Battlefields and Beachheads of the South of France

While the North of France tends to receive the most attention in terms of its World War Two battlefields and beaches, with the Normandy landings being central to turning the tide of the war in Europe, the South of France did play an important part. The South’s role in the Allied reclaiming of France came as part of Anvil and later Dragoon operations that aimed to support the North of France’s landings by securing the Southern coast ports, before moving inland.

The Southern France campaign did, however, meet with opposition, with Allied forces already stretched in the mountains of Italy; the Allies were also occupied by the invasion of Normandy. US President Dwight Eisenhower pushed for the Dragoon mission as a way of providing relief to troops in Normandy, and the mission was launched from Corsica on 15 August 1944. A number of decoy missions were sent out, before the Allies attacked the beaches of Calvaire-sur-Mer, Saint-Tropez, and Saint-Raphael. From there, the Allies were able to seize the port cities of Toulon, Marseilles, and Cannes, before moving to join up with General Patton’s forces in Dijon and Lyon by mid September.

For visitors today, the beachheads of the Cote D’Azur represent excellent destinations to explore how the invasion of the South of France passed by with relatively little of the problems of Normandy and Brittany. The French Resistance had already achieved significant gains in the South, with French troops and the US VI Corps able to spearhead attacks. Tours are available of the main beaches of St. Raphael, St. Tropez, and Calvaire-sur-Mer, albeit without the same military remains and evidence of shelling that can be viewed in Normandy from the D-Day Landings.

If following the route of the Allies’ progression to take important cities and ports, you can see the Memorial du Debarquement museum at Toulon, which partially commemorates the Allied landing force. Some evidence of bombing can still be viewed in Marseilles, although much of the damage inflicted by bombing during WWII has been built over; a partially built German U Boat Bunker in Vieux Port is still visible, however.

Visitors travelling up to Lyon, where the Allied forces that had secured the South were able to consolidate their victory, and the eventual annexation of France from the Germans, have a lot of options for private and public tours. As well as playing a key role in the South of France’s part in the end of World War II, Lyon was also the capital of the French Resistance; many refugees passed through the city, while Resistance leader Jean Moulin was arrested in Lyons’ suburbs.

The Centre for the History of Resistance and Deportation should be a priority for anyone that wants to learn more about the important role played by the French Resistance during the German occupation. Other sites that are worth seeing include Montiuc prison. Moreover, the city of Dijon in Eastern France, which was used as another key post for consolidating the Allies’ victory over the Germans, is notable for its Air Base, which represented an important part of the German and French air missions, and is still in use today.

Rob James is a well seasoned traveller, having visited many places around the world.  He likes renting gites in France from Chez Nous.  Rob can be found blogging about his many adventures around the globe.

Battlefields and Beachheads of the South of France is a post from: Aviation news – Planegrazy

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