I was reading in one of my WW2 books about the Normandy campaign and I noticed a small map of the Brest campaign that took my interest



According to the map some German forces kept theyre positions until may 8, 1945 at Lorient and St. Nazere, and I wonder how they did it, since they where cut off from any reinforcements and supplies.

Does anybody know anything about this event?

They must have had enough supplies stored away to hold out this long,also the German garrisons in the Channel Islands held out until the end too.

These were the Naval ports the Germans used. They would have been well stocked. As they were bypassed during the Normandy invasion and the Germans maintained themselves, they were left in relative peace until the end drew near

the germans in those areas didnt hold out, thats implies some sort of fighting took place, they were largely ignored, as removing them was not a priority. thew eyes of the allies were firmly fixed on paris then berlin!

cheers

joe

The Germans forces in these ports were fortress troops and basically immobile. If they left there garrisons the former French resistance and allied air forces would have had a field day. The Allies did not need those ports, so why waste lives thrying to clear them. The US and UK were short infantrymen as it was.