United States France. Sixth Army Group. Army Group G. Mediterranean and Middle East. The Netherlands. Operation Dragoon initially Operation Anvil was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence Southern France on 15 August Although initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord , the June Allied landing in Normandy , the lack of enough resources led to the cancellation of the second landing.
By July the landing was reconsidered, as the clogged-up ports in Normandy did not have the capacity to adequately supply the Allied forces. Concurrently, the high command of the French Liberation Army pushed for a revival of the operation, which would involve large numbers of French troops.
As a result, the operation was finally approved in July to be executed in August. The invasion sought to secure the vital ports on the French Mediterranean coast and increase pressure on the German forces by opening another front. They were opposed by the scattered forces of the German Army Group G , which had been weakened by the relocation of its divisions to other fronts and the replacement of its soldiers with third-rate Ostlegionen outfitted with obsolete equipment.
Hindered by Allied air supremacy and a large-scale uprising by the French Resistance , the weak German forces were swiftly defeated. The ensuing battle led to a stalemate, with neither side able to achieve a decisive breakthrough, until the Germans were finally able to complete their withdrawal and retreat from the town. While the Germans were retreating, the French managed to capture the important ports of Marseille and Toulon , soon putting them into operation. The Germans were not able to hold Dijon and ordered a complete withdrawal from Southern France.
Army Group G retreated further north, pursued by Allied forces. The fighting ultimately came to a stop at the Vosges mountains , where Army Group G was finally able to establish a stable defensive line. After meeting with the Allied units from the American Third Army , the Allied forces were in need of reorganizing and, facing stiffened German resistance, the offensive was halted on 14 September.
