Sainte-Marie-du-Mont is a commune in the Manche department and in the region of Normandy in north-western France. The commune has 712 inhabitants (2019).

Geography

Saint-Marie-du-Mont is located in the southeast of the Cotentin Peninsula, just north of the town of Carentan, and west of the fr:Baie des Veys, the outlet of the Douve and the Vire. The commune has a vast area in relation to neighbouring communes, it is bordered to the east by the English Channel, on the north by Audouville-la-Hubert, northwest by Turqueville, west by Bouteville, by Hiesville to the southwest and to the south by Brucheville and Brévands. To the northeast of the commune is the, protecting part of the marshes of Cotentin and Bessin. The town is part of the.

Climate

Sainte-Marie-du-Mont has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont is 11.4 C. The average annual rainfall is 913.5 mm with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 17.3 C, and lowest in January, at around 6.2 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont was 37.2 C on 19 July 2016; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -8.3 C on 10 January 2009.

History

World War II

It is best known for being the scene of a military engagement between the American 101st Airborne Division and the German Wehrmacht on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont was occupied by sixty German soldiers of the 191 Artillery-Regiment (91. Infanterie Division). The Germans used the church tower as an observation post and on a clear day, they could see all the way to the sea. Far away from an expected invasion near Calais, they did not know the village was at the southern edge of D-Day's ‘drop zone c’. After a heavy coastal bombardment by Allies just after midnight on 6 June 1944, the first American Paratroopers were dropped in dark early hours over occupied Normandy. Plans were for troops of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division to land in ‘zone c’. Here behind Utah Beach, they were responsible for clearing a route for thousands of soldiers arriving by sea from England. A thick fog bank and heavy flak from coastal guns forced pilots away from their targets and left paratroopers in unknown territory, some facing enemy fire while still in the air. Just two-thirds of troops designated for zone c were accurately dropped. A number found themselves landing in and around Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and quickly fighting for their lives with the rather surprised Germans. In the hamlet of La Madeleine, a monument in honour of the Danish sailors was erected. 800 of them took part in the logistics of landing on Allied ships.

Heraldry

Politics and administration

Demographics

Economy and tourism

Since February 2010, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Sainte-Mère-Église and Ravenoville have formed a grouping of.

Places and monuments

Notable people

International relations

Sainte-Marie-du-Mont is twinned with Edelfingen, Bad Mergentheim.