Sainte-Mère-Église () is a commune in the northwestern French department of Manche, 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 ...

. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of

Beuzeville-au-Plain Beuzeville-au-Plain () is a former commune in the Manche department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the commune of Sainte-Mère-Église. World War II After the liberation of the area by All ...

Chef-du-Pont Chef-du-Pont () 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 Sainte-Mère-Église. During World War 2, as part of the opening phase of Operation Overlord ...

Écoquenéauville Écoquenéauville () 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 Sainte-Mère-Église.Foucarville Foucarville () is a former commune in the Manche department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the commune of Sainte-Mère-Église. Following World War II, for 21 months, tens of thousands of Nazi POWs were detained at ...

were merged into Sainte-Mère-Église. On 1 January 2019, the former communes of

Carquebut Carquebut () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Sainte-Mère-Église.Ravenoville Ravenoville () is a former commune in the Manche department in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Sainte-Mère-Église.Cotentin peninsula known locally as ''le Plain'' (as opposed to the standard French term ''la plaine''). The Plain is bounded on the west by the Merderet River and by the English channel to the east, and by the communes of

Valognes Valognes () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. Geography Valognes is situated in the Cotentin Peninsula, southeast of Cherbourg. Valognes station has rail connections to Caen, Paris and Cherbourg. Histo ...

and

Carentan Carentan () is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France, with a population of about 6,000. It is a former commune in the Manche department. On 1 January 2016, it was m ...

to the north and south, respectively. Besides Sainte-Mère-Église, the Plain's other major town is

Montebourg Montebourg () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. Geography Montebourg is located southeast of Cherbourg. Heraldry International relations Montebourg is twinned with: * Walheim,*, Germany (1960) * St ...

, and its coast includes Utah Beach. Although most of the Cotentin Peninsula belongs to the Armorican Massif, the Plain is part of the Paris Basin.Guide géologique Normandie Maine. Editions DUNOD. 2ème édition. Page75. . Argillaceous limestone from the Sinemurian contributes to the region's dairy product appellation (AOC) Isigny-Sainte-Mère, which it shares with Bessin. Horse breeding has long been practiced in the Plain, which is regarded as the cradle of the Anglo-Norman horse breed, the product of English stallions and mares from the Cotentin Peninsula.

History

Founded in the eleventh century, the earliest records (1080–1082) include the name ''Sancte Marie Ecclesia'',

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for "Church of St. Mary", while a later document written in Norman-French (1317) mentions ''Saincte Mariglise''. The current French form of the name is ambiguous, with the additional meaning, "

Holy Mother Church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

". The town was significantly involved in the Hundred Years' War as well as the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

. The town's main claim to fame is that it played a significant part in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

because this village stood right in the middle of route N13, which the Germans would have most likely used on any significant counterattack on the troops landing on

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

and Omaha Beaches. In the early morning of 6 June 1944 mixed units of the U.S. 82nd Airborne and U.S. 101st Airborne Divisions occupied the town in Mission Boston, giving it the claim to be one of the first towns liberated in the invasion.

D-Day battle

The early landings, at about 01:40 directly on the town, resulted in heavy casualties for the paratroopers. Some buildings in town were on fire that night, and they illuminated the sky, making easy targets of the descending men. Some were sucked into the fire. Many hanging from trees and utility poles were shot before they could cut loose. A well-known incident involved paratrooper

John Steele John Steele may refer to: Politics * John Steele (Nova Scotia politician) (died c. 1762), surgeon and political figure in Nova Scotia * John Steele (North Carolina politician) (1764–1815), U.S. Representative from North Carolina * John Hardy Stee ...

of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), whose parachute caught on a spire of the town church, and could only observe the fighting going on below. He hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner. Steele later escaped from the Germans and rejoined his division when US troops of the 3rd Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment attacked the village, capturing thirty Germans and killing another eleven. The incident was portrayed in the movie '' The Longest Day'' by actor Red Buttons.

Later that morning, about 05:00, a force led by Lt. Colonel Edward C. Krause of the 505th PIR took the town with little resistance. Apparently the German garrison was confused and had retired for the rest of the night. However, heavy German counterattacks began later in the day and into the next. The lightly armed troops held the town until reinforced by tanks from nearby Utah Beach in the afternoon of 7June. Krause and Lt. Colonel

Benjamin H. Vandervoort Benjamin Hayes "Vandy" Vandervoort (March 3, 1917 − November 22, 1990) was an officer of the United States Army, who fought with distinction in World War II. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was portrayed by John Wayne i ...

both received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for their actions in the capture of the town. Sgt. George Bowler Tullidge III received the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

, while a collection of Bible verses and of his letters home, ''A Paratrooper's Faith'' was distributed throughout the 82nd Airborne by his parents from after his death until the 1990s. 2nd Lt. Thomas J. Tighe of the 70th Tank Battalion received the Silver Star posthumously for his actions on the morning of June 7 in securing the town, during which he was killed when his tank was hit by German artillery fire.Armor in Operation Neptune (Establishment of the Normandy Beachhead), a research report prepared by Committee 10, Officers Advanced Course, the Armored School, Fort Knox, Kentucky, May 1949, page 34 Henry Langrehr was also involved in the capture of Sainte-Mère-Église. He crashed through a greenhouse roof, as retold in ''The Longest Day''. On 6November 2007, along with five other men he received the Legion of Honor medal from the

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Heraldry

Sights

Tourism in Sainte-Mère-Église today centers on its role in the D-Day invasion. There are many small museums (such as the Airborne Museum) and World War II-related giftshops and eating places. A dummy paratrooper hangs from the church spire, commemorating the story of

. Behind the church is a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

, believed by pilgrims to have healing powers, dedicated to Saint Mewan (Saint Méen).

Gallery

File:John Steele Sainte-Mère Eglise.jpg, Parachute Memorial in Sainte-Mère-Église Image:StMereEgliseChurch.JPG, Sainte-Mère-Église Church. Image:StMereEgliseParachute.JPG, Church bell tower with dummy parachutist.

Notable people

William of Sainte-Mère-Église William of Sainte-Mère-Église was a medieval Bishop of London. Life William's family originated from Sainte-Mère-Église, in the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy,Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 1, St. Paul's, London: Bishop ...

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

from 1198 to 1221.

References

External links

The Airborne Museum

The Tourist Office of the District Communities of Sainte-Mère-Église
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sainte-Mere-Eglise Saintemereeglise