Operation Dragoon

This WWII military study sheds light on the overlooked Allied landing in Provence and the liberation of Southern France.

The Allied landings in the south of France in August 1944, are often seen as a sideshow supporting the crucial D-Day landings in Normandy. Indeed, the operation is often criticized as an expensive diversion of men and equipment from the struggle against the German armies in Italy. Yet, as Anthony Tucker-Jones shows in this in-depth study, Operation Dragoon and the subsequent Allied advance across southern France were key stages in the liberation of Europe with far-reaching political and military ramifications.

In vivid detail Anthony Tucker-Jones tells the story of the high-level strategic argument that gave birth to Dragoon, and he looks at the impact of the operation on the direction and duration of the war against Nazi Germany. He also describes the course of the invasion on the ground: the massive logistical effort required, the landings themselves, the role played by the French resistance, and the bitter battles fought against German rearguards as they sought to retain France’s southern cities and cover their withdrawal toward the strategic Belfort Gap.