Unloading of Provence

Begun the August 15th 1944, during the Second world war, the unloading in Provence (between Toulon and Cannes) (code name the operation Anvil Dragoon ) delivered by the Alliées troops to the south-east of the France occupied by the German is a battle.

In the beginning called Anvil (anvil in English), the name was changed into Dragoon by Winston Churchill because it was against this unloading (which it compared to Dragonnades, dragooned ) preferring an opening of the troops deployed on the face of Italy towards Balkans in order to take out of clipper the German armed in Central Europe and to arrive at Berlin before the Soviet . He is opposed in particular to De Gaulle, which threatens to withdraw French divisions of the Italian face. The objectives were to release Toulon, Marseilles then to go up the the Rhone until carrying out the junction with the forces of the Opération Overlord unloaded in Normandy.

The Dragoon operation included a landing of sailplanes (Opération Dove) and a false unloading in the north of the Italy (Opération Span).

German defense made up of the XIXe army (primarily of the foreign troops) is dismantled, in particular 11th Panzerdivision, following the sending of reinforcements towards the face of Normandy. Then Hitler operates a fold to avoid surrounding but orders the destruction of the ports of Toulon and Marseilles and to keep these two cities.

Involved forces the August 15th 1944

Units of Wehrmacht

August 1st The Wehrmacht, already committed on the Norman face is in numerical inferiority, it includes/understands at the time of the attack

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