WWII in Nicorps: Local Stories, Panzer Divisions & Operation Cobra 🇫🇷⚔️

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First published: August 2025

Last updated: November 2025

When you stay at Holidays-Normandy, you’re stepping into a village full of stories—including some from World War II that still echo through Nicorps today.

Ask around in Nicorps and you’ll still hear the stories. Our neighbour, who was born in our house (before moving next door), was part of the history and tells stories — whispers of survival, of hiding in the dark, of tanks rumbling through the night. One of those stories? It took place right beneath our feet, in the cellar of La Ruche, beside today’s Ursula Gîte.

🪖 Nicorps: “The Crow’s Nest” of Normandy

The name Nicorps comes from the Latin Nidus Corvorum, meaning "The Crow’s Nest". A poetic name—and during World War II, a strategic one. This small hilltop village near Coutances became a key lookout point and staging ground during the summer of 1944, as D-Day launched the Allied liberation of Normandy.

Nicorps wasn’t on a front page. It wasn’t on a beach. But it mattered. The high ground offered long views over the Normandy countryside, and the hedgerows, barns, and back lanes provided excellent cover for soldiers and supply lines. And so it became home—briefly and grimly—to one of the most infamous units of the war.

In June and July 1944, Nicorps was occupied by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division “Götz von Berlichingen”. Formed in 1943, this unit was part of the Waffen-SS, the military arm of Hitler’s Schutzstaffel. They were young, under-trained, and poorly equipped—but fiercely indoctrinated and desperate to prove themselves against the Allied push inland from the D-Day beaches.

Why Did the Nazis Choose Nicorps?

• 📍 Strategic elevation: The village sits high, with views in every direction—ideal for spotting troop movements.
• 🛡️ Hidden in plain sight: Close to Coutances but tucked into hedgerow country, Nicorps was both accessible and concealable.
• 🌾 Cover for tanks: The fields and tree lines were used to shelter tanks and ammunition from Allied bombers.

Eyewitness accounts describe camouflaged half-tracks hidden in barns, soldiers digging trenches behind hedgerows, and entire convoys rolling through at night, trying to avoid detection from Allied planes sweeping the skies above Normandy.

🚀 Operation Cobra & the Breakout from Normandy

By late July, the Battle of Normandy was approaching stalemate. The Allies had pushed inland from Omaha, Utah, and Gold Beaches, but were bogged down in fierce resistance. The terrain around Saint-Lô was choked with hedgerows, and German counter-attacks were brutal.

To break the line, the Americans launched Operation Cobra on 25 July 1944. This was not a stealthy move. It began with a massive aerial bombardment—nearly 3,000 aircraft dropping bombs over German positions. It was one of the heaviest bombing campaigns of the entire Western Front.

Though Nicorps wasn’t directly flattened, the shockwaves were felt everywhere. The fields trembled. Villages shook. And the 17th SS Division was torn apart. Their units around Coutances—including those in Nicorps—suffered heavy losses. They had no choice but to retreat.

But before they left, they left their mark.

🕯️ Hiding in the Cellar at La Ruche

While tanks rolled above, people hid below. Our neighbour’s family—along with others—took refuge in the stone cellar beneath La Ruche. No light. No idea how long they’d stay. Just the knowledge that outside was no longer safe.

• ⛓️ Hiding from convoys of German troops rolling past in the dark
• ✈️ Sheltering from bombers as explosions echoed across the valley
• ⚔️ Listening to battles in nearby fields, sometimes just over the hedges

They stayed silent for hours. Sometimes for days. The stone walls of La Ruche, built long before modern war, now protected against it. A family home became a bunker. And, somehow, it worked. No one in the cellar was injured. But the experience stayed with them for life.

And then there’s the pond. Today it’s a calm little spot for ducks, dragonflies and the occasional llama to drink from. But in 1944, it was used to dump spent munitions and broken equipment. After the war, locals cleared what they could. But every now and then, we wonder what’s still down there. I haven’t found a tank yet. But I’m still hopeful…

🕊️ Liberation of Nicorps

In early August 1944, just days after Operation Cobra, Nicorps was liberated by Allied troops as they swept south through Coutances and across La Manche. The Germans pulled out. The tanks moved on. The guns fell silent.

What they left behind was trauma, yes—but also resilience. Families rebuilt. Fields were sown again. Stone houses patched their cracks. And slowly, life returned. But it never forgot.

📖 Staying Where History Happened

When you stay at Ursula Gîte, you’re not just booking a holiday—you’re living in the middle of a real World War II site in Normandy. It’s not a museum. It’s not curated. It’s just real. The stories are here, in the land, the stones, the air itself.

• You can visit La Ruche’s cellar door—still in place, still steps from the gîte
• You can walk the same fields where tanks once passed, now filled with cows, horses, sometimes llamas (!) and quiet
• You can connect the D-Day beaches to the Normandy villages they liberated

It’s the quieter side of the D-Day story. The part that doesn’t come with flags and fanfare. Just memory—and the sense that you’re walking where it happened.

🧭 What Else Can You Visit Nearby?

If you’re exploring WWII in Normandy, Nicorps is a great base. Within 45–60 minutes, you can visit:

• The D-Day beaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold and the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc
• Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
• German military cemeteries near Marigny and Orglandes
• Memorials and museums in Saint-Lô, Sainte-Mère-Église, and Bayeux
• Écomusée de la Libération – a rural museum of daily life during the war, near Gavray

But some of the most powerful moments come right here. A walk through Nicorps. A quiet evening on the terrace. A view across the valley where tanks once hid. WWII history in Normandy isn’t just on display. It’s alive in the land.

Ready to explore Normandy?