We are to leave today to another area about 10 miles down the coast. The Artillery is firing about 100 yards across the road from us. We went down to a house that was close by and got some eggs and tomatoes. It looks like rain so I set my bed up in a garage.
We moved the first thing this morning. Just before we left I went into a house and looked around. The house was all full of English books, so I took a few of them. We rode about 12 miles up the coast. The infantry had run into a strong point and had to stop for a little bit. The people are swell to us here. This is the famous French Riviera where we landed. The Germans captured here are a mixture of all of the countries Germany had occupied. We have a lot of wine to drink. Found some wine in one house that was dated 1928. There is little work to do right now.
Couldn’t sleep all night; guess I was nervous. We were up at 4:00 am as the assault infantry is getting ready to go ashore. The Navy is firing in the mainland now. We ate breakfast then came up to watch the shelling and the sky is just full of bombers. All you can hear is one explosion after another. The infantry is starting for shore. A Spitfire must have been hit while strafing the beach as he had to parachute to safety and the plane crashed just ahead of us. The LCI is going over to pick him up now. We are the first LCT to hit the beach. We had a hard time getting in as the beach was lousy with mines. The shore party Engineers were blowing them everywhere. The water was up to my waist as we waded ashore. After all of the bombing and shelling and also all of he rockets that were turned loose. The ground is all tore up. The prisoners were starting to come in and there must be about 300 in the first group. I could hardly understand the landing. No shell fire on the beach at all. It was just like Anzio only better as there werent any planes in sight. We got to our bivouac area and set up. I looked through the house and found some good wine and whiskey. We went to bed only to be greeted by our first air raid. Must have only been a couple of planes as it didn’t last long.
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on 15 August 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up primarily of the French First Army. The landing caused the German Army Group G to abandon southern France and to retreat under constant Allied attacks to the Vosges Mountains. Despite being a large and complex military operation with a well-executed amphibious and airborne component, Operation Dragoon is not well known; it came in the later stages of the war and was overshadowed by the earlier and larger Operation Overlord.
The landing started on the morning of 15 August. Ships of the Western Naval Task Force approached under cover of darkness and were in position at dawn. The first of 1,300 Allied bombers from Italy, Sardinia and Corsica began aerial bombardment shortly before 0600. Bombing was nearly continuous until 0730 when battleships and cruisers launched spotting aircraft and began firing on specific targets detected by aerial surveillance. Naval gunfire ceased as the landing craft headed ashore at 0800. The relatively steep beach gradients with small tidal range discouraged Axis placement of underwater obstacles, but landing beaches had been defensively mined. LCI’s leading the first wave of landing craft fired rockets to explode land mines on the beaches to be used by following troops.
The assault troops were formed of three American divisions of the VI Corps, reinforced by the French 1st Armored Division, all under the command of Lieutenant General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.. The 3rd Infantry Division landed on the left at Alpha Beach (Cavalaire-sur-Mer), the 45th Infantry Division landed in the center at Delta Beach (Saint-Tropez), and the 36th Infantry Division landed on the right at Camel Beach (Saint-Raphaël).
The landings were overwhelmingly successful. On Delta and Alpha beaches, German resistance was low. The Osttruppen surrendered quickly, and the biggest threat to the Allies were the mines. A single German gun as well as a mortar position was silenced by destroyer fire. The Allied units in this sector were able to link up with the paratroopers very quickly and succeeded in capturing the nearby towns. Only on Camel Beach did the Germans put up some serious resistance. This beach was secured by several well emplaced coastal guns as well as several flak batteries. Here too, the Osttruppen surrendered quickly; the German artillery formed the main opposition and some bunkers provided heavy resistance.
It sure doesn’t seem like we are going to make a landing tomorrow. We played cards all day and I won back a little of what I lost yesterday. Well, tomorrow is the day.
We found out where we are going this morning – Southern France. We looked at the maps and studied the terrain that we are to land on. There are plenty of pillboxes and mines. Went to mass and played cards today. I’m down to $50.00 now.
Dear Mother & Dad
The weather has taken a change for the better today. It’s really swell out. It has been cool and windy as could be. It has a train for some time now and the dust is terrible.
Well I had a big mail call the last two days. It seems as though everyone wrote me a letter. I received 24 letters & cards and three packages from you, dad, Gee, and a pencil from Mildred & Claud and. Also a couple days ago I had a package from Rita. I got quite a kick out of her package, as she sent me some Spam. Ha, ha, if she only knew how we love spam here, but she didn’t know. Same way a lot of Fellows get shoe polish kits & neckties. That’s something a combat soldier never sees or uses. I would know how to act back in garrison again.
Boy I will have enough candy to last me a month now. Thanks a lot for all of it. I guess I might just as well ask for some more kit to tamales and popcorn.
I am enclosing my campaign ribbons and might good Conduct Medal ribbon. Hope probably lose them over here so it’s better I send them home. We haven’t been issued the battle stars for our campaign ribbon, but when we go get them I’ll send them home & you can’t put them on the ribbon for me. Guess this is all for now.
Your Son,
“Chick”
PS. I’ll put the stars on the trip and myself and then send it to
We are to get underway today and I’m glad. This laying around makes it miserable. We played cards all day and now I’m $85.00 ahead. We pulled out about 5:00 pm. Winston Churchill was riding up and down the convoy of ships waving his hat and wishing the fellows good luck.
We went to shore this morning in landing boats to go on a hike. We hiked for a couple of hours. Came back by a fruit stand and we all bought watermelons and peaches. We are not fed so good & the ship as it is too crowded. Played cards all afternoon and evening. Cozatt and I played a game called battle ship and then we went to bed.
About the same as yesterday, except that I am about $60.00 ahead in a $.25 poker game. We have been playing cards all day long.
