'Sainte-Mère-Église' is a small town and
commune of the
Manche ''
département'', in the
Cotentin Peninsula near the coast of
Normandy,
France.
History
The town's main claim to fame is that it played a significant part in the
World War II Normandy landings 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 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 Operation Boston, giving it the claim to be one of the first towns liberated in the invasion.
D-Day Battle
The early landings, at about 0140 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. The German defenders were alerted.
A famous incident involved paratrooper
John Steele, whose
parachute caught on the spire of the town church, and could only observe the fighting going on below. He was later captured by a German soldier. The incident was portrayed in the movie ''
The Longest Day''.
Later that morning, about 0500, 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
June 7. Other notable soldiers in the Allied assault on the town:
★ Lt. Colonel
Benjamin H. Vandervoort
★ Lt. Turner B. Turnbull
Krause and Vandervoort both received the
Distinguished Service Cross for their actions in the capture of the town.
Sights
Tourism in Sainte-Mère-Église today centers on its role in the D-Day invasion. There are many small museums and World War II-related giftshops and eating places. A dummy paratrooper hangs from the church spire, commemorating the story of John Steele.
Behind the church is a
spring, believed by
pilgrims to have healing powers, dedicated to
Saint Mewan (Saint Méen).
Trivia
★ The
Call of Duty series of
First-Person Shooters has a map located in Sainte-Mère-Église.
External links
★
The Airborne Museum
★
''Cross Channel Attack'', official Army report
★
The Tourist Office of the District Communities of Sainte Mère Eglise
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