Montormel Memorial Museum

Coudehard, FR

The Montormel Memorial Museum stands on Hill 262 — the commanding ridge known as **Maczuga** (Polish for "mace") where the **1st Polish Armoured Division** made their legendary stand from August 19 to 21, 1944, during the closing of the Falaise Pocket. Outnumbered and nearly surrounded, the Polish division under General **Stanisław Maczek** held the ridge against repeated German breakout attempts, blocking the last escape route for tens of thousands of Wehrmacht and SS troops trapped in the pocket below. The museum documents the entire encirclement operation — from the Allied breakout at **Saint-Lô** through **Operation Totalize** and **Operation Tractable** — using maps, original equipment, personal accounts, and artefacts recovered from the battlefield. The panoramic terrace offers a commanding view of the Dives valley, allowing visitors to understand the topographic logic of why this ridge was decisive. Approximately **50,000 German troops** were killed or captured in the Falaise Pocket; another 20,000 escaped through the narrowing gap. The museum treats the Polish contribution with particular depth, offering one of the few venues in France that places the Polish Army at the centre of the Normandy campaign narrative.