Operation Dragoon 1944: France's other D-Day

Operation Dragoon 1944: France's other D-Day Operation Dragoon 1944: France's other D-Day Campaign 210 By Steven J Zaloga Illustrated by John White Osprey Publishing April 2009; 96 pages ISBN: 978-1-84603-367-4 Operation Dragoon 1944: France's other D-Day ... Steven Zaloga has delivered another great book and I strongly recommend adding this to your collection. I have been interested in the battle for southern France ever since having done some research into the SAS and FFI operations in the area. The landings are largely ignored in favour of D-Day and Italy. The operation was conducted with complete success, even surpassing the original perimeters. The Allies launched Operation Dragoon in August 1944 to compliment the Allied landings up north. It involved many veteran units, including the 3rd Infantry Division, the most experienced division in amphibious operations during WWII. Operation Dragoon incorporated all the lessons learned from several beach assault landings. The result of the campaign clearly shows this as the Allies swept up France and to the German border.

Zaloga provides a lot of great detail that quite useful for wargamer and WWII buffs alike. The book includes handy source material such as a timeline of the operation, army organizations, bunker lists, and much more. He covers the fortifications of the southern coast, the disposition of the German forces and the unique force assembled by the allies to conduct the operation. He covers the role of the French resistance as well as that of the Free French units in the liberation of their homeland.  The maps inside are fantastic and detailed. They are very colourful and clearly tell the story of the operation. You can easily follow the movements of the Allied advance, such as Battlegroup Butler, the advance guard of the Allied army in southern France. On a similar note, the illustrations are also nicely done, highlighting several of the German attempts to stem the tide. The book's photographs are quite informative and even include a couple of interesting colour photos as well. I have definitely included the book as a must-have reference for my own personal projects involving southern France in 1944. - Mike Haught