Foucarville German Prisoner of War Camp

At the end of June 1944 "Continental Central Enclosure No19" was created within the communes of Fourcarville and Ravenoville under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kennedy.

The camp was originally designed to house 20,000 but was enlarged to house 40,000 including 218 Generals and 6 Admirals.

The camp was built by American troops labouring alongside 400 German prisoners.

The camp amounted to a full blown town, complete with electric lighting, roads, pavements, several kilometres of narrow-gauge railway with petrol and diesel driven locomotives and 75 wagons. There was also a 1000 bed hospital, a church, sanitary facilities, water from a diverted stream and 5 ovens capable of producing 20,000kg of bread.

For entertainment the camp also contained a cinema, a 400 seat theatre with ballroom for American soldiers and another 850 seat theatre for German soldiers, a symphony orchestra and a stadium.

Due to the amazing facilities at the camp no German prisoners of war attempted to escape. The camp was dismantled at the end of 1947, the prisoners having been transferred to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.