Clemenceau Hospital Caen

The Clemenceau Hospital was inaugurated in 1908, conceived as a modern pavilion-style complex outside the medieval center of Caen.

When the Germans entered Caen in June 1940, they took over the hospital for military medical purposes, but it remained open to local civilians, who depended on it as the city’s main healthcare facility. This dual role created tensions, as resources were often diverted to the Wehrmacht, yet French doctors and nurses continued to work there under difficult conditions.

Following the unsuccessful Aquatint raid in September 1942, injured British commandos were brought here for care.

During the Allied bombing campaigns of 1944 and the ferocious fighting of the Battle of Caen, the hospital became overwhelmed with casualties. It treated not only German and Allied soldiers but also large numbers of civilians injured in the bombardments. Despite the destruction that leveled much of Caen, the Clemenceau complex itself survived, though it was strained to its limits. Its survival allowed it to continue functioning immediately after the liberation, when medical needs were immense.

Today, much of the Clemenceau site has been decommissioned and demolished.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Roi.dagobert
• FOURNIER, G. & HEINTZ, A., "IF I MUST DIE...", OREP, 2006.