Picauville
Picauville is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of Amfreville, Cretteville, Gourbesville, Houtteville and Vindefontaine were merged into Picauville.[2] On 1 January 2017, the former commune of Les Moitiers-en-Bauptois was merged into Picauville.[3] The inhabitants are called Picauvillais.
Picauville | |
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![]() The church of Saint-Candide | |
![]() Coat of arms | |
Location of Picauville ![]() | |
![]() ![]() Picauville ![]() ![]() Picauville | |
Coordinates: 49°22′46″N 1°24′01″W | |
Country | France |
Region | Normandy |
Department | Manche |
Arrondissement | Cherbourg |
Canton | Carentan-les-Marais |
Intercommunality | Baie du Cotentin |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Marie-Hélène Perrotte |
Area 1 | 64.89 km2 (25.05 sq mi) |
Population (2017-01-01)[1] | 3,278 |
• Density | 51/km2 (130/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 50400 /50360 |
Elevation | 2–30 m (6.6–98.4 ft) (avg. 26 m or 85 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Heraldry
![]() Arms of Picauville |
The arms of Picauville are blazoned : Or, a crown of thorns sable between 3 mallets vert, and on a chief gules a leopard Or. |
World War II
Picauville was one of the first towns liberated by Allied forces following the Normandy landings in early June 1944; German General Wilhelm Falley was killed there by an American paratrooper shortly after the invasion began. Engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground to the northwest of the town. Declared operational on 26 June, the airfield was designated as "A-8", it was used by the 405th Fighter Group which flew P-47 Thunderbolts until mid-September when the unit moved to St. Dizier, near Nancy.[4] Afterward, the airfield was closed.[5][6] A cairn marking the location of the airfield is on the east side of the D69, 2.3 km outside of Picauville on the way to Gourbesville (50°44'12.20"N, 1°44'10.18"W).[7]
See also
References
- "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- Arrêté préfectoral 23 December 2015 (in French)
- Arrêté préfectoral 4 July 2016 (in French)
- Nolte, Reginald G. Thunder Monsters Over Europe: A History of the 405th Fighter Group in World War II, Sunflower University Press, 1986, ISBN 0-89745-075-2.
- Johnson, David C. U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, 1988.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- http://www.normandie44lamemoire.com/versionanglaise/fichesvillesus/picauvilleus2.html Archived 2010-11-28 at the Wayback Machine retrieved January 18, 2010, and Google Earth.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Picauville. |
- Picauville Public Library official website (médiathèque de Picauville)