3rd Infantry Division, 30th Infantry Regiment:Operation Dragoon

So this is pretty much a standard set up for a soldier taking part in the early stages of the invasion of Southern France.

Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the Allied invasion of Southern France on 15 August 1944. e main landing force consisted of three divisions of the VI Corps. The 3rd Infantry Division landed on the left at Alpha Beach (Cavalaire-sur-Mer), the 45th Infantry Division landed in the centre at Delta Beach (Le Muy, Saint-Tropez), and the 36th Infantry Division landed on the right at Camel Beach (Saint-Raphaël). The ports of Toulon and Marseille were captured in 14 days, when the plan of attack had estimated D+40. The 3rd Division were pressing to the north-west with uncontested speed. Barjols and Brignoles were taken by the two American divisions on 19 August, which also were about to envelop Toulon as well as Marseille from the north, cutting off the German units there. Monument to the landings of Allied troops under General Patch on the beach of St Tropez, France. Operation Dragoon was considered a success by the Allied forces. It enabled them to liberate most of Southern France in a time span of only four weeks while inflicting heavy casualties on the German forces. However, the Allies failed to cut off the most valuable units of the retreating Army Group G, which retreated over a distance of 800 kilometres (500 miles) in good order, into the Vosges mountains on the German border, with the capability of continuing the fight. The main reason for the failure to capture or destroy Army Group G was the Allied shortage of fuel, which began soon after the landing. The Allies had not anticipated the speed of their own advance and therefore could not adequately provide supplies and logistics to the leading Allied units.

First Hand Accounts:



Other Reading:
https://archive.org/details/HistoryOf...

https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B001...

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Book...

https://www.eucmh.be/2018/02/18/3rd-i...