Friday, March 16, 2012

Operation Dragoon - Opération Dragoon

 Autopsy of a Battle.The Liberation of the French Riviera in August and September 1944.
By Jean-Loup Gassend (jean-loup@gassend.com)
 English edition availlable. Disponible en français. 
On the night of August 14-15, 1944, the First Airborne Task Force, which included the U.S. 509th, 517th and 551st Parachute Infantry Regiments, jumped into enemy held territory spearheading Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. Based on interviews from all combatant units, battlefield archaeology, period photos, letters and reports, this book provides an outstandingly detailed hour-by-hour account of the advance through the French Riviera, as seen by those who lived through it, bringing to light the tragic and gruesome realities of what was later to become known as the "Champagne Campaign."

Availlable on amazon.com and other online sources



Jean-Loup Gassend is a medical doctor specializing in forensics. Over the past ten years he has extensively explored the battlefields of the French Riviera, recovering many lost artifacts as well as the bodies of missing soldiers. Jean-Loup Gassend has French and Canadian citizenships, is fluent in both English and French, and has working knowledge of German, which enabled him to discover many previously unexplored sources for the writing of this book.
Jean-Loup Gassend is always seeking for veterans, manuscripts, photos, information and documents about the war on the French Rivivera, the First Airborne Task Force and Reserve Division 148. If you are the relative of a soldier involved in the invasion of southern France, please contact the author at:   jean-loup@gassend.com
  • ISBN-13: 9780764345807
  • Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
  • Publication date: May 2013
  • Pages: 560

La Libération de la Côte d'Azur. Août-septembre 1944. Opération Dragoon.



Alors que la Bataille de Normandie prend fin et que la Libération de Paris n'est plus qu'une question de jours, les Alliés ouvrent, le 15 août 1944, un second front dans le sud de la France. Tandis que des commandos français débarquent sur la côte provençal et escaladent les falaises de la calanque des Deux Frères, que la Devil's Brigade de la First Special Service Force s'empare des Iles de Port Cros et du Levant, cinq mille parachutistes de la First Airborne Task Force sautent à l'intérieur des terres près de Draguignan. L'Opération Dragoon vient de commencer...
Face aux forces alliés une seule division allemande: la 148.Reserve-Division. Hétéroclite, composée de jeunes soldats souvent peu expérimentés, d'éléments polonais, slovènes, ou tchèques souvent peu motivés, elle résistera parfois avec acharnement et conduira une retraite ordonnée sous les ordres du Generalleutnant Otto Fretter-Pico.
Cette opération est pour la première fois étudiée en profondeur et sur toute sa durée. Sous la plume de Jean-Loup Gassend nous suivons jour par jour, heure par heure, et village par village, la progression des troupes alliées à travers les paysages de Provence jusqu'à la frontière Italienne.
Avec une grande rigueur et  un souci du détail frappant, l'auteur pose le décor des combats puis, et c'est la richesse de cet ouvrage, donne la parole aux acteurs. Ces témoignages d'anciens combattants de tous bords ou d'habitants de la région apportent à cet ouvrage une humanité, une émotion rare. Parachutistes Américains, marins français, résistants, soldats allemands ou simples civils, chacun livre ici ses souvenirs, sa vérité. La guerre et le combat y sont décrits avec une précision cruelle, mais aussi avec pudeur et sensibilité.
Médecin légiste et archéologue amateur, l'auteur fait également parler la terre de Provence. Investiguant sur le terrain, il exhume des terres rouges de l'Estérel les témoignages émouvants de ceux qui ont donné leur vie. Il a ainsi souvent permis l'identification de combattants depuis longtemps portés disparus.
Doté d'une iconographie originale particulièrement riche cet ouvrage est un document exceptionnel sur cet épisode capital de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, souvent méconnu du grand public.

