Atlantic pockets facts for kids

During World War II, the Atlantic pockets were special strong defense points. The German army built them along the coasts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Their goal was to hold out for as long as possible against attacks from the Allies.

In German, these places were called Atlantikfestungen, which means "Atlantic strongholds."

The Allies captured six of these Atlantic pockets between June and October 1944. Other pockets were surrounded and attacked. Three of them gave up in April 1945. The rest surrendered in May 1945, when the war in Europe ended.

Why They Were Called Fortresses

On January 19, 1944, Adolf Hitler declared eleven places along the Atlantic Wall to be "fortresses." He ordered his soldiers to defend them until the very end. He called them Atlantikfestungen.

These important port cities were:

• IJmuiden
• The Hook of Holland
• Dunkirk
• Boulogne-sur-Mer
• Le Havre
• Cherbourg
• Saint-Malo
• Brest
• Lorient
• Saint-Nazaire
• The Gironde estuary

In February and March 1944, three more coastal areas were added to this list. These were the Channel Islands, Calais, and La Rochelle. After D-Day on June 6, 1944, even more places were named fortresses.

What Was Their Purpose?

The main reasons for these fortresses were:

• To gather many soldiers and supplies to control the areas around them.
• To stop the Allies from using important port facilities.
• To keep these ports open for German submarines during the Battle of the Atlantic.
• They also had value for German propaganda, showing they were still strong.

What Happened to the Pockets?

In France, the Allies captured six of these "pockets" between June and October 1944. Other pockets were surrounded by Allied forces. French soldiers freed three of them in April 1945. The remaining pockets surrendered after Germany gave up in May 1945.

List of Atlantic Pockets

Here is a list of the Atlantic pockets. It shows when the Allied attack started and when the German defenders surrendered.

See Also

• Liberation of France