Combles

Combles
Combles
Location within Hauts-de-France region  Combles
Coordinates: 50°00′36″N 2°51′58″E / 50.01°N 2.8661°E / 50.01; 2.8661Coordinates: 50°00′36″N 2°51′58″E / 50.01°N 2.8661°E / 50.01; 2.8661
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Somme
Arrondissement	Péronne
Canton	Combles
Intercommunality	Canton of Combles
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	René Damay
Area1	9.87 km2 (3.81 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	718
• Density	73/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	80204 / 80360
Elevation	83–153 m (272–502 ft) (avg. 30 m or 98 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Combles is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography

Combles is situated on the D20 road, some 50 km (31 mi) north-east of Amiens.

History

Combles after its capture in 1916 by British and French troops

Söldenau war memorial (Ortenburg, Germany); among the dead is Georg Reiter, killed at Combles on 30 April 1916

Combles was the operations centre for the battle of Bapaume during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71.

Combles was again at the centre of much fighting during World War I (1914–1918), with many of its buildings damaged and many of its residents injured or killed, not to mention the numerous casualties among the forces in combat there. Many British soldiers who fell in the war are buried in the local cemetery, and there are numerous war cemeteries in the immediate surrounding area.

It has, however, been substantially developed since the war's end.

Population

See also

• Communes of the Somme department

References

• INSEE

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Combles.

• Combles on the Quid website (French)