Beautiful Brittany
In his book, Lothar Günther Buchheim vividly described life aboard a German submarine and at the U-boat bases; this is a chapter of history worth revisiting.
Brest, Lorient and St. Nazaire have unbelievable stories to tell.
In the fantastic hotel in La Baule, you can recap in the evening on what you have seen, enjoying the setting sun over the incredibly beautiful Mont St. Michel.
Submarines and tanks were the two main maritime and terrestrial weapons used on the battlefields of World War II. Brittany was the home base for the German "wolf pack" U-boats. This is a unique opportunity to research the impressive submarine bunkers, and Saumur offers one of the best tank museums in the world.
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Historical background
A great deal of the German U-boat success during the period of September 1940 – May 1942 can be explained by the availability of French Atlantic ports. The use of them gave the submarines an extra 10 days to hunt Allied ships.
The only major threat was air raids. Admiral Dönitz who was fully aware of the Royal Airforce capabilities convinced Hitler to start a huge bunker program in the new bases. The Organisation Todt (OT) took charge of the project and began to construct enormous buildings in Brest, Lorient and St. Nazaire between 1941 and 1942. The two bunkers in La Pallice, a suburb of La Rochelle and Bordeaux, were built between 1942 and 1943.
These installations are unique in regards to function, architecture and use. Despite the enormous efforts of the US Air Force and Royal Air Force that attacked these bunkers for years the damage was negligible.
The pride of the French tank force, the Museé de Blind in Saumur, is just as unique. This exhibition is one of the most incredible tank museums in the world with vehicles from World War 1 and 2 as well as contemporary tanks.