Atlantic Wall Fortresses
Many major ports and positions were made part of the Atlantic Wall and received heavy fortifications. Hitler ordered them all to fight to the end and some of them remained in German hands until the unconditional surrender of Axis Forces on May 8, 1945. Several of the port fortresses were resupplied by submarine after being surrounded by Allied forces. The defenders of these positions included Slavic soldiers and SS troops.
| Location | Commander | Garrison | Details of battle | Surrender | Allied use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherbourg | General von Schlieben | 47,000 men in whole Cotentin Peninsula | Port wrecked by demolitions. Hitler refused to allow demolitions earlier in the year. | June 27, 1944 majority of strong points surrendered | Put back into use by Americans. Limited use by the middle of August |
| Saint-Malo/Dinard | Colonel von Aulock | 12,000+ men including paratroopers and SS | Port wrecked by demolitions. 300 men on the fortified island of Cézembre held out till September 2, 1944. The island controlled the approaches to the port | August 17, 1944. | Out of use for whole campaign |
| Alderney | – | One of the most heavily defended fortresses on the Atlantic Wall | May 16, 1945 | Surrendered a week after the official Nazi Surrender | |
| Brest | General Ramcke | 38,000+ men including the 2nd Parachute Division | Fighting began on August 25, 1944. Port was completely demolished | September 2, 1944 | – |
| Lorient | General Junck | 15,000 | – | May 8, 1945 | Not captured during the conflict |
| Quiberon Bay and Belle Île | General Fahrmbacher | 25,000 | – | – | – |
| St. Nazaire | General Junck | 35,000 | – | May 8, 1945 | Not captured during the conflict |
| La Rochelle/La Pallice | Admiral Schirlitz | Naval Units, 158th Reserve Infantry Division | – | May 8, 1945 | Surrendered after the conflict, following the Allied siege of La Rochelle |
| Le Havre | Colonel Wildermuth | 14,000 | Surrendered after 3 days of fighting | September 14, 1944 | Put back into action in October 1944 |
| Boulogne | General Heim | 10,000 | Fighting started on September 7, 1944 | September 22, 1944 | British opened the port again in October |
| Calais/Cap Gris-Nez | Lt Colonel Schroeder | 9,000 | Batteries at Cap Gris-Nez surrendered a few days earlier. Port heavily damaged | September 30, 1944 | Returned to service late November 1944 |
| Dunkirk | Admiral Friedrich Frisius | 12,000 from the 18th Luftwaffe Ground Division | Port isolated on September 13, 1944 | May 1945 | – |
| Ostend | – | – | No resistance given, port not heavily damaged | – | – |
| Zeebrugge | General Eberding | 14,000 | Held as part of the Scheldt Fortress denying access to the Port of Antwerp. Fighting started in Early October 1944 | November 1, 1944 | First shipment to Antwerp November 28, 1944. Eighty-five days after its capture. |
| Scheldt Fortress | General Daser | 8,000 | Defended South Beveland and Walcheren Island. Fighting started in late October 1944 | November 6, 1944 | – |
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Famous quotes containing the words atlantic and/or wall:
“I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant me and everybody in Africa and Asia and everywhere. But it seems like the Atlantic is an ocean that does not touch anywhere but North America and Europe.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“Me in my vow’d
Picture the sacred wall declares t’have hung
My dank and dropping weeds
To the stern God of Sea.”
—Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus] (65–8)