15. Overshadowed by the more famous Normandy Landings in June 1944, Operation Dragoon saw the Allies rapidly regain control over a huge portion of France in just four weeks
Originally intended to coincide with the D-Day Normandy Landings, which took place on June 6, 1944, Operation Dragoon – the Allied invasion of the French Riviera – was forced to be postponed due to the lack of available landing-craft. Revived in August, following the distraction of the Germans and relocation of enemy troops, conditions for the liberation of Southern France were regarded as opportune. Landing on August 15, Allied troops, supported by an uprising by the French resistance, stormed the overwhelmed German positions. Forced to withdraw through the Rhône valley, the Germans eventually rallied and established a defensive line at Dijon.
Suffering approximately twenty-five thousand casualties including seven thousand killed, the Germans, in contrast, endured four thousand fewer casualties but also suffered the capture of over one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand of their soldiers. Despite the success of Operation Dragoon, the campaign nonetheless remains controversial. Although liberating a significant portion of France in just four weeks, inflicting heavy strategic losses and opening vital ports to the Allies, the move also allowed German units to escape northwards into the path of Patton and Montgomery. As a result, Churchill’s desired plan to invade the Balkans was forced to be canceled to compensate and instead the Soviets took Vienna to alter the post-war map of Europe.