The Pertuis d'Antioche (French pronunciation: [pɛʁtɥi d‿ɑ̃tjɔʃ], Passage of Antioch) is a strait on the Atlantic coast of Western France between two islands; Île de Ré to the north, and Oléron to the south.
To the east lies the continental coast between the cities of La Rochelle and the naval arsenal of Rochefort; to the west the open ocean.
The ledge extends a quarter league wide of the coast of Oleron, obliging traffic to follow the middle of the channel.
After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon tried to flee to the United States of America from the Pertuis d'Antioche, but eventually surrendered to the English navy, which was blockading the area; he was later sent into exile on the island of Saint Helena.
Even after the Allied invasion of France, La Rochelle remained a pocket of German resistance that surrendered only at the end of the war.