Étréham


Étréham is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern
France.

Toponymy

Oesterham in 1350.
Probably Old Saxon *wester or Old English westre related to "west" and hām "home, hamlet" or, less probably, Old Saxon ōstar related to "east". This place name corresponds to Saxon settlements in Bayeux and in the surrounding Bessin Region in the 5 - 6th century or to Anglo-Scandinavian settlements later in the 10th.

History

World War II

The village was bombed on 8 June 1944, two days after the D-Day landings, by the Big Red One. It was liberated one day later, and about 600 German soldiers were taken prisoner. After the liberation, the Allies used the place called Mont Cauvin in the same commune to store their oil until the conquest of Cherbourg.

Population