  L'auteur de ce livre est toujours à la recherche de nouvelles informations et photos concernant les Alpes-Maritimes et le Var durant la seconde guerre mondiale, et peut être contacté à l’adresse suivante: jean-loup@gassend.com

 Disponible sur internet (Heimdal, Amazon), ainsi que:
-A Nice, à la Librairie du Paillon.
-A Vence, au Centre Culturel Leclerc.
-A Fayence, à la Librairie du Château.
-A Montauroux, au Centre Culturel Leclerc.

Pubication: juillet 2014
Editions Heimdal
ISBN: 9782840483533



 Book features - Contenu du livre



-Dozens of firsthand accounts of paratroopers of the 509th PIB, 517th PRCT, 551st PIB and 1st Special Service Force, most of them unpublished.
-Detailed day by day reconstruction of the advance of the First Airborne Task Force through southern France between August 15th and September 7th 1944, using oral history, period letters and documents from Allied, French and German sources, veteran's memoirs and battlefield archaeology.
-Witness accounts from soldiers of the 141st Infantry Regiment, 442nd Antitank Company, 887th Airborne Engineer Company, 676th Medical Collecting Company, 602nd Pack Field Artillery Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment (Porto Rican), 46th and 48th Quartermaster Graves Registration Companies and the Groupe Naval d'Assaut de Corse (French).
-Accounts from OSS operatives in southern France, Lt Walter Willard Taylor and Captain Geoffrey Jones.

-Des dizaines de témoignages de parachutistes de la First Airborne Task Force, dont la plupart sont inédits.
-Reconstitution jour par jour de l'avancée de la First Airborne Task Force à travers l'est du Var et les Alpes Maritimes entre le 15 août et le 7 septembre 1944, basé sur des récits de témoins, des documents d'époque alliés, français et allemands, et des fouilles sur les lieux des combats.



-Overview of the German Occupation period on the French Riviera.
-Overview of the Allied parachute and glider operations (Operation Dove) of August 15th 1944 in the le Muy and Draguignan area.
-In depth descriptions of the battles and events that occurred between August 15th and September 7th 1944 in Anthéor, Antibes, Beausoleil, Biot, Cannes, Callian, Col de Braus, la Colle sur Loup, Fayence, Grasse, Levens, Nice, Mandelieu la Napoule, Menton, Montauroux, Peille, Peymeinade, la Roquette sur Siagne, la Roquette sur Var, Seillans, St Cézaire sur Siagne, St Laurent du Var, St Martin du Var, St Tropez, St Vallier de Thiey, Tanneron, Théoule sur Mer, Touët de l'Escarène, Toudon, Tourette du Château, Tourrettes, la Turbie, Valbonne, Vence, Villefranche sur Mer, and Villeneuve-Loubet.
-Résumé de l'histoire de l'Occupation de la Côte d'Azur.
-Résumé des opérations aéroportés du 15 août 1944 dans la région du Muy et de Draguignan.
-Description détaillée de la libération des lieux suivants: Anthéor, Antibes, Beausoleil, Biot, Cannes, Callian, Col de Braus, la Colle sur Loup, Fayence, Grasse, Levens, Nice, Mandelieu la Napoule, Menton, Montauroux, Peille, Peymeinade, la Roquette sur Siagne, la Roquette sur Var, Seillans, St Cézaire sur Siagne, St Laurent du Var, St Martin du Var, St Tropez, St Vallier de Thiey, Tanneron, Théoule sur Mer, Touët de l'Escarène, Toudon, Tourette du Château, Tourrettes, la Turbie, Valbonne, Vence, Villefranche sur Mer, and Villeneuve-Loubet.



-Detailed description of the landing of the Groupe Naval d'Assaut de Corse and of the 141st Infantry Regiment in Anthéor and Théoule sur Mer on August 15th 1944.
-Description détaillée des opérations de débarquement du Groupe Naval d'Assaut de Corse et du 141st Infantry Regiment à Anthéor et à Théoule sur Mer le 15 août 1944.


-In depth information about German Reserve Division 148, and firsthand accounts from several soldiers of the division.
-Dozens of unpublished photos of German soldiers on the French Riviera.
-Before and after photos taken in the same locations in 1944 and nowadays.
-Citations and background information on how two Knight's Crosses were earned during the fighting on the French Riviera.
-Description détaillée de la Reserve Division 148, et témoignages de plusieurs soldats allemands de cette division.
-Des dizaines de photos inédites de soldats allemands sur la Côte d'Azur. 




