>August 15th 1944 Allied Landing in South France
Invasion Beach
Operation Anvil the invasion of Southern France took place on August 15th 1944. It was originally scheduled to take place at the same time as the invasion of Normandy but had been postponed due to a limitation on shipping. When the landing finally came it met with very limited resistance. A few days after the landing the Germans ordered a general retreat from France. The major strategic advantage to the landing was gaining the use of the Port of Marseille to supply the Allied ArmiesOperation Anvil, the invasion of Southern France, was initially planned to coincide with the Normandy landings. However, insufficient shipping prevented this plan from materializing. The Allies subsequently discovered that the Normandy port capacity was inadequate, prompting the revival of the idea of invading Southern France. The French desired to be at the forefront of this assault.
Prior to the main invasion, the Allied forces had to secure the capture of the Port-Cros and Levant islands, which were fortified with gun emplacements. A joint American-Canadian unit, the First Special Service Force, launched an attack on these islands on August 14th. By the 16th, both islands had been successfully captured.
On the morning of August 15th, the main landings commenced. From 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM, Allied aircraft engaged in bombing targets, followed by the naval forces joining the assault at 7:30 AM. The landing operations were overwhelmingly successful, with only 95 Allied casualties and 385 wounded. The Allies possessed superior firepower, and the German troops were not at their peak performance. After two days of intense fighting, it became evident that the German forces would be unable to halt the Allied advance. Consequently, German troops were ordered to withdraw. However, their withdrawal was not swift enough, and Allied troops pursued them relentlessly, effectively severing their defense line.
The French capital, Toulon, was captured on August 15th, resulting in the capture of 18,000 German troops. On August 28th, the French captured Marseille, capturing an additional 11,000 German troops.
American troops advanced northward in pursuit of the rapidly retreating German army. By August 21st, they had successfully caught up with the German forces near Montelimar. While the Americans did not possess sufficient troops to completely encircle the Germans, the latter were unable to dislodge the Americans from their position. Consequently, a significant portion of the German forces managed to gradually breach the American lines and escape. By August 29th, the Allied forces had successfully captured the region, effectively closing off the final escape routes for the Germans.
In response, the German army withdrew from France. By the conclusion of the campaign, the American forces had suffered a total of 15,574 casualties, including 7,301 fatalities. Conversely, the German forces had endured a loss of 7,000 fatalities, 21,000 wounded, and the capture of 131,250 individuals.