, Thierry Stehlé is convinced of having been pursued by a UFO.

Thierry Stehlé had accompanied a female friend back to Petit-Landau, and was returning home in his red Opel Manta. Crossing the Hardt forest, after the Huningue canal bridge, the whole car was suddenly bathed in a blue light, "the rays coming from above, ten meters away, from the car". Some light rays would go out, then come back on. "I felt my car start to sway, and then several times I had the impression that it was going to take off, as if it was being sucked in, by a magnetic attraction. The engine was only running on three pistons, had misfires. I also heard strange noises from the vehicle's speakers although the radio was not on. Me, I was paralyzed, petrified. I felt a great cold in the car, and yet the heating was working", the young man says.

"I also smelled a strong smell of burning coming from the car, he continues. I was scared, and I drove slowly, at forty kilometers an hour. But the light followed me, as if the UFO was advancing over my car. It lasted five minutes, maybe more. I looked in the inside rearview mirror and I saw a big white light, ball-shaped, in the sky, behind the vehicle." At the entrance of Habsheim the light faded and Thierry Stehlé saw the luminous craft gradually disappear above the forest, changing color towards the orange red. When he got home, he called "police-emergency".

Today, Thierry Stehlé wonders whether there have been other witnesses to the phenomenon, in particular people who were driving on the highway. He is convinced that he had dealt with a UFO, "I, you know, he said yesterday, to make me believe in something, I have to see it".

J.-M. S. [Jean-Marie Stoerckel]

[Ref. lae2:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

Scan.

The Hardt UFO

Put under hypnosis, the motorist is said to have confirmed!

The UFO case observed in the Hardt by a motorist from Zillisheim during the night of Monday November 1 to Tuesday November 2 (see our editions of November 3), had a continuation on Friday evening, indicated yesterday the "GLAIVE" (free group of unusual activities and views of the strange).

Friday evening in fact, "the young motorist who reported the sightings, Thierry Stehlé, 18, was placed under hypnosis," said a member of GLAIVE, Mr. Wissler. "During this hypnosis session, the young man, put back in situation so to speak, asleep, confirmed point by point before several witnesses the statements he had made on the evening of November 1. Thierry thus revealed that a ball of blue light had followed him (while he was driving in his car on the road in the crossing of the Hardt towards Habsheim, coming from Petit-Landau), that the luminous ball "sent a kind of ray", and that other strange phenomena manifested themselves.

The GLAIVE makes the connection with the observation of a luminous ball a few minutes later in the sky of Obernai:

GLAIVE, 8, rue des Ecoles, 68890 Meyenheim. Phone. (89) 81.76.75.

[Ref. lae3:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

Scan.

UFO sighted over Fréland
by the commanding officer of the CM 104
of Colmar

A UFO was sighted, Sunday around 10:30 p.m., above Fréland. Witnesses to the event: Lieutenant-Colonel Yves Le Naelou, commander of the mobilizing center 104 of Colmar and his wife, domiciled rue de Girogoutte.

Lieutenant-Colonel Naelou took the cool after the broadcast of the movie "747 in danger" on the first television channel when he saw a metallic object under which lights flashed and equipped with nozzles on its sides. The craft seemed to be on the other side of the valley, towards the Bonhomme pass, in the direction of Chamont, and seemed to be landing. Lieutenant-Colonel Naelou then called his wife who, with binoculars, also made the same observation.

Lieutenant-Colonel Le Naelou was heard late yesterday afternoon by the Gendarmerie Lapoutroie. Searches were made on the spot and the gendarmes are looking for other people who made similar observations on Sunday evening (they can be reached at 47.50.14.)

One of the most recent UFO sightings dates back to November 30, 1982. A young motorist of Zillisheim, 18-year-old Thierry Stehlé, claimed to have been followed by an unidentified flying object as he was crossing the Hardt Forest between Petit-Landau and Habsheim.

His story is also reminiscent of the one lived in April 1980 in the same sector by a young woman from Bollwiller, Miss Patricia Dziomba.

Robert KOCH

[Ref. lbs1:] UFOLOGY BULLETIN "LA LIGNE BLEUE SURVOLEE?":

Scan.

