Members of the Sicherheitsdienst stormed French government institutions and moved French officials, including Philippe Ptain, to Belfort in Eastern France. Hickman, Kennedy. When Alexander took command on February 20, 1943, one of his first tasks was to assess II Corps combat readiness after its setbacks during its early engagements around Kasserine Pass. Navy underwater demolition teams were to accompany the first wave of troops and remove underwater and beach obstacles. Capturing Montlimar on August 29, Devers pushed forward VI Corps and the French II Corps in pursuit of Blaskowitz. With the collapse of the Vichy regime, troops of the Provisional Government of the French Republic re-established control of the French political institutions. Despite Churchill's objections, the operation was authorized by the Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff on 14July, then renamed Dragoon on 1August. The choice for the disembarkation site was an area on the Var coast east of Toulon. When darkness fell, German guns on the French mainland at Cap Benat shelled Port-Cros. Troops from the FFI supported the Americans, harassing German troops through the entire battle. In the spring of 1940, German leader Adolph Hitler staged successful . Of its units, only Lieutenant General Wend von Wietersheim's 11th Panzer Division remained as an effective mobile force, though all but one of its tank battalions had been transferred north. Though its value was debated, Operation Dragoon saw Devers and Patch clear southern France in faster than expected time while effectively gutting Army Group G. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Read full overview. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. Following Taskforce Butler was the 36th Infantry Division. Operation Dragoon summary: This was the name given to the southern France invasion of Allied forces on 8.15.1944 in World War II. [67][68], During their fighting retreat up the Rhne, the Germans also withdrew their remaining forces from their garrisons in southwestern France. Their efforts were aided by the work of the French Resistance which had damaged communications and transportation networks in the interior. World War II: Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, World War II: Operation Market-Garden Overview, World War II Europe: Fighting in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, World War II: Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University, 85,000-100,000 in the attack area, 285,000-300,000 in region, US Army Center for Military History: Campaigns in Southern France. Britain and France declared war in response but could do little to help the Poles. With this force, he launched a two-pronged assault towards LeMuy and the Allied beachhead, as well as toward Draguignan to relieve the LXIICorps headquarters there. However, two German patrol vessels engaged and were sunk by USS Somers (DD-381) on 15 August off the island of Port Cros. On 15 August 1944, Allied forces carried out Operation Dragoon, a set of simultaneous amphibious landings by three US infantry divisions followed by four Free French divisions along the Mediterranean coast of France. [26] Ships of the Western Naval Task Force approached under cover of darkness and were in position at dawn. German units also worked together with French collaborators to subdue partisans, for example against the partisan base at the Vercors massif, but with little lasting result. Finally, on 2 Julynearly a month after the Normandy landingsafter much consultation between the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and British Combined Chiefs of Staff, Anvil was approved and set for 15 August. [43][44] On 17 August, off La Ciotat, a force of two German warships encountered a force of PT boats and gunboats staging a diversionary attack. It enabled them to liberate most of Southern France in just four weeks while inflicting heavy casualties on the German forces, although a substantial part of the best German units were able to escape. On Delta and Alpha beaches, German resistance was low. The Planning of D-Day. Given the advancing Allied forces in northern France, the Germans deemed a realistic defense in the south impossible. During the retreat, about 19,000 men were captured by the Allies and 60,000 men reached Army GroupG's line, where they were integrated into the defense of the Vosges Mountains. Great Britain relied heavily on American manpower and material. The sudden appearance of this new threat shocked Wiese and the German command. Thereafter, large quantities of supplies could be moved north to ease the supply situation. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. [29], The troops were positioned thinly along the French coast, with an average of 90km (56mi) per division. In Churchills postwar memoires, he continued to ridicule the operation. Contents 1 Allied Land forces 1.1 Seventh Army 1.1.1 VI Corps 1.1.2 3rd Infantry Division 1.1.3 36th Infantry Division 1.1.4 45th Infantry Division 1.2 Armee "B" 1.2.1 2me Corps d'Armee 2 Allied Air forces 2.1 Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force By 24August, a substantial number of the 11thPanzer Division had finally reached the battle area. Admiral Hewitt's naval support for the operation included the American battleships Nevada, Texas,[24] and Arkansas, the British battleship Ramillies, and the French battleship Lorraine, with 20 cruisers for gunfire support and naval aircraft from 9 escort carriers assembled as Task Force88.