Neuville-au-Plain

Neuville-au-Plain
The village with the church and the castle
Neuville-au-Plain
Location within Normandy region  Neuville-au-Plain
Coordinates: 49°25′42″N 1°19′43″W / 49.4283°N 1.3286°WCoordinates: 49°25′42″N 1°19′43″W / 49.4283°N 1.3286°W
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Manche
Arrondissement	Cherbourg-Octeville
Canton	Sainte-Mère-Église
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes de Sainte-Mère-Église
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	André Pouthas
Area^1	4.70 km^2 (1.81 sq mi)
Population (2006)^2	106
• Density	23/km^2 (58/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	50373 / 50480
Elevation	2–36 m (6.6–118.1 ft) (avg. 10 m or 33 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Neuville-au-Plain is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.

World War 2

On June 6, 1944, Neuville-au-Plain was one objective of the 505th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army in the invasion of Normandy. After capturing the commune early in the day, just 42 men of Company H were left to defend it. A much larger German force, consisting mainly of the 1058th Grenadier Regiment of the 91st Infantry Division, counterattacked and half of the defenders were killed or wounded in a heavy 8 hour battle. Eventually two of the American defenders, Sergeant Robert Niland and Corporal James Kelly, volunteered to remain behind. They held the German force off long enough for the rest to escape before both were killed.^[1]

See also

• Communes of the Manche department

References

1. Stephen E. Ambrose (2013). D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II. Simon and Schuster. p. 316-317. ISBN 1439126305.