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 Mulhouse, on August 6, 1952:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1952-08-06-MULHOUSE-1

Summary:

The newspaper Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace of August 9, 1952, reported that on August 6, 1952, at 12:30 p.m. in Mulhouse, tramway employees were waiting for the shift change at Porte Jeune.

They suddenly saw, at high altitude, a round, silver ball moving from the southwest to the northeast, leaving behind what looked like a trail of smoke.

The newspaper continued: "The craft was moving very quickly and silently. All the other people who were present at the indicated time and place observed the same phenomenon."

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	August 6, 1952
Time:	12:30
Duration:	?
First known report date:	August 9, 1952
Reporting delay:	2 days.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	Mulhouse
Place:	Outside, at the Porte-Jeune.
Latitude:	47.749
Longitude:	7.338
Uncertainty radius:	100 m.

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	Several.
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	0
Witness(es) ages:	Adults.
Witness(es) types:	Tramway employees, passer-by's.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Newspaper "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace".
Type of location:	City.
Visibility conditions:	Day.
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:	DD
ALSACAT:	Probable meteor.

Sources:

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

Flying saucers appear in broad daylight

MULHOUSE. -- Tramway employees waiting for the shift change at Porte Jeune on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. suddenly saw, at a high altitude, a round, silvery ball moving from the southwest to the northeast, leaving behind what looked like a trail of smoke. The object moved very quickly and silently. All other people present at the specified time and location observed the same phenomenon. (1041)

Discussion:

The description is the description of a meteor.

Evaluation:

Probable meteor.

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, Strasbourg, France, page 10, on August 9, 1952.

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	July 17, 2025	Creation, [dna1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	July 17, 2025	First published.

This page was last updated on July 17, 2025.