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Courseulles-sur-Mer (Municipality, Calvados, France)

by Arnaud Leroy

Presentation of Courseulles
Description of the flag of Courseulles
Société des Régates de Courseulles

See also:

Presentation of Courseulles

Courseulles-sur-Mer (3,000 inhabitants) is a recreational port and sea resort located on the Côte de Nacre (Mother-of-Pearl Coast) of the Channel.
Courseulles is also renowned for its oyster parks.

Courseulles was part of the Juno Beach sector during the Normandy landing in June 1944.
The Juno Beach sector, stretching from Ver-sur-Mer to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, was the landing sector of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division, commanded by general Keller. The village of Courseulles is built on the mouth of the river Seulles, which was heavily fortified by the Germans.
On 6 June 1944, 7:45, the amphibious tanks of the 1st Hussars were put on sea, ca. 3 kilometers from the expected landing place. Several of them went down because of the heavy swell. Those who could reach the beach immediatly opened fire on the German positions, thus allowing the 7th Brigade to land and liberate Courseulles in a few hours.
On the evening of 6 June 1944, 21,500 men and 3,200 vehicles had landed on Juno Beach.

The western beach of Courseulles was secured and use for landing by Winston Churchill (12 June 1944), General de Gaulle on his way to Bayeux (14 June), and H.M. George VI visiting his troops (16 June).

The Canadian and Allied breakthrough is commemorated by several monuments in Courseulles, including:

the Juno Beach Center;
an American Sherman tank, picked up from the sea in 1970, restored and shown on a square near the seafront. The insignia of the units which took part to the Juno Beach landing have been soldered on the tank;
the Cross of Lorraine Monument, a big iron cross of Lorraine placed on the western seafront, to commemorate general de Gaulle's return to France;
the Regina Rifle stele, built near the beach, commemorating the sacrifice of 458 men from this regiment;
the Liberation Monument, also built near the beach, commemorating the landing and the liberation of the city. A German cannon showing traces of the fighting has also been preserved and placed near the monument;
the Combattante stele.

Source: Normandy Memorial website

Ivan Sache, 11 January 2004

Description of the flag of Courseulles

The flag of Courseulles-sur-Mer is white with the greater municipal arms and the name of the city written in black above the shield.

Or a chevron azure three escallops argent, chief per pale azure and gules a star argent.

There is a white anchor outlined in black placed in the background (see the municipal coat of arms of Trouville and Deauville) and two crossed vegetal boughs surrounding the shield.
The scallops on the arms probably refer to scallop fishing (see the coat of arms of Sainte-Adresse) rather than to St. James.

Ivan Sache, 11 January 2004

Société des Régates de Courseulles

by Ivan Sache

The Société des Régates de Courseulles has a very simple burgee, vertically divided blue-red with a large white star in the center. This design is based on the chief of the municipal coat of arms.

Source: SRC website

Ivan Sache, 12 May 2001