[25]. [42] There were two actions against the Allied naval forces taken by other units. Initial operations commenced on August 14 with the 1st Special Service Force landing in the les d'Hyres. Behind their flight, the Germans destroyed bridges, hoping this would slow down the Allied advance. Eisenhower, World War, 1939-1945. The Allies struck back and retook the hills north of Montlimar, and were able to establish a temporary roadblock on the German escape route. Operation Dragoon field order no. These divisions raced north along the Atlantic coast and then swung towards the east at the Loire to link up with the rest of Army GroupG at Burgundy. A bombing run of 90Allied B-24 bombers was called in against a German strongpoint here. Army GroupG retreated further north, pursued by Allied forces. Even with the assistance of naval fire, the Allies were not able to bring the landing ships close to the shore. [72], Operation Dragoon was considered a success by the Allied forces. This decision would prove to be fatal for the Germans, as it left a large gap in the eastern flank of the retreating Army GroupG. Blaskowitz now decided to sacrifice the 242nd Infantry Division in Toulon, as well as the 244th Infantry Division in Marseille, to buy time for the rest of Army GroupG to retreat through the Rhne Valley, while the 11th Panzer Division and the 198th Infantry Division would shield the retreat in several defense lines. With Army Group B in Normandy facing a crisis as a result of Operation Cobra which saw the Allied forces break out of the beachhead, Hitler had no choice but to approve the full withdrawal of Army Group G on the night of August 16/17. The initial plan was to capture the ports in succession, but the unexpected Allied advance allowed the French commander de Lattre de Tassigny to attack both ports almost simultaneously. Both sides became increasingly frustrated during the fighting, with attack, counterattack, and spoiling attacks, which made launching a decisive offensive hard for the 36thDivision. U.S. Navy and Royal Navy carrier aircraft provided air cover and support to the troops on the beaches. In Toulon, heavy German resistance was encountered, but overcome by 26 August. Again, this Allied success also did not last long, as another attack led by Wietersheim reopened the passage at midnight. Clarke, Jeffrey J., and Robert Ross Smith. (2023, April 5). Overall the landings were successful, with only 104 dead, 24 of which were caused by glider accidents and 18 by parachute accidents. The French Resistance played a major role in the fighting. The American units then retired to Marboz. Seventh Army commander; Vice Admiral H. K. Hewitt, Western Naval Task Force commander; James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy; Rear Admiral A. G. Lemonnier, FN, chief of staff of the French navy (80-G-K-2018). Devers and the Dragoon planning staff prepared well. Due to shipping issues because of the need to continue to supply the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Anvil got squeezed out of Allied plans. Churchill worked to cancel the operation. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. Wiese, as commander of the 19th Army, was also unable to contact Blaskowitz's Army GroupG headquarters, but implemented a plan to push the Allied forces in the LeMuy Saint-Raphal region back into the sea unilaterally. Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Dragoon was argued to have diverted highly experienced men and much-needed materiel away from the continuing fighting at the Western front that could have been used, instead, to bolster the Italian front or to hasten the advance towards the Rhine by the Overlord forces. The main landings were preceded by nighttime paratroop drops and commando beach landings. However, after this speedy advance, the forward Allied forces suffered now from a serious lack of fuel and supplies, which made this task difficult. It enabled them to liberate most of Southern France in just four weeks while inflicting heavy casualties on the German forces (although a substantial part of the best German units were able to escape), and the ports of Marseilles and Toulon were soon in operation. guns need for gliders, it went in first. This success was, however, short-lived, and the Germans were soon pushed back. In conducting Operation Dragoon, the Allies sustained around 17,000 killed and wounded while inflicting losses numbering approximately 7,000 killed, 10,000 wounded, and 130,000 captured on the Germans. However, on seeing the heavy terrain and shattered forces, he refrained and left the headquarters again. Troubridge would provide air and naval gunfire support. [33][34], On Port-Cros, the 1st Regiment drove the German garrison to the western side of the island to an old fort. [78], Statistical and accounting branch office of the adjutant general" p. 93, Provisional Government of the French Republic, "Chapter 10: Overlord Versus the Mediterranean at the Cairo-Tehran Conferences", United States Army Center of Military History, US Army Campaigns of World War II Southern France, The Big Picture Command Decision: The Invasion of Southern France (1963), The Unknown Soldier: The Children of the Resistance, Video showing the recovery of several German soldiers killed shortly after Operation Dragoon in 2006, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Dragoon&oldid=1149017562, This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 17:58. Although initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in Normandy, a lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the second landing. By 3September, Montreval was secure, but the squadron soon found itself trapped by units from the 11thPanzer Division, which surrounded the town. On 19 August, U.S. Navy F6F Hellcats and Royal Navy Seafires, on an armed reconnaissance mission, shot down five enemy bombers near Toulouse, to the west of the Dragoon landing areas.
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