Operation Dragoon: The Allied Invasion of the South of France

by William B. Breuer

Depicts the Allied forces' seaborne and airborne assaults on the Nazi-occupied Mediterranean coast of France

Genres: World War II, History, Military History, Military Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1987

About the author

William B. Breuer landed with the first assault waves in Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944), then fought across Europe. Later, he founded a daily newspaper on a string in Rolla, Missouri, and after that, a highly successful public relations firm in St. Louis, Missouri. He had been writing books full time since 1982

Reviews

[Bill Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Operation Dragoon,” by the late William B. Breuer, offers a good introduction to one of the most important invasions you may have never heard of, the Allied attack on the French Riviera that began on August 15, 1944. This second invasion of France lives in the shadow of the more famous D-Day in Normandy, which seems a bit unfair given what Dragoon accomplished. In Breuer’s retelling, the assault on France’s Mediterranean coast was a costly but ultimately less nerve-wracking operation than the D-Day invasion. And although the naval forces, beach assault troops and the French Resistance all get their due, Breuer devotes a major portion of the book to Operation Rugby, the airborne assault that created havoc behind the German-held beaches and accomplished all of its objectives with 48 hours, effectively protecting the Allied landing forces from German counterattack.

The key objectives of the invasion, the French ports of Marseilles and Toulon, were captured by French forces by the end of August (two weeks ahead of schedule) and began receiving shipping in early September of 1944. The successful attack forced the German army to begin withdrawing from France in earnest, and it opened up the Rhône Valley to an assault by French troops that eventually linked up, on September 12, with elements of the French Army advancing out of Normandy.

Breuer describes the high level strategy of Operation Dragoon but focuses on vignettes involving the French Resistance and American, British, French, and German soldiers preparing for and fighting the battle. His experience as a sergeant during the Normandy invasion enables him to tell these stories in a way that makes the book a page turner.

The author also alludes to the strongly held views of Winston Churchill and General Mark Clark that Dragoon, while tactically and operationally successful, was a strategic error and that the invasion forces would have been better deployed advancing into the Balkans from Italy and preventing the Soviet Union’s post-war domination of Eastern Europe. That’s an interesting proposition, but I was surprised to see it close the book without any further explanation: there are many slips between cup and lip, and confident assertions about the inevitable success of “what if” scenarios are inherently suspect.

“Operation Dragoon” is useful for describing the broad outlines of the invasion and serves as a good introduction to the subject. I’ll be following up by reading some more comprehensive books on the topic: Robin Cross’s “Operation Dragoon” (2019) and George Kendall’s “The Riviera At War” (2017) are next on deck.

[Rich Medrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, narrative includes operational issues as well as individual experiences.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A competent telling of the invasion of Southern France post D-Day.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of facts spread through a well written story. However, it does leave me wanting more. I will re-read for reference, many times, I am sure.