Tournai-sur-Dive

Tournai-sur-Dive
Tournai-sur-Dive
Location within Lower Normandy region Tournai-sur-Dive
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Orne
Arrondissement	Argentan
Canton	Trun
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes de la Vallée de la Dives
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Fernande Famechon
Area1	12.40 km2 (4.79 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	306
• Density	25/km2 (64/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	61490 / 61160
Elevation	80–195 m (262–640 ft) (avg. 107 m or 351 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.

Tournai-sur-Dive is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.

Tournai-sur Dives during the Second World War

At the centre of the Falaise Pocket, the small village of TOURNAI- sur- DIVES took a very important part in the outcome of the Battle of Normandy. Just 23 inhabitants stayed in their village with the priest of the commune (parish): l'Abbé Launay. Some German soldiers lived there as well with their officer. Everybody was exhausted due to the heat of July and the non-stop bombing of the Allies. Finally, the priest and the German officer decided to both go the Canadian and Polish battle line near Trun and ask to surrender. They travelled in a tank bearing the red cross and white flag. However, German officer became afraid to meet Polish soldiers because of their reputation of not taking prisoners,so they changed their objective and went to the American unit in Chambois. There, Americans kept the German officer as hostage and the abbey returned to Tournai-sur-Dives where all the Germans gave themselves up. It was the very first day of the end of the Battle of Normandy; 21 August 1944.

See also

• Communes of the Orne department
• The Battle of Normandy
• Ecouche in the Second World War.
• Falaise Pocket

References

• INSEE