Battle of Toulon (1944)

The Battle of Toulon (1944) refers to the combat and other actions in World War II from August 20–26, 1944 which led to the liberation of Toulon by French forces under the command of General Edgard de Larminat.

Toulon was the main port for the French Navy (French: Marine nationale, "national navy"), informally "La Royale". It holds a special place in the hearts of all Frenchmen, dating back to the rise of Napoleon at the Siege of Toulon in 1793 when Captain Bonaparte was put in charge of the artillery and using his skills, successfully captured the port from the Royalists. Operation Anton, the German occupation of Vichy France, began on 10 November 1942, on 27 November German troops attacked the port of Toulon, with the intention of seizing the French fleet, the subsequent fight lasted just long enough to scuttle the 75 warships, the pride of France.

After the successful execution of Operation Overlord, the Normandy landings, attention shifted to the south. Most ports in the north were unusable, or too heavily fortified (e.g. Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Saint Nazaire), which made seizure and control of the French ports at Marseille and Toulon increasingly attractive. The French leaders pressed for an invasion in southern France, too. Finally, after many delays, on 14 July 1944, Operation Dragoon was authorized by the Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff.

Toulon was not a good target for an amphibious assault, it was well defended from a seaborne assault, so it would have to be taken from the land. The land approaches were also defended. A 700m high hill provided excellent artillery and observation positions. Ridges nearby were protected by French pillboxes. In 1941-2, as a token of goodwill to the Germans, the Government of Vichy France strengthened the defences. These defences were strengthened further by the Germans who took equipment off the scuttled French fleet ships, installing two 340mm turrets and 75 medium-sized guns along the coast.

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