Falaise trip planner

Falaise is a town (population 9,000) on the Ante River in the French region of Lower Normandy, famous as the birthplace of William the Conquerer and the scene of the fierce fighting of August 1944 associated with the Allied "breakout" from the "Falaise pocket" that built up after the D-Day landings, to drive towards Paris during the Western campaign against the German occupation.

In August 1944, two German armies were encircled and destroyed by the British 2nd Army in their attempt to breakout of the "Falaise pocket" (also known as the "Falaise gap"). Some 10,000 German troops were killed and 50,000 taken prisoner. Two-thirds of Falaise was destroyed by Allied bombing before the town was eventually taken by Canadian and Polish troops. Falaise was largely restored after the war. Plan the details of your Falaise holiday and any onward adventuring with our easy-to-use France online trip itinerary builder.