Picauville

Last updated

Picauville
Commune
Eglise Saint-Candide de Picauville (4).jpg
The church of Saint-Candide
Blason ville fr Picauville (Manche).svg
Coat of arms
Location of Picauville
Picauville
France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Picauville
Normandie region location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Picauville
Coordinates: 49°22′46″N1°24′01″W / 49.3794°N 1.4002°W / 49.3794; -1.4002
Country France
Region Normandy
Department Manche
Arrondissement Cherbourg
Canton Carentan-les-Marais
Intercommunality Baie du Cotentin
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Marie-Hélène Perrotte [1]
Area
1
64.89 km2 (25.05 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020) [2]
3,251
 • Density50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
50400 /50360
Elevation2–30 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 (French pronunciation: [pikovil] ) 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. [3] On 1 January 2017, the former commune of Les Moitiers-en-Bauptois was merged into Picauville. [4] 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.

Contents

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 4,250—    
1975 4,190−0.20%
1982 3,949−0.84%
1990 3,523−1.42%
1999 3,294−0.74%
2007 3,399+0.39%
2012 3,412+0.08%
2017 3,278−0.80%
Source: INSEE [5]

Heraldry

Arms of Picauville Blason ville fr Picauville (Manche).svg
Arms of Picauville
The arms of Picauville are blazoned  :
Or, a crown of thorns sable between 3 mallets vert, and on a chief gules a leopard Or.



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. [6] Afterward, the airfield was closed. [7] [8] 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). [9]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Arrêté préfectoral 23 December 2015 (in French)
  4. ↑ Arrêté préfectoral 4 July 2016 (in French)
  5. ↑ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN   0-89201-092-4.
  9. ↑ http://www.normandie44lamemoire.com/versionanglaise/fichesvillesus/picauvilleus2.html Archived 2010-11-28 at the Wayback Machine retrieved January 18, 2010, and Google Earth.


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