A quarry with archaeological excavations
Before operating the new quarry at Amigny, located on a major historical site, TERREAL wanted to work with an archaeologist and the local authorities to develop the quarry.
Context
In recent years there has been a growing interest in the archaeology of World War II heritage in Normandy. On the morning of 25 July 1944, a massive bombing raid on a 9km front line along the Saint-Lô/Périers road by several hundred bombers opened the last act of the exhausting battle of the hedgerows that the American army had been fighting since June on the western flank of the Allied advance in Normandy. Very quickly, the resistance of the German army, already stretched to the limit by more than a month and a half of fighting, would break down, opening the way for the American armoured divisions to break through to the south. This extremely ambitious operation, which benefited from a hitherto unprecedented deployment of firepower, was codenamed COBRA.
These events took place in part on our future quarry located in Amigny.
As part of our social approach to promoting culture and our desire to form partnerships with local associations and communities, we opened the doors of our site to experts before the quarry was developed.
Actions
Before exploiting the new quarry at Amigny, TERREAL wanted to work with an archaeologist, local authorities and the Normandy Victory Museum to highlight the quarry. The quarry is located on a major historical site, the scene of clashes between American military forces and German troops during the liberation of the town of Saint-Lô on 24 and 25 July 1944.
These "mobile excavation" operations are a world first! Inaugurated on 25 July 2019, the first searches are conclusive and have already revealed certain mysteries: a multitude of armaments, a study of the terrain to understand the dynamics of the battle...
Photo credit: S. Eymard