-In depth information about the French Resistance and the maquis in the Nice area.
-Dozens of firsthand accounts of resistance members (8ième and 27ème Compagnies FTPF, Groupe Morgan, Groupe Hochcorn, Combat, Organisation de Résistance de l'Armée, etc). 
-Description détaillée de la vie dans le maquis dans l'arrière pays niçois.
-Des dizaines de témoignages de résistants et maquisards (8ième and 27ème Compagnies FTPF, Groupe Morgan, Groupe Hochcorn, Combat, Organisation de Résistance de l'Armée, etc).



-Numerous photos of military relics recovered from the battlefield.
-De nombreuses photos de reliques retrouvée sur les lieux des combats.



-Personal stories and photos of dozens of American, Canadian and German (including many Silesian and Czech) soldiers who were killed during the Allied advance through the French Riviera.
-Des photos de dizaines de soldats Américains, Canadiens et Allemands ayant été tués durant les combats sur la Côte d'Azur.


-Battlefield archaeology investigation reports concerning the areas where the encounters described in the book took place.
-Des rapports de fouilles réalisés sur les lieux des combats décrits dans le livre.


-Detailed Allied, German and French casualty lists at the end of each chapter.
-Complete casualty list of all First Airborne Task Force soldiers killed in southern France.
-Complete casualty list of all the German soldiers (Reserve Division 148 and Infanterie Division 34) killed in the Nice area during World War II.
-Critical comparison of numbers of killed mentioned in period documents, military reports and medal citations, to actual numbers of bodies recovered from the battlefields.
-A la fin de chaque chapitre, une liste nominative des pertes alliées, allemandes et françaises.
-Une liste complète de tous les soldats de la First Airborne Task Force ayant été tués dans le sud de la France.
-ATTENTION/ la liste complète de tous les soldats allemands ayant été tués dans les Alpes Maritimes et l'est du Var pendant la guerre n'est incluse que dans l'édition anglaise du livre.


-Detailed description of the little known work of the Graves Registration Companies on the French Riviera.
-Information about the funerary practices of the German and US armies, and about how local civilians disposed of bodies of killed soldiers.
-Des informations et photos sur le travail peu connu des compagnies funéraires américaines.



Reader reactions

"The amount of detail & trivia is amazing, as well as mind numbing."
 Keith Bickel.

 "This book is massive and I can't believe all the photos and detailed info the author has amassed in less than a decade of research. The published results of his inquest could easily have been the result of a lifetime of research.  Few other author/researchers could have compiled this amount of information, if they gathered photos and info for a lifetime. The author is a doctor and his approach to WWII history is literally like that of an autopsy.  He has found not only death reports and death photos of members of the German military and French Maquis, he has even recovered the remains of many forgotten victims of 1944 fighting, via battlefield archaeology.  As such, this book is a grim and
graphic reminder of the tragedy and human cost of war and perhaps such details are not for everyone.  His approach however, is conducted from an angle close to my heart.  The fact that he lives in the area where the events took place allow him to immerse himself in the people, villages and battlefields where the Dragoon invasion took place. Up until the last decade, this aspect of the ETO war had been largely overlooked and forgotten by history buffs. Since little was written about it, the events of Dragoon remained obscure, misunderstood and poorly documented. Now, with just the publication of two landmark books, Mike deTrez's 'First Airborne Task Force', a gigantic pictorial, loaded with vintage photos and color pics of artifacts, and now 'Autopsy of a Battle' by Jean Loup, readers interested in learning about this different world of combat can inform themselves with just the contents of these 2 definitive works.  I personally love this book and am taking a long time, to work my way through it.  I would recommend it, with the caveat that you need to know what you are getting-in to if you buy this book.  This is real, gritty in your face history and it might prove to be more than you can handle or want to know.  Is it a happy book?  Heck no, don't open it expecting anything other than a detailed and honest accounting of the many tragic events that transpired as the Germans were forcibly driven from that region of France.
The word awesome is routinely over-used, to describe things in the 21st century, but this massive compendium does deserve that appellation. Taken as a whole, the research and presentation are impressive and overwhelming. It's 8 pounds of unadulterated history."
Mark Bando, 101st Airborne historian and author.

