United States Nazi Germany George Patton John Shirley Wood Pierre Herbart Eugen König 8th Infantry Division The liberation of Rennes, along with its surrounding settlements, took place on 4 August 1944 by the joint action of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) and the 8th Infantry Division of the United States Army led by General Georges S. Patton, ending four years of capture of the city by the Nazi Germans as part of the liberation of Brittany.

On June 8, American Martin B-26 Marauder bombers were ordered to bomb the marshalling yard used by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division which was moving up to northern France to confront the Allied bridgehead in Normandy.

[6] On 1 August 1944, while the Americans had just liberated Avranches, the progression of a spearhead from the 4th Armored Division was hampered at 3 p.m. by a German anti-aircraft unit at a place called Maison-Blanche.

On August 2, due to communication problems in the American General Staff and the absence of infantry available to penetrate the city, no progress was made and Major-General John Shirley Wood had Rennes bypassed to the west with his combat groups A and B, going down to Châteaubriant, but he was forced to move towards Vannes and Lorient when he wanted to go back to Angers in the direction of Paris.

[9] On 3 August at the end of the afternoon, the town hall of Rennes had been controlled by the Resistance, under the orders of Pierre Herbart, and Yves Milon, appointed president of the special delegation.