commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Manche
Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.department in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
in north-western
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of Amfreville,
Cretteville
Cretteville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the commune of Picauville.
World War II
After the liberation of the area by Allied Forces in 1944, engineers ...
, Gourbesville, Houtteville and Vindefontaine were merged into Picauville. On 1 January 2017, the former commune of Les Moitiers-en-Bauptois was merged into Picauville. The inhabitants are called ''Picauvillais''. Picauville also has a 17th century castle, classified as a historical landmark by the French government, called the Isle-Marie Castle. Parts of the structure date to the 11th century.
Heraldry
World War II
Picauville was one of the first towns liberated by Allied forces following the
Normandy landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
in early June 1944; German General
Wilhelm Falley
__NOTOC__
Wilhelm Falley (25 September 1897 – 6 June 1944) was the first German general to be killed during the Normandy landings in France. He was commander of the 91st Infantry Division. Career
Promoted to major general in December 1943, and ...
was killed there by an American paratrooper shortly after the invasion began. Engineers of the
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
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
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
which flew
P-47 Thunderbolt
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...
s until mid-September when the unit moved to St. Dizier, near Nancy. Afterward, the airfield was closed. 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 (49°23'34.19"N, 1°25'07.69"E).http://www.normandie44lamemoire.com/versionanglaise/fichesvillesus/picauvilleus2.html retrieved January 18, 2010, and Google Earth.
See also
*
Communes of the Manche department
The following is a list of the 446 Communes of France, communes of the Manche Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 2020):