On the west side of the Rue de la Libération road.

Monument

A stele bearing two plaques below the Cross of Lorraine. On August 4, 1944, Châteaubriant was liberated from German occupation after a brief but intense conflict. Before liberation, the town was in a dire situation, suffering from communication and resource shortages and the presence of retreating German soldiers, leading to heightened anticipation as rumors of advancing American forces circulated.

In the early hours of August 4, a small German convoy arrived in the town, unaware that American troops led by Colonel Dager were approaching from Rennes. By 4 a.m., American tanks entered Châteaubriant, surprising the remaining residents.

Three key confrontations occurred between 6 and 10 a.m., where American forces engaged German troops in chaotic exchanges. An American half-track took fire but managed to disable a German cannon before being destroyed. A negotiation attempt resulted in the shooting of an American sergeant, prompting American tanks to respond aggressively.

By late morning, the fighting ended with thirty-two fatalities: six Americans, twenty-five Germans, and one French civilian. The German gendarmerie was effectively dismantled. Although American forces departed shortly after, General Patton's army corps officially entered Châteaubriant the next day, welcomed by celebratory crowds marking their liberation.

Source of information: www.ouest-france.fr

Source of photo: www.memorialgenweb.org

Upper Plaque:

ILLEGIBLE

Lower Plaque:

Aux Soldats Americains

Mort Pour La Liberation

De Chateaubriand

le 4 Aout 1944

English Translation:

To American Soldiers

Died for the Liberation

Of Chateaubriand

on August 4, 1944