The Battle of Toulon
As the Americans drove north from the Dragoon beachhead, the French First Army, comprised of mostly colonial troops, was tasked with seizing the ports of Toulon and Marseille, the main objectives of Operation Dragoon. Toulon was the main base of the French Navy, and had seen the scuttling of most of the French fleet in November 1942. Nearly impregnable from seaborne assault, Toulon was to be attacked following the Dragoon landings from land. Prior to the invasion numerous air raids were launched against the port’s defenses, which had little effect on the big guns defending the port. German troops established a defensive perimeter outside the city.
As the French colonial troops, accompanied by the 1st Free French Division, advanced towards Toulon from the Dragoon beaches beginning August 16, more air attacks were launched against the defenses. Eventually 28 bombing missions were launched against the defensive positions and the submarine pens in the port, which did little damage. The big guns defending the port made a supporting attack from the sea impossible. The Allied fleet could do little but blockade the port. The French colonial troops were facing defenses which had been strengthened earlier in the war by the Vichy government, and further strengthened by the Germans after occupying the port.
General Alexander Patch assigned the taking of the French ports of Toulon and Marseilles to French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. The attack on the two ports was to be simultaneous. The goal of the Allies was to acquire the badly needed port facilities as intact as possible, rather than have them reduced by a long siege. Tassigny originally planned to launch the attacks on August 24, after being reinforced by more troops through the Dragoon beachhead. On August 18, with Operation Dragoon well ahead of schedule to the north, he decided to attack with the troops available, rather than give the Germans more time to destroy the port.
The German garrison in Toulon was about 18,000 men, and fighting around and in the city was heavy. By August 22 the Germans were encircled in the city, their perimeter shrinking, and their supplies and ammunition running low. The Germans allowed the civilian population of Toulon to evacuate the city prior to withdrawing into it, which reduced the possibility of attacks within their defenses by the Resistance. Gradually those defenses were overrun and on August 26 the remaining German defenders surrendered. The French suffered 2,700 casualties taking the city and port, the Germans lost their entire garrison of 18,000 troops.
Marseilles was declared taken two days later, when the remaining 11,000 Germans there surrendered to the French, who suffered about 1,800 casualties during that operation. German engineers destroyed the port facilities in both cities prior to their surrender and Allied engineers and construction battalions were put to work to restore them as quickly as possible. Within two weeks ships were unloading at the quay in Marseilles, Toulon followed soon after. Allied planners had expected the capture of the two ports to take 40 days following the invasion, with another month needed before the ports could be of use.