   "I finally received my copy of your book last Friday and I'm impressed by the finished product. It's the first book I've ever read that combines battlefield archeology, personal interviews, and historical documents and photographs to the extent you do. It's clearly written from the viewpoint of the soldiers who fought the war rather than the generals who commanded the armies. I also find the interactions between the soldiers and the local civilians interesting. Hope others enjoy it as much as I do."
Arland Schneider, relative of a 517th PIR casualty 

   "I just received my copy of Jean-Loup Gassend’s book, Operation Dragoon. I have only had time to skim through it, but all I can say is “Wow!” This is not a light collection of stories – this is the definitive book about Operation Dragoon. It is a huge book, with 500+ pages of incredible research by Jean-Loup. I have followed a couple of stories of Jean-Loup’s research over the years, and I know how detailed and careful he is in his research to uncover the true facts and to verify them. That is evident in this book. For every event, he has managed to locate first-hand accounts from multiple eyewitnesses with various viewpoints. He tells the story from the German, French, Canadian, British, and American soldiers and citizen sources, with collaboration from his own archeological investigations into documents and physical evidence. It will take me some time to make it through this book, but so far, I have enjoyed every page."
 Ben Barrett, 517prct.org webmaster

   "I just finished reading chapter 4 of your forthcoming book. I found it absolutely fascinating in many regards. The sheer chaos of war as evidenced by the unintentional parachute drops into these areas in the first place. The 'friendly fire,' the misinformation, the wretched brutality of human conflict- unfortunately these things never seem to change and are never truly counterbalanced by individual acts of heroism or plain decency."
Arthur Lee




   "Thanks again for the honor you've given those who fought and returned home and those who lost their live there. I actually had tears in my eyes when I first looked at the size and quality of the book and opened it and began to read"
   "(...) The book is written by a non-historian, Jean-Loup Gassend. He is actually a forensic physician from the French Riviera who grew up with stories of the fighting that occurred in his home region and became fascinated by them. He participated in attempts to locate and identify war dead from the region and eventually decided to write a book on what transpired there in August-September 1944.
Gassend created what can only be called a labor of love--and something really only possible by someone willing to spend years devoted to a project. The book is coffee table book sized, but not coffee table book thick. Rather, it is a massive tome, about 560 pages long (and weighting nearly 8 pounds).
Gassend did research in French, English, and German, laboriously writing veterans or their surviving relatives, or conducting interviews. He also did the same for French civilians. He also did extensive research in secondary sources and primary documents. Moreover, as a forensic physician, he also engaged in forensic battle research, analyzing casualties and the physical items found on them (in some cases, looking at casualties was the only way to establish that which German unit was in which place at which time). In other words, the subtitle "autopsy of a battle" is a more literal title than one would think. The level of research is impressive.
Gassend, probably wisely, decided to write his book mainly as an oral history, allowing participants (military, resistance, civilian) to tell the story themselves, for the most part. As a non-historian, this was probably the best way for him to go. The book is reasonably well-written (Gassend speaks/writes English), though Schiffer's copy-editors should have caught a few things.
The Riviera "campaign" was really nothing but small scale skirmishes, sometimes very small scale, with no truly big action at all. The largest single combat was when the French resistance rose up against the Germans in Nice. What this does is allow Gassend to treat each little skirmish, each little episode, as a treasure to explore and relate, from every perspective possible--American/Canadian, German, French resistance, French civilians.
Gassend's emphasis on casualties and deaths--in numbers that are meaningful as opposed to the vast deaths of the Bulge or Kursk or Iwo Jima--gives the book a special character. When a person dies here, it is a death, not a statistic. And we often find out exactly how that person died--war isn't pretty. This is something that really is missing from the overwhelming majority of military history works, but it is possible here because of the nature of the historical situation as well as Gassend's patient, loving dedication to detail.
I haven't read many World War II books like this one, I will certainly say. But it is a book worth reading, even though in the larger scheme of things, virtually none of the actions here mattered at all. Gassend shows us that sometimes it is not the larger scheme of things that we should be paying attention to."
Mark Pitcavage 
 


