The Forgotten Story of Operation Anvil In August 1944, the United States executed a gigantic assaul

Opinion | The Forgotten Story of Operation Anvil - The New York Times

The Forgotten Story of Operation Anvil

In August 1944, the United States executed a gigantic assault on southern France. Why does no one remember it?

In June, world leaders joined thousands of people in France to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. In contrast, vanishingly few people know that Operation Anvil/Dragoon happened. Yet it’s worth pausing, on its anniversary, to consider its significance as “one of the two supreme operations of 1944.”

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For those interested

Operation Dragoon - Wikipedia

JANFU said:

Opinion | The Forgotten Story of Operation Anvil - The New York Times

The Forgotten Story of Operation Anvil

In August 1944, the United States executed a gigantic assault on southern France. Why does no one remember it?


For those interested

Operation Dragoon - Wikipedia

Click to expand...

JANFU:

I think if you asked folks about Operation Dragoon you might have better luck. However not many folks who are not fans of military history will ever recognise operational code names. Ask them about Operation Overlord and they will gaze at you with incomprehension but ask about D-Day and some light of knowledge is more likely to be seen.

These events are now 75 years in the past and there are precious few eye witnesses left of the WWII vintage to remind today's youngsters. Even the best of the Greatest Generation are finally eclipsed by time and more recent history. So it has always been and so it will be.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Evilroddy said:

JANFU:

I think if you asked folks about Operation Dragoon you might have better luck. However not many folks who are not fans of military history will ever recognise operational code names. Ask them about Operation Overlord and they will gaze at you with incomprehension but ask about D-Day and some light of knowledge is more likely to be seen.

These events are now 75 years in the past and there are precious few eye witnesses left of the WWII vintage to remind today's youngsters. Even the best of the Greatest Generation are finally eclipsed by time and more recent history. So it has always been and so it will be.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

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Sad but true

Dragoon got needed supplies to the rapidly advancing troops of Overlord, more than a third of OLRD's total supplies. Capturing so many Germans in the Falaise Pocket

The significance politically was that Dragood destroyed the Vichy Government which had to be relocated three times until it ended up in Germany as the Vichy Government in Exile.

Yet Dragoon ran out of gas literally and had to hold up due to inadequate planning, ie, no one expected the rapid advance. The best units of German Army Group G escaped to the Alps while the American divisions had to wait on the French divisions to secure the ports of Toulon and Marseille. .

The allies pulling 7 divisions out of Italy for Dragoon left the Gothic Line strong enough, weak as it was, to drag out the fighting there into April 1945. Some famous Americans were in the Italian battles to include Bob Dole who was severely wounded with permanent disabilities to include his right arm. My colonel of The Old Guard of the Army (1966-70) got shot up there in his right leg in his second year out of West Point yet he and his platoon sergeant pressed their platoon forward and each of 'em got a bronze star.




Operations to breach the Gothic Line [in Italy] started on 25 August 1944 and continued for weeks.

Already suffering from the bad weather, the Germans' skilful use of mountainous terrain, river and ridges slowed the Allies advance, but by the end of October the Germans had been forced back about 20 miles to the line of the Ronco River to the extreme east of the Gothic Line. The Germans still held the mountainous regions to the west, and by January 1945 the Allies were exhausted and were forced to rebuild their strength before another effort to break onto the northern Italian plain and the alpine passes could be mounted.

The Cabinet Papers | Operation Anvil and ceasefire





When Col. Conmy of the Greatest Generation retired in 1973 he had 3 of the Silver Star, 5 of the Bronze (five), 3 of Purple Heart and 3 of the CIB to include brigade commander of 101st Airborne at Hamburger Hill in Vietnam. Col. Joseph "Bart" Conmy Jr. was born while his father was a company commander captain in The Old Guard. "A soldier's soldier" is what the Army said of Col. Joe when the entire Old Guard Regiment turned out and laid him to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in 1994. Army had already appointed Col. Joe as Honorary Old Guard Commander, in 1988.













Col. Joe became Vietnam War liaison to Potus Johnson in the White House after LBJ had seen the colonel commanding joint force troops during ceremonies on the White House (south) lawn. "Bring me that tall colonel with all the medals," Johnson said famously. "He looks like he knows about war." Col. Joe finally talked LBJ into a command in VN, 3d Bde, 101st Airborne. He was one of 321 Soldiers to have the CIB x 3.