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Full Description
The French naval bases at St. Nazaire and Lorient, occupied by the Germans in June 1940, quickly became the homes of massive U-boat fortresses—nearly indestructible submarine pens, built by mostly slave labor. The Royal Air Force began an all-out bombardment of the two ports. Despite their extensive efforts—and those of the Americans who joined them in 1942—the fortresses would survive, surrounded by the decimated French towns and countryside. This is the story of what was, perhaps, the longest ongoing battle in Europe during the Second World War, seen through the eyes of someone who experienced much of it firsthand.
The desperate battle was waged on land, air, and sea. Because the dock at St. Nazaire could house and repair Hitler's powerful warship Tirpitz, British commandos carried out a daring raid to destroy it in March of 1942. They succeeded, but with great loss of life. The defenses of these fortresses were so strong that Eisenhower would ultimately decide to seek containment rather than destruction. The 66th Division, on its way to take up the task, lost its troopship Leopoldville to a German torpedo, with a loss of 802 men. The French underground movement in the area spawned a fighting force of 40,000 men to fight alongside the Americans, but the subsequent German reprisals would ultimately destroy many families in Brittany. Yet the bases stood, and continue to stand today.
Contents
1940 The Beginning The Vichy Government Bombardment U-Boat Menace The Resistance Personal Experiences 1941 Expansion of U-Boat Bases The Resistance 1942 U-Boat Destruction British Commando Raid on St. Nazaire Bombardment--Enter the United States of America 1943 Apocalypse Turning Point in the Atlantic Bombardment Intensifies French Forces of the Interior: Origin of Personal Stories 1944 Germans on the Defense French Forces of the Interior Battle Germans Battle of Saint Marcel 1944: July, August, September Breakout and Engagement Allies and French Forces of the Interior on the Offensive The Tragedy of Hennebont The 83rd Division Captures 20,000 Germans 1944: October, November, December Ground War: 94th Infantry Division Takes Over French Battle Germans South of the Loire River The Sinking of the Leopoldville 1945 Enter the 66th Infantry Division Personal Combat Experiences Official Record of the 66th Infantry Division French Forces Reorganize and Strongly Hold the Line Surrender Monuments
