In May 2024, daughter Jill and I cruised the Mediterranean, with port stops in Spain, France, Italy, and Malta, and spent two days sightseeing in Barcelona. Our holiday was memorable from start to finish!
Click HERE to read a short introduction to our Mediterranean Holiday.
This story, part of a series, is about a WW2 memorial in Le Dramont, France, I visited as I drove from Saint-Raphael to Cannes.
Click HERE to read a short introduction to our Mediterranean Holiday.
This story, part of a series, is about a WW2 memorial in Le Dramont, France, I visited as I drove from Saint-Raphael to Cannes.
Memorial to the U.S. 36th Infantry Division
Le Dramont, France (May 19, 2024) I’ve read many books on WW2, but in all my readings I had not come across Operation Dragoon, the Allied landing in southeastern France. And I might never have known of it, but for a drive along the Corniche d’Or—the Golden Corniche—a scenic coastal road between Saint-Raphael and Cannes.
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OVER THIS DEFENDED BEACH THE MEN OF THE 36TH U.S. INFANTRY DIVISION STORMED ASHORE 15 AUGUST 1944. TOGETHER WITH THEIR FRENCH ALLIES, THEY BEGAN HERE THE DRIVE THAT TOOK THEM ACROSS FRANCE, THROUGH GERMANY, AND INTO AUSTRIA TO THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF THE GERMAN ARMIES AND NAXI REGIME.
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These words, inscribed on the reverse side of the memorial, gave me chills when I read them. (The same words were inscribed in French on the obverse side.)
Operation Dragoon was originally designed to coincide with Operation Overlord, the D-Day landing at Normandy, but the Allies lacked the resources to carry out both operations at the same time—thus, Operation Dragoon was pushed back to mid-August. Operation Dragoon was a success, “carried out without major losses and in good order, in a minimum of time.”
Operation Dragoon was originally designed to coincide with Operation Overlord, the D-Day landing at Normandy, but the Allies lacked the resources to carry out both operations at the same time—thus, Operation Dragoon was pushed back to mid-August. Operation Dragoon was a success, “carried out without major losses and in good order, in a minimum of time.”
The USS LST-282 was one of many amphibious ships that carried troops and cargo to the beach that day in 1944. Later, I read it was hit and sunk by a German guided bomb during the landing. While I cannot say with certainty, I believe the ship on display was the original LST-282, as restored.
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Just past the LST was another memorial. It was dedicated to Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt, who commanded the Allied forces that day, and was commander of amphibious operations in north Africa and southern Europe throughout the war.
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As I backtracked from this memorial to the bus, I passed through General Dwight D. Eisenhower Square, a spacious plaza with two monuments that commemorated the 80th anniversary (2024) of the Allied operations that helped liberate France.
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I love happenstance—coincidences—especially when one leads me to learn something new. And so, it was this day—I was in the right place at the right time, and I learned about an Allied operation I knew nothing of that was important to the outcome of the Second World War!