Videos

Videos linked to some of the stories featured in Autopsy of a Battle can be viewed here:

-Killed soldier's photos returned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uux-vk0HJ74



-Exhumation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmtqjbDon6M

 Autopsy of a Battle can currently be bought on Amazon and elsewhere in both English and French:




In the press - Dans la presse


Ein Buch als Friedenswerk
von Reinhold Steiml und Markus Salzeder Stammham/Waldkirchen  |  16.01.2013 

Wenn demnächst in Frankreich ein Buch erscheint, das die Gräuel des Weltkriegs und die sinnlosen Opfer auf allen Seiten der Fronten darstellt, dann ist darin auch ein Kapitel jenem Josef Fuchs gewidmet, der 1944 aus Stelzermühle bei Waldkirchen (Lkr. Freyung-Grafenau) zu den Waffen gerufen wurde – und der nie mehr zurückgekommen ist. Sein Bemühen, Zeitzeugen und deren Nachkommen zu finden, hat den jungen Autor des Werkes "Autopsy of a battle", Jean-Loup Gassend, seine Fühler auch nach Waldkirchen ausstrecken lassen. Dort ist er fündig geworden. Maria Krieger, die Nichte von Josef Fuchs, hat Jean-Loup Gassend bestens unterstützt.

Zum einen, um ihm mehr über ihren Onkel, seinen Weggang, die Situation damals im Bayerwald, den Schmerz daheim über den Tod des jungen Soldaten bei einem Einsatz in den französischen Seealpen zu berichten. Zum anderen aber auch im Bemühen, ihm Wege zu ebnen zu weiteren betagten Kriegsveteranen und auch Nachkommen, die von ähnlichen Schicksalen berichten konnten.

Maria Krieger, die seit den 1990er Jahren in Stammham wohnt, aber aus der Stelzermühle stammt, war ebenso wie ihr Mann so fasziniert von den Bemühungen des angehenden Mediziners aus Nizza, dass sie ihn nun sogar zusammen mit ihrem Gatten in Südfrankreich besucht hat.


American GI reunited with his helmet

A heartwarming tale from Villeneuve-Loubet

An 82-year-old American war veteran of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment made a memorable trip recently to Villeneuve-Loubet to retrieve the army helmet that he lost in Cormes 60 years ago during the Liberation of Provence in 1944. Marvin D Moles, accompanied by his daughter and son-in-law, was the guest of a young French-Canadian who had discovered the helmet five years ago in Cormes. Jean-Loup Gassend, 22, is passionate about World War II memorabilia and having discovered Marvin’s name on the helmet, he spent five years tracking him down through the local press in the United States to his home in Dublin, Virginia. They decided to meet up. Many of those living in Cormes had not forgotten the Americans’ role in their liberation from the German occupation, and turned out in force to witness the handover of the helmet. The war veteran received an equally warm reception in Sospel where he had spent three months in 1944.




