The Germans were defending their fortifications above the beaches. Caen, Cherbourg, Carentan, Falaise and other Norman towns had many casualties in the Battle of Normandy. The German defenders fought aggressively but were constantly pushed back. The battle for Normandy continued until the closing of the Falaise pocket. The liberation of Le Havre followed. That allowed the breakout of Allied forces into France and finally Germany and was a significant in the war. It led to the restoration of the French government in France. The last bit of Normandy was liberated only on 9 May 1945, at the end of the war un Europe, when the German occupation of the Channel Islands effectively ended.