Picauville
Picauville | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The church of Saint-Candide | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Picauville  | |
  Picauville  Picauville | |
| Coordinates: 49°22′46″N 1°24′01″W / 49.3794°N 1.4002°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Manche |
| Arrondissement | Cherbourg |
| Canton | Bricquebec, Carentan |
| Intercommunality | Baie du Cotentin |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2016–2020) | Philippe Catherine |
| Area 1 | 64.89 km2 (25.05 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | 3,371 |
| • Density | 52/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. | |
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.[1] On 1 January 2017, the former commune of Les Moitiers-en-Bauptois was merged into Picauville.[2] The inhabitants are called Picauvillais.
Heraldry
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The arms of Picauville are blazoned : Or, a crown of thorns sable between 3 mallets vert, and on a chief gules a leopard Or.
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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.[3] Afterward, the airfield was closed.[4][5] 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).[6]
See also
References
- ^ 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
- Picauville Public Library official website (médiathèque de Picauville)
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