Mid August 1944, a little over two months
after the launching of Operation Overlord, while Normandy
was still the arena of confrontations between Allied and
German troops, hope was already returning to the capital,
which had been under siege for four good years.
The Allied High Command decided to open up a second front
in the south of the French territory in a bid to disperse
German troops. Chosen as site for the implementation of this
strategy was the coast of Provence, the sector stretching
from Lavandou to Saint Raphael, with length equivalent to
that of the area which had been chosen for the Normandy bridgehead
(taking into account the the Var beach section).
The 1st French Army, with its seven divisions comprising
260 000 combatants engaged in this large-scale operation,
was commanded by General de Lattre de Tassigny, while the
7th American Army, which made up the rest of the strength,
was under General Patch’s orders. On the whole, this
adventure mobilized about 400 000 men: parachuted, transported,
airborne or brought in by numerous aircrafts and some two
thousand vessels.
Action began on French territory in the night of the 14
th breaking the 15 th of August with the dropping in the
Argens valley, between the Muy and Fréjus, south east
of Draguignan, of 5 000 parachutists who upon arrival were
immediately received and backed up by the F.F.I. (Internal
French Forces), who had been notified by British radio. French
commandos and American rangers infiltrated Lavandou, Cap
Nègre and the Levantaux islands, and conquered several
positions.
In the mourning, after intense artillery preparation and
air bombardment on German batteries, three U.S. divisions
landed at the beaches of Var, in the stretch between Cavalaire
and St Raphael. The following day, French troops went into
action with the liberation of Toulon and Marseille as their
mission.
Liberation
of Toulon, Marseille, Aubagne...
In Toulon , French volunteers
put up an exemplary fight. Shock troops and commandos, despite
the heavy losses they incurred, gradually annihilated the
dreadful enemy batteries on the mountains that towered over
the city, notably on Mount Faron and Mount Caume . On August
20, Colonial troops penetrated into the city, and after a
week of serious fighting during which 17 000 Germans were
taken prisoners, they finally liberated it on August 27.
Liberation of Marseille – A Sherman tank of the 2nd Cuirassiers,
armoured regiment of the Algerian 3rd Infantry Division,
in front of the Longchamp Palace - Source ECPAD
On August 23, Marseille, where there had been an uprising,
witnessed the linkup of the Resistance with General de Monsabert’s
infantry division. Footsoldiers, colonial infantrymen, cuirassiers
and combatants of the Internal French forces became caught
up in fierce fighting against German troops, especially around
Notre Dame de la Garde. On August 28, the capitulation of
37 000 German soldiers was obtained; Aubagne, conquered by
Moroccans, joined the list of liberated cities.
End of Operation Anvil-Dragoon
It portrayed the courage and exceptional fervour of 1st
French Army volunteer combatants who selflessly fought
to liberate the National territory. This operation ended
several weeks ahead of the date the Command had projected.
Taking advantage of this extra time, the Command started
chasing enemy units which were pushing back northwards.