Ranville (French pronunciation: [ʁɑ̃vil] ⓘ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Ranville was the first French village liberated on D-Day. The village was liberated by the British 13th Parachute Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Luard. The château du Heaume in the village was subsequently used by the headquarters of the British 6th Airborne Division.
The village features prominently in the book 13 - Lucky For Some which is about the history of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion. There are many then and now photographs as well as maps and diagrams of battles that took place in the region.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 883 | — |
| 1968 | 1,005 | +13.8% |
| 1975 | 1,519 | +51.1% |
| 1982 | 1,690 | +11.3% |
| 1990 | 1,681 | −0.5% |
| 1999 | 1,896 | +12.8% |
| 2008 | 1,703 | −10.2% |
Sights
Gallery
-
A Bailey bridge section at the Memorial Pegasus museum in Ranville -
-
-
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Mémorial Pégasus - Ranville". Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. Retrieved 23 May 2004.
