​​General Montgomery’s tactical HQ at Château de Creullet

​​​Once ashore in Normandy, General Montgomery, Commander of the 21st Army Group was responsible for all Allied ground forces. He wanted to be as close as possible to the front line of his units.

​After various locations were considered, it was the Château de Creullet, in the valley of the Seulles, that was selected, on the bank opposite the village of Creully. It was here that his mobile command post was setup. On the large lawns at the back of the castle, he installed the three trailers, forming his tactical headquarters from 8 June 1944.

At the boundary of the British sector of Gold, and Canadian sector of Juno, the village of Creully was liberated on the afternoon of 6 June by Canadian troops. Later, British troops moved into the village. The bridge over the river was to form a crossing point frequently used by Allied troops during the Battle of Normandy to advance south. Its proximity to the Lantheuil field aerodrome, once constructed, would only strengthen this strategic position of Creully during the summer of 1944.

From here, Montgomery coordinated the main phases of the battle. During his stay at the castle, Montgomery was visited by many personalities including the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 12 June, General de Gaulle on 14 June, General Eisenhower, commander in chief of the Allied forces on 15 June, and King George VI on 16 June.

​It was also in Creully that the BBC war reporters settled on 7 June before their departure to the nearby Château de Creully as soon as a powerful transmitter were put into service at the top of its square tower.

​The location of Montgomery HQ was kept secret until he left for another HQ in Blay, on 22 June 1944. Château de Creullet was spared damage by the war. It is now a private property and cannot be publicly accessed. On occasions its park is sometimes accessible for guided tours.