Discover

ENTRE MER & CAMPAGNE : a unique site of the 1939-1945 war, steeped in history



Entre Mer & Campagne is an old farmhouse dating from the 19th century.
It includes a main house and annexes.
During the Second World War, from 1940 to 1944, the farm was occupied by the Germans, as was Octeville sur Mer.
Because of its geographical location, Octeville was considered as one of the key elements of the defence of Le Havre, which with its port and its region had a strategic importance for the occupier.
The German General Staff made it a fortress that included 2 lines of defense, using bunkers, blaukaus, minefields and an anti-tank ditch composed of 3 sections.
From September 1940, the Luftwaffe built the Octeville airfield to take off its fighters. The airfield was requisitioned and the surrounding farms (including Entre Mer & Campagne) were used to shelter the fighter planes. 20 mm anti-aircraft guns surrounded the airfield where a 34-bed bunker was also present under the orders of Doctor Major Hatzmann of the Luftwaffe. The infirmary was located east of the crossroads of the Octeville road and Saint-Just street. Integrated into the Corvée Battery, it was protected by a 380 mm cannon and various structures:
- A personal shelter under a house in the southwest corner of the intersection
-a water reservoir more than 50 m deep (still visible in the garden of Entre Mer & Campagne - photo n°3).
- a transmission centre in the meadow south of Cauchoise Street (photo no. 2)
The whole airfield was protected by networks of trenches where were the German units of the 936th Grenadier Regiment (3rd Battalion) and by the DCA. Saint-Andrieux (our neighbourhood) had become a fortified camp.
In April 1940, the French troops (329th Infantry Regiment) took up position around the airfield and at Octeville-sur-Mer, an English battalion in charge of building a defense line on the outskirts of Le Havre by connecting the cities of Cauville-sur-Mer, Octeville-sur-Mer, Montivilliers and Harfleur: the Evans Line.
The 1st line of defense started from the coast with the hamlet of Saint-Andrieux near the airfield of Octeville-sur-Mer (where we are located) until the wood of the Ardennes to Montivilliers and Harfleur where the valley of the lizard has transformed into a lake of 13 kilometers length.
A 2nd line of defence was located from Octeville to Montivilliers via Fontaine-la-Mallet.
In 1944, the Battle of Le Havre, Operation Astonia, began. It was launched on Sunday 10 September at 17:45 by ground troops on the town of Fontaine-La-Mallet.

On Monday, September 11, the fighting units equipped with special devices designed to force obstacles managed to make their way through the German lines and to take the defences of Octeville-sur-Mer backwards. The first Allied units pierced the German lines and liberated Octeville and Le Havre the next day. Operation Astonia had nearly 45,000 Allied soldiers who surrendered the Fortress of Le Havre on Tuesday, September 12, 1944.
Octeville-sur-Mer, released on September 10, 1944, counted his injuries: 26 civilian deaths; 19 soldiers or resistance fighters killed in combat, 750 homes affected.
Allied casualties amounted to nearly 400 officers and soldiers.
The municipality was 45% devastated.
The Germans tried to set fire to our cottage when they left (it was a straw reserve). Burned farms were found in the ceilings during the work (Photo 1). We kept a few pieces.
The heroic actions of 29 Octevillais and the extent of the destruction explain why Octeville was awarded the War Cross on 10 July 1949.

Fresh or home cooked, here everything is organic ...



Taste the fresh fruit, compote or roasted - the eggs of our Pullets de Luxe omelette or on the dish - the nuts in your salad or as an aperitif, all are harvested here and guaranteed 100% natural. We also recover your bio-waste that will delight the 5 black hens of Entre Mer & Campagne and feed the compost used to feed the flowers and shrubs of the garden.

We also offer in our grocery store, products 100% made in Normandy in partnership with the producers of the region: rillettes of meat or fish, lemonade, tea, culinary hay, honey, jam, gingerbread, cider and apple juice ...
Discover


The Pool



To bathe, to spend the moment with family or friends in all conviviality,

the indoor heated pool is shared with the owners, access is on request.

