Grandcamp-Maisy

Grandcamp-Maisy
Grandcamp-Maisy
Location within Lower Normandy region  Grandcamp-Maisy
Administration
Country	France
Region	Lower Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Bayeux
Canton	Isigny-sur-Mer
Mayor	Serge Bigot (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	0–34 m (0–112 ft) (avg. 50 m or 160 ft)
Land area1	14.85 km2 (5.73 sq mi)
Population2	1,775  (2008)
- Density	120 /km2 (310 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	14312/ 14450
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Grandcamp-Maisy is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.

Geography

Grandcamp-Maisy is located on the coast, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north east of Isigny-sur-Mer and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Pointe du Hoc. It is an active fishing port, with a fish market located on the harbour side.

History

In 1 November 1972, the commune formerly known as Grandcamp-les-Bains amalgamated with Maisy (Its old INSEE code was 14392) and changed its name to Grandcamp-Maisy.

WW II Atlantic Wall

Grandcamp-Maisy formed a part of the Atlantic Wall, the German defences against invasion. The Germans installed two batteries at this location. The first, called La Martine, was manned by the 8th Battery, 1716th Artillery Regiment. They were equipped with four Czech FH14/19 type 100 mm (4 in) guns, with a range of just under 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). Three were housed in type H669 casemates, with the fourth still in the open at the time of D-Day. The second position, La Perruques, 500 meters to the east, was manned by 9th Battery, 1716th Artillery Regiment, and had guns of a larger caliber; six French Type F414 155 mm (6 in) cannons, dating from the end of World War I. Four had been placed in concrete pits and two in the open, a number of personnel bunkers were built on the site: two type H622 and one type H502 Headquarters. These howitzers had a range of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi). Both sites were protected by minefields and anti-aircraft emplacements. Two weeks before D-day another battery of 150 mm howitzers was added to the complex, making it one of the biggest groups of defended guns in the sector. The next operational battery to the right was Longues-sur-Mer and to the left Saint-Marcouf. These three batteries were the covering artillery for the US invasion sector on D-day.

Until recently, the site was overgrown and had been covered by US engineers before the end of 1944, well before any historians had chance to examine the site. Englishman Gary Sterne rediscovered the site after finding a German map, and has purchased some of the site and turned it into a museum with over 2 1/2 miles of original German trenches and bunkers. From his research, it is obvious that the site is many times larger than was originally thought. The labyrinth of underground tunnels had remained hidden for around 60 years. It contains offices, a supplies buildings, general quarters, radio rooms, and many other blocks, including an underground hospital (one of three which has been uncovered can be visited).

It may well be that when all the site is cleared and all the bunkers that are buried are rediscovered, this site will be the largest on the Atlantic Wall in Normandy. The sheer size of the site poses many questions as to why it does not feature more prominently in German records, and why the site did not have more attention paid to it by the Allies. It was bombed, but not hit to any extent before D-Day. On D-Day, the HMS Hawkins claimed to have put the guns out of action, but then other battleships were firing at it for another 3 days. The three casemates on the left side of the site (La Martiniere) show no sign of damage from the front, only superficial damage from the east when the Rangers attacked on foot. This was the direction from which the battery was attacked on June 9. Despite this, in the Royal Navy History of D-day it states that HMS Hawkins silenced the batteries on D-day, despite the fact that many other ships claimed to have done the same thing over many days. Hawkins also claimed to have put the battery at St. Martin de Varreville out of action, it is a well-known fact^{[citation needed]} that the guns were not there on the morning of D-Day and had been moved further north. The town became the headquarters of General Bradley after it was liberated on June 9.

The site has been excavated and was opened as a Museum in April 2007.

Population

Historical population of Grandcamp-Maisy

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	533	627	673	777	1258	1260	1264	1310	1436	1463

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
Population	1529	1613	1624	1691	1704	1731	1868	1847	1839	1844

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
Population	1774	1615	1604	1621	1598	1632	1576	1932	1880	1809

Year	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	1845	1881	1831	1775

See also

• Communes of the Calvados department

References

• INSEE