Dark oscillating cylinder between Harponville and Contay in 1954

Summary

On 7 September 1954, two witnesses spotted a dark cylindrical object swaying close to the ground in a field between Harponville and Contay (Somme) on a clear, fog-free day. The object rose silently — first at an angle, then vertically — while expelling a greyish mist during its ascent. Frightened, the witnesses reported to the gendarmerie and explicitly ruled out a helicopter.

The subsequent investigation found no physical traces at the site but deemed the witnesses credible. With no conventional explanation available, the case was classified as an unidentified strange phenomenon.