It is open from 1 May to 30 September from 10am to 6pm, in compliance with the rules of procedure.

The pool is inaccessible in case of rain or thunderstorm to preserve the stability of the water as well as for the safety of bathers.

Remember that children must be equipped with NF standard buoys or armbands if they do not know how to swim and remain under the sole responsibility of their parents.

Image with text



A picture is worth a thousand words. Use this space to focus on the thing which make you great.

The Garden



Shared with the owners, access to the entire garden is conditional on compliance with the internal regulations.

Its access will be limited in case of non-compliance with plantations or disturbance of animals ...
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Breakfast and homemade dinners



In our cottages, you are 100% autonomous. You have at your disposal everything to cook from breakfast to dinner. However, sometimes getting breakfast or dinner and just sneaking under the table is just as enjoyable ...

So, do not hesitate to order, the meal you want:

12€ / person for breakfast

25€ / person for dinner

-> composed of organic products from the garden and/or Normandy, fresh, according to the return of the market, cooked in house

(to be booked and paid 24 hours in advance)

CHASING THE GUZOU



On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Le Havre in 2017, the graffiti artist Havrais Jace created fifty graffiti, scattered throughout the city. This giant urban work was realized in 2 sessions of 15 days each.

The project called "Catch me if you (spray) can" gives you the opportunity to visit Le Havre differently by chasing the gouzou (small cheerful and funny character).

In the gite, you will find a book signed by the artist for Entre Mer & Campagne, allowing you to view all the Gouzous to find.

Paragliding, parachute, venturizone ...

Thrills and sensations guaranteed!

Book your Adrenaline or Sensation stay in the "our stays" tab, in partnership with Bees Skydiving

JUMP

Find your child’s soul by gathering small green pebbles on the beach, at low tide, by visiting the educational farm of Aquacaux, by walking the labyrinth of cliffs (July and August only), by visiting the Natural History Museum of Le Havre, by pedaling in the countryside by bike-rail between the Loges and Etretat returning with the old Micheline ...

ENJOY

Le Havre, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005: its old escalator, the Volcan, its beach, its museums, the Perret district, its open-air art works ...
Etretat, its needle and its cliffs ...
Honfleur, its city centre, its gardens and the Côte de Grâce ...
Lillebonne, its museum & the ruins of the ancient gallo-roman theatre ...
Montivilliers, its Abbey & Brisgaret High ...
Fécamp, its Neuvas Lands and the Benedictine ...

Visit



In the many restaurants in the region, Michelin stars or not (ask us our favorites!)
With our small producers:
- Edible Fields for organic vegetables;
- Fromagerie de la Garenne (sheep)
- The Léonie Basket (raw milk, butter, ice cream, farm cream)
- Bertrand’s Pains d'Epices ...
and on the markets of Gonneville la Mallet, du Havre, d' Octeville sur Mer

FEAST



On foot: on the GR21, elected favourite trail of the French in 2020.

By bike: on the Vélomaritime, the Eurovéloroute n°4 connecting Kiev to Roscoff or on the Green Ways around the cottage.

By Vélorail and Tourist Train: connecting Les Loges to Etretat

TREKKING

Unknown site of the landing of 1944, Museums (Natural History, MuMa ...), Apartment Perret, Parks and Gardens, Distilleries, Works of Art outdoors ... the places to discover are many around our cottage; do not hesitate to ask us our good addresses !

SELF-DEVELOPMENT

Shows, concerts, plays, shopping, basketball, football, hand shows, sailing races, there is something for everyone.

Consider booking your stay in advance so you can attend

HAVE FUN

Two golf courses are available:

- Octeville sur Mer, on the other side of the village: 9 or 18 holes, a driving range, a club house, a shop ...

- Etretat: 18 holes, a driving range, a restaurant, a shop, a club house ...

GOLF

If you like antique furniture or objects, second-hand clothes or jewellery, visit Emmaus in Cauville sur Mer. In addition to preserving the planet’s resources through reuse, you will act in solidarity.

ANTIQUES