Saint-James () is a

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 Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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 France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. On 1 January 2017, the former communes of

Argouges Argouges () is a former commune in the Manche department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Saint-James. For many centuries the Barons de Gratot (Argouges) resided at the Château de ...

Carnet A carnet may refer to: in international law: *A legal authorisation, usually in the context of document allowing the importation of certain goods to countries without paying customs duty. Three types exist: ** ATA Carnet, for temporary importation ...

La Croix-Avranchin La Croix-Avranchin () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Saint-James.Montanel Montanel () is a former Communes in France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Saint-James.

Vergoncey Vergoncey () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Saint-James.

and

Villiers-le-Pré Villiers-le-Pré () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Saint-James.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 ...

and

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. The rivers Beuvron and Dierge flow through the commune.

History

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

built the Saint-James fortress in 1067. During the latter half of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

the immediate area saw heavy military activity between the opposing English and French forces. The siege of Saint-James took place between February 27 and March 6, 1426, resulting in English victory. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

the area was the site of heavy clashes between the Republican forces and the Chouan rebels.

Heraldry

Traffic

Gare de Saint-James, station du tramway Avranches-Saint-James

From 29 July 1901 to 31 December 1933, Saint-James was connected via the

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...

Avranches–Saint-James tramway The Avranches–Saint-James tramway was a metre gauge railway on the English Channel in the Manche Departments of France, département in the Normandy Regions of France, region of France, which was put into service on 29 July 1901 and operated ...

Avranches Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History By the end of the Roman period, t ...

, which operated three steam trains for mixed passenger and goods transport each day in both directions.

International relations

Saint-James is twinned with: *

Erkelenz Erkelenz (, li, Erkelens ) is a town in the Rhineland in western Germany that lies southwest of Mönchengladbach on the northern edge of the Cologne Lowland, halfway between the Lower Rhine region and the Lower Meuse (river), Meuse. It is a med ...

, Germany *

Beaminster Beaminster ( ) is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Council administrative area approximately northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in a bowl-shaped valley near the source of the small River ...

, United Kingdom

Demographics

Places of interest

Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial The Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Saint-James, Normandy, France, near the northeastern edge of Brittany. It contains the remains of 4,410 of World War II American soldiers, most of whom died in the Normandy and Brittany cam ...

Château de la Paluelle The Château de la Paluelle is a large estate manor located in the town of Saint-James, Normandy. Built as early as the 11th century during the reign of William the Conqueror, the Château, chateau is a listed Monument historique, historical monume ...

World War II

After the liberation of the area by Allied Forces on 4 August 1944, General George S. Patton established the Third Army's field headquarters at the Chateau de la Paluelle. On 6 August the meeting of the Chiefs of Staff was held at the chateau. It was during this time that the strategy to repel the German counter-attack at Mortain was developed. Concurrently, 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 Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) were temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II during the liberation of Europe. They were built in the UK prior to the invasion and thereafter in northwest Europe from 6 June 19 ...

outside of the town. Declared operational on 14 August, the airfield was designated as " A-29", it was used by the 373d Fighter Group 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-bombe ...

s until early September when the unit moved into Central France. Afterward, the airfield was closed.Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. .