MONTORMEL/COUDEHARD Orne - 20 km north-west of Argentan
The Polish troops were beleaguered at Montormel
 On 19 August 1944, the Battle of Normandy was at a turning point since the 7th German Army was nearly encircled by the Allied Forces. At the end of the day the trap was closed; to the north the Poles of the 1st Armoured Division settled north of Chambois at Montormel, a hill overlooking the Vimoutiers road. On 20 August in the morning, the Poles saw long German columns progressing westward and trying to break through. The situation of the Poles worsened when a regiment of the 2nd SS Panzer-Division counter-attacked coming from the north-west. During three days the Poles fought without supply, facing waves of desperate German soldiers. German parachutists under General Meindl managed to open a crossing between Coudehard and Champosoult, a few hundreds of German soldiers escaped till the next day at noon, then the paras withdrew. The pocket was sealed by the Allied Forces, the 1st Polish Armoured Division made junction with the Canadian tanks on 21 August.
   
 
 
 
 
Montormel Memorial
 The Memorial is situated on a hill overlooking the landscape; it commemorates the fighting to close the Falaise pocket at Chambois, a map in relief and a "son et lumière" display illustrates the successive phases of the battle. Several armoured vehicles can be seen outside : Sherman tank, armoured vehicle M8.
  Pocket monument
Montormel
 Monument commemorating the fighting of Polish and Canadian soldiers on this hill from 19 to 22 August 1944, and the closing of the Falaise pocket by the Allied Forces.
 Situation : near the Memorial

Sherman tank
Montormel
This Sherman tank "Maczuga", belonged to the 1st Polish Armoured division.
Situation : beside the Memorial
 
  Véhicule blindé M8
Montormel
This armoured reconnaissance vehicle was armed with a 37 mm gun and a machine-gun, its crew was of four men.
Situation : beside the Memorial		  
 
  Hill 262 stele
Coudehard
Stele remembering the Battle of Falaise pocket, on 22 August, and the fighting of the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division.
 Situation : north of Montormel, at the edge of the D42 road, coming from D16 road
   
ROAD MAP
 
INTERESTING WEB SITES
Personal web site about D-day and the Normandy battle
http://www.debarquement-normandie.com/
Memorial of Coudehard-Montormel web site
http://www.memorial-montormel.org
Conseil général de l’Orne web site about the Department liberation
http://1944.orne.fr/
Personal web site about the Normandy battle
http://www.warchronicle.com/dday/contents.htm
Personal web site about the German paratroops
http://www.eagle19.freeserve.co.uk/index.html
 
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