More than 21,200 German soldiers are buried at the German military cemetery in La Cambe. There, 1,220 maple trees were planted as living symbols of peace and reconciliation between nations. This memorial site combines a tangible remembrance of the dead with an explicit message of reconciliation. A trilingual exhibition, memorial steles dedicated to the history of airfield A-2, the Notre-Dame church and walking trails offer different ways to explore the area during a stay. You can focus on the history of the Second World War, church architecture and local history, or routes through the landscape.
Remembrance and the history of the airfield
The trilingual exhibition at the German military cemetery covers people in wartime, German soldiers’ graves, the civilian population, the significance of commemorative ceremonies and the culture of remembrance. Its scope therefore extends from the graves to the experiences of civilians and the question of how remembrance is shaped. Together with the maple trees, which explicitly symbolize peace and reconciliation, the memorial site offers two distinct ways to engage with the past: specific themes in the history of war and remembrance, and a symbolic message.
The memorial stele for the 165th Signal Photographic Company is also one of La Cambe’s memorial sites. A stele commemorating forward airfield A-2 records another connection: in the summer of 1944, an American airfield was partly located within the commune. Airfield A-2 Cricqueville-en-Bessin was operational on 17 June 1944; the 354th Fighter Group and the 367th Fighter Group were stationed there. The memorial sites thus commemorate both a unit and the history of the airfield. From the town center, the stele for airfield A-2 can be reached by heading north along Rue des Vignets. The route passes through the hamlet; a narrow road then leads 200 meters to the stele.
Notre-Dame: Local history and architectural form
Notre-Dame church adds a much older layer of local history to the memorial sites. It has been documented since the late 13th century. At that time, Robert Dumesnil, Lord of La Cambe, gave the church and the parish tithes to Plessis-Grimoult Abbey. Its basic structure is Romanesque; the floor plan takes the form of a Latin cross, with a nave, choir, transept and two chapels. The transept crosses the lengthwise axis of the nave and choir, while the chapels complete the floor plan. For a history-focused stay, these distinct periods sit side by side: the church’s history dating to the late 13th century and the memorial sites connected with the history of the airfield in 1944.
Walking trails and landscape
Several walking trails cross the La Cambe area; some are also open to mountain bikes. From La Cambe, walking trails lead inland through bocage landscapes and marshland, to Isigny and to the beaches. The destinations thus range from inland bocage and marshland to Isigny and the beaches. Alongside the memorial sites and the church, these routes offer another perspective on the landscape during your stay, with several destinations to choose from.
Discover more destinations: Thury-Harcourt, Villers-Bocage, Ouistreham, Saint-RĂ©my, Livarot, Annebault, Danestal, Douvres-la-DĂ©livrande
For the regional travel overview: Calvados.
