| 15 August 1944 Allied Landings in Southern France |
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| Allied military planners had decided late in 1943
that the invasion of France was to be given top priority, and that troops would be diverted from
the Italian front to participate in that operation. To avoid having to carry American forces from
Italy to Normandy, General Eisenhower developed Operation Dragoon, a separate invasion of southern
France, to take place roughly two months after the Normandy landings. The troops were then to march
northward through the Rhone Valley, meeting up with Allied forces in the north for an invasion
of Germany.
Three American divisions took part in the initial landings, which took place on 15 August. The Germans were unable to put up much of a defense, since most of their forces had been moved north. Therefore within three days two entire armies—one American and one French—had landed. By the end of August all of southern France was in Allied hands, and U.S. and French troops were on their way to join their comrades in the north. History: Campaign Map: Personal Accounts:
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