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There was a second invasion of German-occupied France that you've probably never heard of...

This U.S. Army film is a documentary on the invasion of Southern France in 1944 by the U.S. Seventh Army and its subsequent junction with Patton's Third Army in the Northwest part of France.


Historical background / context:

The Allied invasion of Southern France (codename: Operation Dragoon) took place on 15 August 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious landing by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up primarily of the French First Army. The landing caused the German Army Group G to abandon southern France and to retreat under constant Allied pressure to the Vosges Mountains. Despite being a large and complex military operation with a well-managed amphibious and airborne component, Operation Dragoon is not well known as it was overshadowed by the larger Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day) which occurred over two months earlier. Operation Dragoon also known as “the other D-Day”, “the second D-Day” or “the Forgotten D-Day”.

The invasion of Southern France was originally planned as part of D-Day, but was pushed back due to a shortage of landing craft and slow progress of forces moving up Italy. By the time the Allied armies were ready to make their landings, some leaders were pushing to change the plan. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wanted to use the resources and manpower dedicated to Operation Dragoon to instead push harder through Italy or to land in the Balkans. But Allied commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower was adamant that Operation Dragoon should be launched to draw away German forces marching east from Normandy. Operation Dragoon would also deliver Marseille and Toulon, large port cities that could facilitate reinforcements and supplies to the Allies for the push to Berlin


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