Coudehard-Montormel Memorial, World War II memorial on Hill 262 in Normandy, France

The Coudehard-Montormel Memorial stands on Hill 262 with views across the Dives Valley where critical battles of the Normandy Campaign took place. The site includes both an outdoor monument and an underground museum containing exhibitions about the fighting and the soldiers involved.

The memorial marks where Allied forces closed the Falaise Pocket on August 21, 1944, leading to the German retreat from Normandy. This battle was a turning point that accelerated the liberation of Western Europe.

The Poles who held Hill 262 from 19 to 22 August 1944 called it Maczuga, "the mace", after the shape of the hill. The 1st Polish Armoured Division under General Maczek, some 2,000 men, withstood German pressure there. A plaque on the black sculpture bears the inscription "2 DIM", and the words PRO LIBER are carved into the stone wall.

The open-air monument sits at the top of Hill 262, while the museum is cut into the hillside below it; the two are a short walk apart. The site stands in open countryside between Coudehard and Mont-Ormel, so arriving by car is the practical option. Allow time for both the summit and the museum rooms.

The monument was built in 1965, but the underground museum was not added until 1994, creating an unusual mix of traditional monument and modern museum architecture. This second phase significantly expanded what visitors can learn about the battle and its impact.