Courcelette
Encyclopedia
Courcelette is a commune
in the Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France
.
.
during the Somme Offensive of the First World War during which the village was razed. The village was assigned as the major objective of the Canadian Corps
during that battle and they succeeded in capturing it. Accordingly, the actions and sacrifices of the Canadians are commemorated at the Courcelette Memorial
which is just south of the village beside the D929 roadway.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Courcelette is situated on the D929 and D107 crossroads, some 30 miles (48 km) northeast of AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
.
History
Courcelette was a major tactical objective in the Battle of Flers-CourceletteBattle of Flers-Courcelette
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
during the Somme Offensive of the First World War during which the village was razed. The village was assigned as the major objective of the Canadian Corps
Canadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916...
during that battle and they succeeded in capturing it. Accordingly, the actions and sacrifices of the Canadians are commemorated at the Courcelette Memorial
Courcelette Memorial
The Courcelette Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in the final two and a half months of the infamous four and a half month long Somme Offensive of the First World War...
which is just south of the village beside the D929 roadway.