Ranville

Ranville
The belltower of the church in Ranville
The belltower of the church in Ranville
Coat of arms of Ranville
Location of Ranville
Map
Ranville is located in France
Ranville
Ranville
Ranville is located in Normandy
Ranville
Ranville
Coordinates: 49°13′55″N 0°15′23″W / 49.2319°N 0.2564°W / 49.2319; -0.2564
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementLisieux
CantonCabourg
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Luc Adélaïde[1]
Area
1
8.42 km2 (3.25 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,982
 • Density240/km2 (610/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
14530 /14860
Elevation1–49 m (3.3–160.8 ft)
(avg. 26 m or 85 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ranville (French pronunciation: [ʁɑ̃vil] ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Ranville was the first French village liberated on D-Day. The village was liberated by the British 13th Parachute Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Luard. The château du Heaume in the village was subsequently used by the headquarters of the British 6th Airborne Division.

The village features prominently in the book 13 - Lucky For Some which is about the history of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion. There are many then and now photographs as well as maps and diagrams of battles that took place in the region.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.