Des soldats allemands exhumés sur la côte d'Azur
Publié le 25/10/2006 sur le site anciencombattant.com
Ils avaient participé aux combats qui avaient directement suivi le débarquement allié en Provence, le 15 août 1944. Les restes d'une quinzaine de soldats de la Wehrmacht ont été exhumés mercredi 18 octobre à Villeneuve-Loubet près de Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). Ils étaient tombés lors de la bataille de libération de la petite ville, le 26 août 1944 et reposaient à environ un mètre sous terre, dans un sous-bois à la sortie de la commune, sur la route de Grasse.
Jean-Loup Gassend, étudiant en médecine de 24 ans (mais passionné par l'histoire) avait pu localiser l'endroit où avaient été enterrés les soldats allemands grâce à des témoignages recueillis dans la localité : « Les corps ont été transportés dans ce bois, après les combats, par les villageois qui les ont enterrés », a expliqué l'étudiant, qui a informé l'association Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (VDK) qui s'occupe de l'entretien des cimetières militaires allemands à travers le monde. L'institution allemande estime que 7 000 soldats allemands sont toujours portés disparus sur le territoire français mais la fosse de Villeneuve-Loubet constitue l'une des principales découvertes de ces dernières années.
Des ossements, des casques et des munitions ont pu être dégagées lors de ces fouilles. Mais ce sont surtout les cinq plaques d'identification déterrées qui pourraient permettre d'identifier avec certitude les victimes. Ces plaques ont été envoyées à Berlin pour être analysées. Les soldats retrouvés à Villeneuve-Loubet seront inhumés le 23 juin 2007 au cimetière militaire allemand de Berneuil, près de Saintes (Charente-Maritime).











Author contact: jean-loup@gassend.com




The author is always seeking for veterans, manuscripts, photos, information and documents about the First Airborne Task Force and the following units: 
-First Special Service Force
-2nd Independent Parachute Brigade
-2nd Chemical Battalion
-3rd Ordinance Medium Maintenance Company
-4th Battalion Parachute Regiment
-5th Battalion (Scottish) Parachute Regiment
-6th Battalion (Welsh) Parachute Regiment
-40th Engineer Regiment
-46th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
-48th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company
-51st Evacuation Hospital
-65th Infantry Regiment, Puerto Rican (Borinqueneers)
-83rd Chemical Battalion
-141st Infantry Regiment
-334th Quartermaster Airial Resupply
-460th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
-463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
-509th Parachute Infantry Regiment
-512th Signal Company
-517th Parachute Infantry Regiment
-550th Glider Infantry Battalion
-551st Parachute Infantry Battalion
-596th Parachute Combat Engineer Company
-638th Medical Clearing Company
-636th Tank Destroyer Battalion
-645th Tank Destroyer Battalion
-676th Medical Clearing Company
-887th Airborne Engineer Company

 If you are the relative of a soldier of the First Airborne Task Force, particularly of one of those listed below, please contact the author at:   jean-loup@gassend.com

Lt William H. Crawford, FSSF, from Passaic NJ
Howard Knapp, 463rd PFAB
Thomas M Shaw, 463rd PFAB
Edward M Spath, 463rd PFAB
Joseph Vuchak, 463rd PFAB
Weldon Walker, 463rd PFAB
Thomas J Wolf, 463rd PFAB



Adams
Marion L.
Pvt
460 PFAB
Allen
Alton L.
Pvt
D Co 517
Allen
Glen H.
FLO
439 Troop Carrier
Alto
Lawrence L
FLO
95 Squ 440 Troop Carrier
Anderson
Elmer J.
Pvt
HQ 517th PIR
Anderson
Robert C.
Pvt
1-2 FSSF
Andrews
Joseph
2Lt
Armatta
Edward A.
SSgt
1-3 FSSF
Arredonds
James M.
Cpl
F Co 517th PIR
Arsennek
Arthur A.
Sgt
1-1 FSSF
Attebery
Edgar R. Jr
Sgt
D Co 517th PIR
Baggett
Al D.
Pvt
HQ 2 517th PIR
Baldwin
William F.
T5
HQ 1 517th PIR
Barbeau
Melvin E.
Pvt
1-2 FSSF
Barnhurst
Ira 
Pvt
887 AEC
Bartow
Clifford H.
PFC
2-1 FSSF
Beatham
Stanley Jr
Sgt
509th PIB
Beauchaine
Arthur E.
Sgt
Sv Co 551
Beaver
Homer C.
T4
D Co 517th PIR
Beckner
Eugene
T 4
B Co 509th PIB
Bednarz
Richard B.
Pvt
HQ 517th PIR
Begue
Arthur C.
Pvt
B Bat 602
Belanger
Joseph
Sgt
1-3 FSSF
Bell
Marvin C.
PFC
G Co 517
Bell
Orman G.
FLO
10 Squ 60 Troop Carrier
Biblowitz
Solomon
SSgt
2-3 FSSF
Billstrom
John E.
2Lt
93 Squ 439 Troop Carrier
Birtles
Joseph Henry
Pvt
127 Para Field Amb
Blair
Charles P.
PFC
550 GIB 
Blais
Joseph A.
Pvt
1-3 FSSF
Bloyd
David G.
Pvt
509th PIB
Boggan
William F.
PFC
596 PCEC
Booley
Thomas Frederick
Bmb
165th Field Reg
Bowden
Foster V.
Pvt
Sv Co FSSF
Brierley
Levi
Pvt
5th Bn Scott
Brogdon

