From 1944 to 1947, there was a camp for 60,000 German prisoners in this Manche village.

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Article published in Ouest France on 7/06/2025.

Foucarville, a village located between Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église was, after the war, the most densely populated commune in La Manche.

*French, Germans and Americans stood side by side on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at the Prison Camp Memorial.* *from Foucarville (Manche). | OUEST-FRANCE*

Up to 60,000 German prisoners lived there in a town made of of barracks and tents.

Perhaps it was here, in Foucarville, a stone’s throw from Utah Beach (Manche), that one of the first stones of Franco-German reconciliation was laid. From 1944 to 1947, American Lieutenant-Colonel Warren J. Kennedy ran a German prison camp there. Not out of any desire for punishment or revenge,” recalls Foucarville’s deputy mayor, Alain Legendre. But to blaze a new trail through work and education.

A museum in 2028

Long left in the shadows, this story has been brought to light again in recent decades. On Saturday, French, Americans and Germans stood side by side for a ceremony of remembrance. In 2028, a museum will open in Ravenoville, a few kilometers from the Memorial.

Read the full article by Sébastien BRETEAU on the Ouest France website

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