The Dolmen de Bagneux on the south of the town, is 23 meters long and is built from 15 large slabs of the local stone, weighing over 500 tons.

The hastily organized night raid was to stop a planned German Panzer Division, travelling to engage the newly landed allied forces in Normandy.

83 Squadron RAF illuminated the area with flares from four Avro Lancasters and marked the target at low level by three de Havilland Mosquitos.

They hit the approaches to the bridge, blocked the railway cutting and one pierced the roof of the tunnel, bringing down a huge quantity of rock and soil which blocked the tunnel, badly delaying the German reinforcements moving towards Normandy, especially 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.

On 22 June, nine Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the United States Army Air Forces used the new Azon 450 kg (1,000 lb) glide bombs against the Saumur rail bridge;[8] escorted by 43 North American P-51 Mustangs.

During the morning of 24 June, 38 American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses with conventional bombs attacked the bridge; escort was provided by 121 of 135 P-51s.

The town of Saumur was awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm for its resistance and display of French patriotism during the war.

Most of them are from France, though some come from other countries such as Brazil, Germany, and the Soviet Union, as well as axis and allied vehicles of World War Two.

[12] Saumur has a weekly market every Saturday morning with hundreds of stalls open for business in the streets and squares of the old town, from before 8am.