Crécy-en-Ponthieu (), known in archaic English as Cressy, is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

located south of Calais in the northern French department of Somme. It gives its name to Crécy Forest, which starts about two kilometres to the south-west of the town and is one of the largest in the north of France. A small river, the Maye, runs through the town.

History

Crécy-en-Ponthieu is best known as the site of the

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...

in 1346, one of the earliest and most important battles of the Hundred Years' War. There are other significant historical links. The Chausée Brunehaut, which passed within two miles (3.2 km) of the town, is the Roman road from Paris and Amiens to Boulogne, and is still visible and walkable today. The town lends its name to a popular carrot soup known as ''potage Crécy''.

Airfield

The British built an airfield in Crécy to provide air support before the fall of France in 1940. During the Battle of France, the plan seems to have been to deploy

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

squadrons of

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

light bombers there, but it is not clear how intensively the airfield was used. In the confused days of mid-May 1940 one squadron that was ordered to deploy there did not due to the absence of any military protection. It is most notable for its occupation by the German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, with Gruppe

Zerstörergeschwader 26 ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 26 (ZG 26) "Horst Wessel" was a Luftwaffe heavy fighter wing of World War II. Formed on 1 May 1939, ZG 26 was initially armed with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 single-engine interceptor due to production shortfalls with t ...

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

s stationed there from May 1940 until November 1940 when, after the end of the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, the Gruppe was withdrawn to Germany to rest and re-equip. Several other squadrons came and went, including some Messerschmitt Bf 109s. The entrance to the airfield is still visible on the left of the D12 road from Crécy to Ligescourt, midway between the two. Some fortified installations are also visible, hidden beneath trees on various sides of the airfield.

Museum

The Crécy museum holds a collection of items, displayed over two rooms and a passageway. The collection includes information about the battle of Crecy as well as various items from the Second World War, pre-historic material and geological specimens.

Railway

There was a station (Crécy-Estrées) on a branch of the Réseau des Bains de Mer which ran between

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

and Dompierre-sur-Authie. It opened on 19 June 1892 and closed to passengers on 10 March 1947 and freight on 1 February 1951.

References

ZG26 deployment details

External links

Somme Tourism Board Crécy-en-Ponthieu information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crecyenponthieu Communes of Somme (department)