diff --git a/git-flow-release b/git-flow-release
index b28bf42..d436bb1 100644
--- a/git-flow-release
+++ b/git-flow-release
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 usage() {
 	echo "usage: git flow release [list] [-v]"
 	echo "       git flow release start [-F] <version>"
-	echo "       git flow release finish [-Fsump] <version>"
+	echo "       git flow release finish [-Fsumpk] <version>"
 	echo "       git flow release publish <name>"
 	echo "       git flow release track <name>"
 }
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
 	eval set -- "${FLAGS_ARGV}"
 
 	# read arguments into global variables
-	VERSION=$1
+	VERSION=${!#}
 	BRANCH=$PREFIX$VERSION
 }
 
@@ -197,6 +197,7 @@
 	DEFINE_string signingkey "" "use the given GPG-key for the digital signature (implies -s)" u
 	DEFINE_string message "" "use the given tag message" m
 	DEFINE_boolean push false "push to $ORIGIN after performing finish" p
+	DEFINE_boolean keep false 'keep branch after performing finish' k
 
 	parse_args "$@"
 	require_version_arg
@@ -262,7 +263,11 @@
 	fi
 
 	# delete branch
-	git branch -d "$BRANCH"
+	if flag keep; then
+		echo "Keep this branch" > /dev/null
+	else
+		git branch -d "$BRANCH"
+	fi
 
 	if flag push; then
 		git push "$ORIGIN" "$DEVELOP_BRANCH" || \
@@ -281,7 +286,11 @@
 	echo "- Release branch has been merged into '$MASTER_BRANCH'"
 	echo "- The release was tagged '$tagname'"
 	echo "- Release branch has been back-merged into '$DEVELOP_BRANCH'"
-	echo "- Release branch '$BRANCH' has been deleted"
+	if flag keep; then
+		echo "- Release branch '$BRANCH' has been kept"
+	else
+		echo "- Release branch '$BRANCH' has been deleted"
+	fi
 	if flag push; then
 		echo "- '$DEVELOP_BRANCH', '$MASTER_BRANCH' and tags have been pushed to '$ORIGIN'"
 		echo "- Release branch '$BRANCH' in '$ORIGIN' has been deleted."