Pointe de Grave

File:Pointe de Grave Monument.JPG

The American monument marking the country's entry into World War 1 as it was proposed in 1921.

The Pointe de Grave (in occitan: Punta de Grava) is the northernmost tip of the Médoc peninsula,Template:Sfn and marks the Northern end of the pine-clad sandy Landes coastline of Western France. It lies in the commune of Le Verdon-sur-Mer and across the Gironde estuary from the resort town of Royan.Template:Sfn

The offshore Cordouan Lighthouse lies off the point, and a second lighthouse, on the shore, houses a lighthouse museum.Template:Sfn

History

During the First World War, United States troops first landed here.Template:Sfn A monument marked the place,Template:Sfn but it was destroyed by the Germans during their occupation of France on 30 May 1942.Template:Sfn

It is of strategic significance, owing to its position at the mouth of the Gironde estuary and was the site of a German fortress during the Second World War, built to guard the entrance to that estuary. In April 1945, US Eighth Air Force B-24s of the 458th Bombardment Group set a new record for precision bombing and destroyed a German battery.Template:Sfn

The old blockhouse provides panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Cordouan Lighthouse, the Gironde estuary, Royan, the La Coubre Lighthouse, further up the coast from Royan and the Médoc peninsula itself.