Ref: F/97/68821101 (01) IC: 1,1,1,0,1 (04)

On Monday, November 01, 1982, around 10:30 p.m. UTC, a young motorist from ZILLISHEIM (Haut-Rhin), Mr T...... S...... had taken a friend back to PETIT-LANDAU (Ht-R), and was returning home in his Opel-Manta.

Crossing the HARDT forest, after the HUNINGUE canal bridge, the car is suddenly bathed in blue light, "the rays came from above, ten meters from the car." Some rays of light went out and then came on again, he feels that his car is beginning to "rock", then several times he has the impression that it is about to take off, as if attracted by a magnetic force. The engine only runs on three cylinders.

Weird parasitic noises are heard in the speakers of the car radio which is not yet connected.

The witness is scared and drives slowly (40 km/h). The light follows him, as if the UFO were advancing above the car. He looks in the interior rear view mirror and sees a white light, in a ball, at the rear of the vehicle. At the entrance to HABSHEIM, the light fades and T...... sees the luminous craft disappear above the forest.

Source: G.H.R.E.P.A. investigation

[Ref. mft1:] "FRANCAT" - MICHEL FIGUET:

CASE NR CLASSIFICATION DATE TIME PLACE ZIP CODE CREDIBILITY SOURCES
964 CE0-2 ..11.1982 23.30 b Petit-Landau and Habsheim 68490 D5 NI, P L'Alsace of 3/11, Ufologica #34

[Ref. cnu1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "CNEGU":

Scan.

Ref: F/97/68821101 (01) IC: 1,1,1,0,1 (04)

On Monday, November 01, 1982, around 10:30 p.m. UTC, a young motorist from ZILLISHEIM (Haut-Rhin), MR T...... S...... had accompanied a female friend to PETIT-LANDAU, and was returning home in his Opel-Manta. Crossing the forest of the HARDT, after the bridge of the canal of HUNINGUE, the car is suddenly bathed in a blue light, "the rays came from above, ten meters from the car". Some rays of light went out and then came back on". He feels that his car is starting to "rock", then several times he has the impression that it is about to take off, as if attracted by a magnetic force. The engine only runs on three cylinders. Strange noises of parasites are heard in the loudspeakers of the car radio which however is not connected. The witness is afraid and drives slowly (40 km/h). The light follows, as if the UFO were advancing above the car. He looks in the interior mirror and sees a white light, in a ball, at the rear of the vehicle. At the entrance to HABSHEIM, the light fades and he sees the luminous craft disappear above the forest.

Source: G.H.R.E.P.A. investigation

Discussion:

Map.

Opel Manta.

Above: an Opel Manta car.

Below: the witness leaves from Petit-Landau in the east, the observation begins in the Hardt forest after the Huningue canal, it ends at the entry of Habsheim in the West.

Carte.

I indicate by the red line at the top left the runway of the small Habsheim airfield.

The distance between the passage of the Huningue canal and the entrance to Habsheim is 4 kilometers.

Below: view of the road just after crossing the Huningue canal:

Lieux.

Below: view of the road in the middle of the trip:

Lieux.

A small plane approaching the Habsheim airfield could have been an explanation, if not for a few objections:

The light surrounding the car is sad to be blue. Airplane landing lights are not blue.

After the passage of the canal, the phenomenon is noticed and located above the car; taking into account the respective possible speeds of an airplane and a car, the airplane would have had 2 or 3 kilometers to pass the car. This obligatory overtaking is not mentioned, the thing disappears above the forest when the motorist arrives in Habsheim, so it most likely have remained above or behind him.

The road is not at all aligned with the axis of the runway neither for a takeoff nor for a landing. Between the road and the start of the runway at the nearest, there is only one kilometer, which would require a sharp, even risky, turn of the airplane to the right.

The newspaper tells us that the witness who arrived at his home in Habsheim contacted Police-Secours; it is therefore quite possible that a corresponding report from the National Gendarmerie will appear in the coming years. To date (2022) there is none.

I would classify this case for now as an unidentified, with the possibility that it was something artificial and extraterrestrial, but with some lack of detail, and a single witness.

Evaluation:

Unidentified, possible extraterrestrial visitors.

Sources references:

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

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 August 22, 2022 Creation, [lae1], [lae2], [lae3], [lbs1], [mft1].
1.0 Patrick Gross August 22, 2022 First published.
1.1 Patrick Gross January 9, 2023 Addition [cnu1].

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This page was last updated on January 9, 2023.