80th Anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Provence

On 15 August 1944, between Cavalaire and Saint-Raphaël, the Allies launched Operation Dragoon, an invasion of the south of France to mirror the Normandy landings of 6 June. Parachutists from the US 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion of the 1st Airborne Task Force, led by General Robert Frederick, were dropped north of Le Muy on 15 August 1944. Once they had consolidated the beachheads in the Var, the Allies - notably the Americans - advanced to liberate the Alpes-Maritimes. The liberation of Nice began on 28 August with the help of the local resistance, and Monaco was liberated on 3 September. General Frederick’s role in the operation and his post-war career are considered outstanding. Winston Churchill described him as “the greatest fighting general of all time”.