1939
SEPTEMBER 1939
France declared war on Germany
1940
JUNE 1940
France surrendered to Germany and Italy -
The Franco-German
surrender document was signed. Its provisions included
German occupation of the Channel and Biscay coasts and
demilitarisation of the French fleet under Axis control.
The south east of France remained French under pro-German
Vichy control.
SEPTEMBER 1940
Vichy
France - Three French cruisers sailed from Toulon
and, on the 11th, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar
bound for French West Africa. All but one of the cruisers
arrived at Dakar just as Operation 'Menace' was about to
get underway. This was the unsuccessful Anglo-Free French
attempt to occupy this strategic port.
1941
1942
NOVEMBER 1942
8th - French North African Landings:
Operation 'Torch'
Southern
France - Hitler ordered German troops into unoccupied
Vichy France on the 11th. On the 27th, SS units tried to
capture the French fleet at Toulon. They were too late to
stop the scuttling of three battleships, seven cruisers,
30 destroyers, 16 submarines and many other smaller
vessels.
1943
JANUARY 1943
21st
- Submarine "Sahib" on patrol off western
Corsica, the French island north of Sardinia, sank German
"U-301".
MAY 1943
21st -
British submarine "Sickle" on patrol south of
Toulon, southern France torpedoed German "U-303".
OCTOBER 1943
30th -
Submarine "Ultimatum" on patrol off Toulon sank
"U-431"
1944
MAY 1944
Merchant
Shipping War - U-boats had only managed to sink 10
merchantmen in the Mediterranean in the first five months
of 1944. In return 15 had been lost, including three in
USAAF raids on Toulon, southern France - two in March and
one in April.
JUNE 1944
Normandy Invasion 6th June, Operation
'Overlord'
AUGUST 1944
|
15th -
South of France Landings: Operation 'Dragoon'
Originally
code-named 'Anvil', the South of France invasion
was planned to coincide with the Normandy
landings. Since that decision was made, Britain
pushed for the Allies to concentrate on the
Italian campaign, but under US pressure agreed to
go ahead with the now re-named Operation
'Dragoon' using forces withdrawn from US Fifth
Army in Italy. No major British units were
involved and for the first time in the
Mediterranean the Royal Navy was in the minority
in both ships and commanders. However, Adm Sir
John Cunningham remained Naval C-in-C.
|
Landing Areas: |
Three
Attack Forces landing on the southern French
mainland between Toulon and Cannes. A fourth
Force on the offshore islands |
|
Forces landing: |
US Seventh Army - Gen Patch
US Sixth Corps followed-up by
French Second
Corps |
|
Departure from: |
Italy, Algeria |
|
Naval Attack Force
Commanders: |
Naval Control force
Commander
Vice-Adm H K Hewitt USN
US Rear-Adms Davidson, Lewis, Lowry, Rodgers
|
|
Naval Control, Attack &
Convoy Escort Forces |
British
& Allied |
French |
U.S.A.
|
|
Battleships |
1
|
1 |
3
|
|
Cruisers |
7
|
5 |
8
|
|
Destroyers & escorts |
27
|
19 |
52
|
|
Other warships |
69
|
6 |
157
|
|
Attack transports & LSIs |
9
|
- |
23
|
|
Landing craft & ships (major
only) |
141
|
- |
369
|
|
Totals |
254 |
31
|
612 |
|
Grand Total |
897 |
The warships were allocated across the four
attack forces and, in addition, over 1,300 mainly
assault landing craft took part in the landings.
Air cover and support was provided by Rear-Adm
Troubridge with seven British and two US escort
carriers. After intensive air and sea
bombardments, the landings took place against
light resistance accompanied by US airborne drops
inland. Both the US and French Corps soon spread
out and headed north after the retreating
Germans. Before the month was out, Cannes, Toulon
and Marseilles had fallen into Allied hands. |
SEPTEMBER 1944
South of France -
Conclusion - The Allies reached Lyons on the 3rd and
by the 12th, French troops advancing from the south had
met French units of Gen Patton's US Third Army near
Dijon.
The French campaign is continued in
Western Europe
1944-45
End of the
Mediterranean U-boats - The last three U-boats in the
Mediterranean were lost to sea and air attack in
September. Since June 1944 the other eight surviving
U-boats had all been lost at Toulon, five in USAAF raids
and three blown up to prevent capture.
