sábado, 16 de agosto de 2014

Operation Dragoon in southern France in 1944



Were released 5,000 soldiers parachuted to resume the RN 7, strategic axis for the Rhone Valley, with the intention of isolating German forces and then take Marseille and Toulon, which supplied an important logistics ports by sea. The success of the operation allowed Allied troops together with the soldiers who landed at Normandy.

The aerial assault plan, naval followed: on the morning of August 15, 1944, 50 thousand men landed on the coast of Var.

During the night, the North and South, franco-Moroccan troops managed to cut German supply routes. At the same time, American troops destroyed the artillery on the islands off the coast of Hyères.



An important maritime fleet of 220 American and British ships, coming from North Africa, of Corsica and southern Italy closed the South flank. The allies faced 250 thousand men of the German army which controlled Provence. The resistance of the units of the German army was practically nil, so that, after landing the allies lost only 183 men.

Despite some attempts to counter-attack in Arles, the Allied advance was particularly fast: on August 21, were released Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Avignon.

From then on, the French and American units conquered Toulon and Marseille and in the East, Cannes and Nice. The Germans surrendered on the orders of Hitler.

In 14 days, the South of France was freed. Sturdy and allies marched through city streets to the sound of applause from the population.

The Marseillaise never forgot the Liberation Day on August 15.

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