1944 ON THE MID DURANCE RIVER Claude MESNIL
2013
Winston Churchill wanted to tie the Normandy landing with an invasion of the Balkans by troops of the Italian front and so take the Germans in a pincer movement and occupy the central Europe before the Soviets, especially Berlin. He was not heard… The Normandy landing weakened the unity between the F.T.P.1 and the other southern Résistants. It also triggered an influx of men convinced of an impending action in the south whereas its report was already decided. They had therefore to cope with two months of strong German, Brandeburg and militia repression. The landing in Provence brought closer all the Partisans on the basis of General De Gaulle's guidelines acceptable to all… THE LANDING IN PROVENCE ON AUGUST 15, 1944 The slow Allied advance in Italy and the lack of barges did it separate from the action in Normandy on June 6. Non cliff beaches were chosen after the lessons from the Channel. The whole operation was a great success. its purpose : open a second front in France, free Toulon and Marseille2 (French forces3), break along the Rhône valley the 19th German army (American and French forces), join the Allies coming from Normandy. the preparation : parachute to the Maquis more weapons, explosives and training officers in order to intensify sabotages and ambushes, clear the anti-gliders obstacles, target with aviation the likely routes of enemy reinforcements but in a rather vague area to protect the selected beaches. D-1 : destroy command and communication centers, regional airfields, coastal batteries and transport infrastructures, post commandos on the flanks of the day after action. D Day4 : fool coastal radars, drop in the hinterland 9,700 paratroopers and land 465 gliders filled with men and equipment at dawn, parachute near Marseille 500 « firecracker dolls » to feign an assault, simulate a landing at Genoa, engage from Cavalaire to Cannes 2,000 ships and barges, 11,000 vehicles and 94,000 men helped by 1,500 airplanes (1,000 killed or missed). The success was swift despite strong defense in front of Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël. Hitler would have said that the new of this landing was the worst of his life. D+2 : order of the Führer to ebb to the Vosges. Only route, the Rhône valley received an influx of military vehicles and of « requisitioned » trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles, carts, horses, bicycles… D+28 : with 4 months ahead of schedule, junction near Dijon with the Allies coming from Normandy. THE TASK FORCE BUTLER The Alps Résistance Messenger saw before the landing its responsable, General Patch. He guaranteed the Maquis aid if Allies forces crossed his region. To control the Alps ensuring security of east for the troops having to fight in the Rhône valley, a powerful and fast corps of 3,000 men was created : « Task Force Butler ». Consisting mainly of one motorized infantry battalion, one self propelled artillery battalion, two medium tanks companies and one of « tank destroyers » (top), it would liberate the area from Draguignan to Grenoble5. Well studied, lightning, assisted by the Maquis, the action gave importance to this axis juged annex at first. The Staff reacted : beeing 45 miles before Grenoble6, General Butler was ordered to forthwidth join the Rhône to stop in the north the German hunted by the south7. He received reinforcements through the Durance valley. ON THE MID DURANCE RIVER To cut the bridges being vital, air raids began along the valley where required malagasy soldiers had built defenses for the Germans. The Résistance often sabotaged targets missed : destroying 1/5 of Sisteron and killing more than 100 civilians on august 15, bombers lightly touched the bridge De la Baume over the Durance river (below center), and the near railway and road bridges over its Buëch tributary. They finished the job from 16 to 18… 2 F.T.P. destroyed the Volonne suspensions bridge on august 19, at 3 a.m. (below right). they blew before the Château-Arnoux suspension bridge at 2 h 30 a.m. These two actions by chance stopped german troups moving from Sisteron to Digne. Refusing to surrender to the local Résistance, they did at the « Task Force Butler » vanguard emerged soon after. the bombers missed the metal railway bridge in Saint-Auban, killing two Indochineses. the cables of the east span of the Les Mées suspension bridge was blown up on August 17 after 2 days of fruitless air assaults (below left). attacked by planes, the Oraison bridge remained usable. The « Task Force Butler » used it. the canal bridge supplying the Sainte-Tulle power station had been sabotaged on January. an unexploded bomb pierced the today Manosque suspension bridge excluding any traffic.
hindered by the ills, raids of fighters F·6·F Hellcat came from the « USS Kasaan Bay » aircraft carrier, of P·47 Thunderbolt (below right) and of P·38 Lightning left from Corsica missed the bridge of Mirabeau from August 15 till 17. Settled at 8 miles away, the Maquis from La Tour d'Aigues village sabotaged its apron on 17, 10 h 30 p.m. Some of its members were from Mirabeau village.
The Staff did stop systematic air attack of the bridges in the region from August 19. THE P·47 THUNDERBOLT
THE HELLCAT F·6·F
THE P·38 LIGHTNING
It could take a bomb of 500 lb under each wing and a belly tank. It abandoned the dogfight when arrived the P·51 Mustang much more agile. Equipped with 8 powerful machine-guns, this fighter continued the support-fire of the ground troops and the escort of the flying fortresses.
It was 5,271 wins including 5,163 in the Pacific Ocean and 8 in Provence. Main fighter of the U.S. Navy, armed with 6 machine-guns, it could take a ventral bomb or a tank, as well as 6 rockets under its wings which were coiled up to save space on the aircraft carrier.
Its dual fuselage characterized this twin-engined heavy fighter. Its central nacelle sheltered the cockpit and a cannon, and its wings 4 machine-guns. It could also take 2 bombs. Its big scope dedicated it especially to the escort of bombers towards the far German cities upon the arrival of the P·51 Mustang.
15,683 P·47 were produced.
12,275 Hellcat were 11,000 in 2 years !
produced,
10,037 Lightning were produced.
1
Francs-Tireurs et Partisans : communist resistance movement created in 1941 after the nazi invasion of the U.S.S.R.
2
deepwater ports critical to dump 50 divisions waiting across the Atlantic and supply the most part of Allies in Europe.
3
200,000 men equiped by U.S. : 10% parent state (the Gaullists « Free French ») and black Africans, 90% North Africans (52% Maghrebians and 48% North Africans Europeans).
4
the announcement of this landing triggered the Paris uprising.
5
« Napoléon Road » : 202 miles from Golf-Juan to Grenoble via Digne, Château-Arnoux, Sisteron, Gap…
7
6
origin of the « Battle of Montélimar » (9 days on 10 mi²), the biggest combat linked to the landing in Provence.
Lus-la-Croix-Haute.
