(Click this strip to get a detailed description of the operations)

The Normandy landings

On the 6th of June 1944, Avranches had been under German occupation for 4 years, when the bombs started to fall. The Normandy landings had just begun, the liberation of Europe was on its way.

From the first days of the allied offensive, Avranches knew the same destiny than many other towns in Normandy. A violent bombing, which aim was to cut off the road for German backup, caused important losses in human lives. Many neighbourhoods were razed to the ground. The people seeked refuge in the countryside.

The way of freedom

On the 31st of July Avranches is liberated. The army of general Patton had just realised what History today considers as "the breakthrough of Avranches". There were few combats, the German leaders had committed a tactical mistake by abandoning their positions in this particular spot of Normandy. During the month of August, their troops tried to counter-attack on the hill between Mortain & Avranches, but it was too late. A wide-open road to Paris and the whole territory was then available for the liberators.

Rebuilding

After the euphoria of the Liberation, the inhabitants of Avranches had to come back to the harsh reality. The town needed to be rebuilt. In a few years, the town raised from its ruins and brought out the relics of its past. New districts flourished at the borders of the town.