Grandcamp-Maisy () 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
Calvados
Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears.
History In France
Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...
department in the
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 ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
in northwestern
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 ...
.
Geography
Grandcamp-Maisy is located on the coast, northeast of
Isigny-sur-Mer
Isigny-sur-Mer (, literally ''Isigny on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France.
It is part of the communauté de communes Isigny-Omaha Intercom, the 59 communes of which have a combined pop ...
and west of
Pointe du Hoc. It is an active fishing port, with a fish market located on the harbour side.
History
On 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.
World War II
In 1944 the town of Maisy was the site of a hidden
German heavy artillery battery and the headquarters for the sector. Until early in the 21st century, the site was overgrown and had been covered by US engineers before the end of 1944 - well before any historians had a chance to examine the site.
British military historian
Gary Sterne rediscovered the site after finding an American invasion map, and purchased the site and turned it into a museum with over 2 miles of original German trenches and bunkers.
From his research and released (previously top secret) papers, the site is many times larger than was originally thought. The labyrinth of trenches and tunnels had remained hidden for around 60 years. It contains office bunkers, supplies buildings, general quarters, radio rooms, and many other blocks, including an underground hospital (one of three which has been uncovered and 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 one of the largest on the
Atlantic Wall in the invasion area. The sheer size of the site poses many questions as to why it does not feature more prominently in Allied records - or why it was so well
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
d - equally why the site did not have more attention paid to it by the Allies.
The site was bombed, but not hit to any extent before
D-Day. On the morning of 6 June 1944, claimed to have put the guns out of action, but Maisy was hit with shells for a further three days by many navy ships. The three casemates on the left side of the site (La Martinière) show no sign of damage from the front, only superficial damage from the east when the Rangers attacked across the fields on foot. This was the direction from which the battery was attacked by the men of the 5th Rangers on the morning of 9 June - along with halftracks from the 2nd Btn.
Despite this, in the Royal Navy ''History of D-Day'' it states that HMS ''Hawkins'' silenced the battery 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, but it is a well-known fact that the guns were not there on the morning of D-Day and had been moved further inland. The town became the headquarters of
General Bradley after it was liberated on 9 June.
The site has been excavated and was opened as a museum in April 2007.
Population
See also
*
Communes of the Calvados department
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grandcampmaisy
Communes of Calvados (department)
Calvados communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia