Église Saint-Côme et Saint-Damien d'Angoville au Plain — Local services in Saint-Lô

The Church of Saint-Côme et Saint-Damien in Angoville-au-Plain played an important role during World War 2., especialy during the battle of Normandy in 1944. An event of great importance occurred there on june 6 and 7, 1944 the days after D-Day. Two american medics Robert Wright and Kenneth Moore, turned the church into an improvised medical station to care for the wounded whether Allied, German or civilian. During these critical days despite the fierce fighting outside, the church was a respected as a neutral zone. Wright and Moore cared for 80 people in the church and worked tirelessly to save many lives. Today the church preserves traces of this historic event, including bloodstained pews that still testify to the intensity of fighting and the care given within its walls. The site has become a memorial to honor the courage and humanity shown by these paramedics during one of the darkest periods in modern history. Good to add that during the biggest attacks wile the wounded soldiers were being cared for, a shell fell in to the church, it hit the floor but never exploded. Could this be...

This was a touching stop on the Band of Brothers tour with Overlord Tours. Two medics set up an aid station in this small church where they treated American and German casualties alike on/around D-Day. At one point a local French child was also brought in, also injured. The medics provided care to the child but then had to accompany their units and the child's care was turned over to others. The boy lived and was reunited with one of the medics decades later. There is a small monument to the two medics on the side of the road.

I've included photos showing the monument, one showing a hole in the roof where a mortar shell fell, and another photo of a cracked floor stone. The story as it was relayed to us, is that this is where the mortar shell hit, but failed to detonate.

On the day we visited there were several jeeps lining the road, and twelve to fifteen people outfitted in US Airborne uniforms and equipment. They were also visiting the church...

You have to get a local guide to explain to you the miracle of this church. Such a quiet place with no priest and no services. It was used in WWII by Robert E Wright and Kenneth Moore, medics who cared for approx 90 soldiers (American and 7 Germans) and one young boy, all injured. During their caregiving a shell hit directly on the church, passing through the center of the roof onto the stone floor. It did not explode. This old church was named and dedicated by the locals to St. Côme and St. Damien, two twins, who were also caregivers. Inside the church is also the seashell marking a point on the Camino Pilgrimage. Robert E Wright’s ashes are outside with a small slab bearing only...