ARCHITECTURE
The Château de Janville , built at the beginning of the XVII century (around 1610) by Jean Louvel de Janville, is a typical Louis XIII castle of bricks and sandstones listed with the french national trust.
In the XIX century , 2 pavillions were very tastefully added as well as 3 towers on the backside by the Baron of Sancy to create the romantic castle that we see today.
The castle is surrounded by a 40 acres park with hundred years old trees , Japanese maples , numerous roses and rhododendrons. A dove House built in 1781 as well as stables, gate house and other commons building and more recently 2 swimming pools complete the estate.
JANVILLE DURING THE WAR WWII
In 1940 Janville was confiscated by the germans and became the Kommandatur for the region. During autumn 1944, the allied liberated Janville.
Photo of a crew at a stopover in Lucky Strike Camp in 1945
Commemorative monument of B-17 – Paluel
LUCKY STRIKE CAMP was created at the end of 1944 for the transit of Equipment and reinforcement from Le Havre Harbour to the front line.
In 1945 it could accomodate 100 000 pp in tents located around an ex german airstrip.
Then, it became a transit camp for the ex war prisonners and army going back to the USA.
At its peak , 5 000 pp were leaving each day for the USA by plane or ship (through LE HAVRE ) for a total of 89 000 pp.
3 000 germans war prisonners were doing the cooking and cleaning.
At the end of the war on the European front, it became a transit camp for troups being redeployed in the Pacific.
In the summer 1945, 343 733 men went through the lucky strike camp.
Now there is still some remains of the airstripe ( use as a small aerodrome for private aeroplanes),
and the camp is now back to is original purpose, wheat, mustard seeds, flax fields.
Janville and its colza fields
Commemorative monument of the Allied Raid
on Dieppe 19 August 1942