Destruction and reconstruction of private buildings in Vierville
Beath and descent into the sea
3 - Boulevard de Cauvigny, central west sector
- from villa Current ⟧(included)to villa Hardelay (excluded) -
Above, 1939, plan of the beach of Vierville in 1939, in its central west part, from the Petel villa - Curto today - to the Hardelay villa (based on a plan background established for the needs of the 1944 landing)
Opposite the same beach in 1823, 1878? And 1939. It seems that in 1878 (if this date is correct) the villa Hardelay existed??
Below is the description of the 1939 constructions
V - Villa Hardelay
Between V and W, unbuilt space of 140m
W - Villa Ste-Anne, Tardig (future Ponsart land)
XA - unbuilt land (future Godard land)
X - small house with a flat roof, built after 1930?
Y - Villa les Lézards (Ravenel in 1889) then "les Pinguins"
Z - villa "Le Pigeonnier" (Dr. Guignard before the war)
This villa was very simple before 1900
AA - Appendix Guignard?
AB - Bour, Autumn
AC-?
AD - Petel Annex?
AE - Petel (future Curto)
AF - Tennis Petel
Sketch drawn up in 1945/46 by the War Damage Service
Below, for comparison, the 2006 cadastral plan between the villas Curto and Hardelay
On June 30, 1943, montage of photos taken by an Allied reconnaissance aircraft
Photo from 1947
1995, in the foreground the villa Les Hortensias, then the 2 "Swedish" chalets, reuse of the Reconstruction (Schlim and Bunouf families), then the house of the Denys family (originally built by Mr Prior), then the 2 houses of the Cordelle and the house of Mrs. Prost
All these new houses occupy a very large space that was empty in 1939 to the west of the villa Les Hortensias, and up to the villa W(Tardiff), which is now replaced by the villa of Mrs. Ponsart.
You will find opposite some views of these recent houses
In 1995, from left to right, the houses Denys (ex Prior), Cordelle (2 houses), Prost, Ponsart and Godard
From right to left, the houses of the Cordelle, Prost, Ponsart families (the one with a flat roof, on the site of the pre-war villa W, Godard
(details)villa 72 bld de Cauvigny
(details) in 2000
Villa 72 bld of Cauvigny 
(details) in 2004
Villa W (villa Ste-Anne?, property Tardiff?, coming from Bricquebec?) 4-slope roof with recessed garden and garage. Destroyed by the Germans in 1944,
Reconstruction of a house on this land by the Godard-Ponsart family after the war. The concrete floor of the garage on the edge of the boulevard still exists.
The large villa W (Sainte-Anne, Tardig?) In June 43, with its triple roadside garage
Below, on the right, the same villa Tardig in the first days after June 6, 1944
On the left the small villa (X) with a roof of 4 slopes flattened, probably after 1930, disappeared from 1943. On the right villa Y, Ravenel, existing since 1889.
Destroyed by the Germans in 1944
Villa Y in 1889, "Les Lézards", Ravenel family
Villa Y (Ravenel family) around 1925. its name seems to have changed, the Lizards becoming The Penguins??
Around 1889, the villas Y (the Lizards, Ravenel family) and Z (Guignard family). The latter was rebuilt in another form after 1918:
(On the far right the villa Z, the Pigeon, by Dr. Guignard built on the site of a simpler house existing in 1889),
At the center villa Y, (Ravenel), in gable with new late balcony, around 1935?
Destroyed by the Germans in 1944.
Villa Z,-(Guignard property) with 2 bodies, destroyed by the Germans in 1944. It was preceded by a very simple house
On the right, small building AA, Guignard annex, destroyed by the Germans in 1944
On the left, part of villa Z (Guignard)
The situation on June 30, 43
details villas W, (XA unbuilt land Godard), X (already seems destroyed?), Y Ravenel, Z Guignard, AA, in June 43
details villas Y, Z, AA, AB, AC, AD, AE in June 43
details villas AB, AC, AD, AE, and AF tennis, in June 43
(details) on the left villa AB (property Bour and Automne) with 3 bodies, on the edge of the boulevard, destroyed by the Germans in 1944
On the right villas AC and AE (Petel)
Villa AC, on the edge of the boulevard, gable roof. Destroyed by the Germans in 1944
In the center, AD house, (Petel annex) gable 2 slopes, on the edge of the boulevard, between AC (with bec) and AE (villa Petel, on the hill called Mont Odile on the postcards)
Destroyed by the Germans in 1944
Villa AE (Petel family) on the small mound called Mont Olive
Destroyed by the Germans in 1944
Rebuilt (gîte Curto)
After the Petel house (AE), going west, there was an unbuilt space, including their tennis (noted AF on the map)
Villa AE Petel
In the foreground, the AE Petel villa
(details) villa AE Petel
Here are some more photos and postcards of this part of the boulevard, before the war:
Various views of the boulevard villas under Mount Olive
(details) villa Y in gabion. Notice the construction site of the dike with a bell to darken the piles
(details) from g to d: villas AC pitch pinion, AD 2 slopes front gabion,
On Mount Olive, villa AE (Petel)
Around 1911
(details) from g to d: villa AB with 3 bodies, AC, AE (above - Petel)
Below same point of view
At the bottom the AE Petel villa,
In front, villa W and its garage (the future Ponsart land)
Behind the white spot is the villa X
Then we see the villa Y
Same point of view below
(details) September 1939, villa W with 4 slopes and its garage (future Ponsart land), villa Y with its garage and villa Z.
JPCA is in the canoe
(details) View from the cliff above the Petel villa (AE)
details) view from the AE villa: from g to d: villa AC with bec, villa AB with 3 bodies, at the bottom the villas W X Y Z with mid cliff
(details) from g to d to mid-cliff; villa X small with flattened roof, villa Y (Les Lézards then Les Pingouins, Ravenel family) with gable 2 slopes, villa Z (Le Pigeonnier, Guignard) with 2 bodies,
Around 1914, in the center villas Z, Y, X small with flattened roof, W (4 slopes with its garage at the bottom)
(details) from g to d: villa W with 4 slopes, small villa X of which we can only see the roof, villa Y (the Penguins, Ravenel family) in gable, and next to villa Z with 2 bodies (Le Pigeonnier, Guignard family),
Downstairs: villa AB with 3 bodies
Doubtful identifications: villas Ste-Anne, Le Lézard, Le Pigeonnier
(details) on the right villa AB and AC (with beak)
Above we can see the villas Y and Z
Postcards and post-war photos
General view after the war and before the hard reconstructions
Around 1951
Villas Bordeaux (chaume) and ?, ?
Photographic history of this beach area since 1939
Above, a series of photos taken by the Allied reconnaissance on June 30, 1943
Coast profiles established by the Allies, around January 1944
Photographic profile, around January 1944, from an Allied submarine
February 15, 44
March 24, 44
6 June 1944, 12:15 pm. American tanks are visible on the boulevard and on the beach. In the photo below, we also see the images of 2 stranded LCAs
IGN August 1947
IGN April 1955. work is underway on the Hardelay villa
IGN July 1972. Many villas are being rebuilt. The land of the Cusinberche family, with its 90m of facade is empty, as before the war.
IGN September 1980
IGN June 1984. The Prost and Cordelle villas (the first), appeared, as well as the beginning of construction of the current house of the Denys family.
IGN 1991. The second Villa Cordelle is under construction
