ALENÇON Orne
 The French Armoured Division entered Alençon at dawn
On 11 August 1944 General Montgomery issued a field order to the 1st Canadian and the 3rd American armies, relating to the vast encircling movement of the 7th German Army in progress. As the 3rd American Army was coming up from Le Mans toward Argentan, the objective was to make the junction with the IInd Canadian Corps going southward, in order to close the Falaise pocket. On 11 August, French of the 2nd Armoured Division arrived in Alençon vicinity. Several French Sherman were blown up by the Panzers at Champfleur, a few kilometers south of the city. German tanks were destroyed, and general Leclerc set up his headquarter at Champfleur for the night. The French were exhausted and stopped at the gates of Alençon. The 4th Squadron entered the city at dawn on 12 August. The French 2nd Armoured Division liberated Alençon and captured intact bridges on the river Sarthe.
  
     
   
 
  General Leclerc de Hauteclocque monument, (Marshal of France 1907-1945)
This monument is in memory of General Leclerc and his campaigns : Mourzouk, Koufra, Fezzan, Tripoli, Gabès, Tunis, Normandy landing, Alençon, Ecouché, Paris, Dompaire, Baccarat, Badonwiller, Strasbourg, Berschtesgaden, Hanoï.
Situation : facing the Leclerc Museum
  General Leclerc Headquarter
This house was used by General Leclerc as temporary headquarter, during the liberation of the city on 12 August 1944. The museum which was installed there had been closed.
Situation : 31, rue du pont street, at the edge of Sarthe river
ROAD MAP
 
INTERESTING WEB SITES

City of Alençon web site
http://www.ville-alencon.fr/default.htm
Orne departmental tourism office web site
http://www.ornetourisme.com/
Personal web site about 2nd Armoured Division
http://www.marechal-leclerc.fr.st
Personal web page about 2nd Armoured Division
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/stephane.delogu/division-leclerc.html

 
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