On June 6^th 1944, shortly after 8 pm, several waves of American bombers dropped tonnes of bombs onto the capital of the bocage. As the houses in Vire were built very close together, few districts were left untouched.

  In the night of June 6^th-7^th, it was the turn of British bombers to pound the town – or what was left of it. Fortunately, most of the survivors from the first raid had already fled the ruins and sought refuge in the surrounding area, so the number of victims was far lower this time.

   350 people were killed altogether.