517 PIR
Brown
Douglas
Cpl
887 AEC
Brown
Robert W.
PFC
A Bat 460
Buchanan
Joseph L
Sgt
509th PIB
Buckley
Robert S.
Pvt
1-3 FSSF
Buechler
Paul H.
PFC
550 GIB HQ
Buk
William
PFC
G Co 517
Burns
Gavin Pollock
Pvt
5th Bn Scottish
Burns
Francis N. Jr
Pvt
509
Burnside
Don N.
PFC
HQ 2 517
Butler
Ira J
Pvt
B Co 509
Calvert
Ernest
Lnc Cpl
4th Bn
Camden
Charles H.
Pvt
2-2 FSSF
Campbell
John J.
Pvt
H Co 517
Campos
Frank
PFC
B Co 509th PIB
Carlson
Elmer J.
Pvt
G Co 517
Castanon
Joe 
PFC
HQ 3 517
Celli
Anthony S.
PFC
I Co 517
Chappell
John F. Jr
PFC
C Co 551
Ciner
Henry A.
PFC
HQ 517
Clark
John W.
Pvt
HQ2 517
Coffelt
Ernest R.
PFC
596 Co
Colflesh
John G.
Sgt
3-3 FSSF
Collins
James T.
PFC
4-1 FSSF
Collinson
Thomas
Pvt
A Bat 602
Colo
Hector H.
PFC
G Co 517
Conaway
Edward E.
Pvt
6-2 FSSF
Cook
Moffet C.
Pvt
C Bat 460
Cooper
William C.
Cpl
509th PIB
Cox
Francis Edward
Pvt
127 Para Field Amb
Crane
Thomas J.
1Sgt
A Co 509
Crane
Oakley H.
SSgt
1-1 FSSF
Crosby
James H.
Pvt
509th PIB
Cross
Lynwood W.
Pvt
HQ1 517
Cutmore
William C.
Pvt
1-3 FSSF
Dainard
Stanley E.
Pvt
3-1 FSSF
Daley
Richard R.
PFC
B Bat 460
David
Robert B
S Sgt
509th PIB
David
Roy W.
Sgt
509th PIB
Davis
Charles Reginald
Cpl
5th Bn Scott
Davis
James M.
T4
1-1 FSSF
Davison
Robert E.
Pvt
509th PIB
Dawson
Albert T
T 5
B Co 509
Debray
Jacques G.F.
1er Bat de Choc
DeCamilla
Bernard J.
Pvt
6-1 FSSF
Deming
James W.
T5
B Co 551
Dennis
William E.
PFC
B Co 551
Dohner
Sigurd L.
Pvt
509th PIB
Dorsa
Anthony J
1 Sgt
B Co 509
Dowie
Benjamin
Pvt
4th Bn
Driscoll
John A. Jr
Pvt
1-3 FSSF
Duarte
Toney F.
Pvt
Sv Co FSSF
Ducote
Larry J.
Pvt
B Co 509
Dunbar
Vernon E.
PFC
550 GIB 
Durham
George E.
MSgt
Sv Co FSSF
Edgerly
Joseph A.
PFC
B Co 551
Ellis
Perry I.
Sgt
HQ 551
Englert
Wallace P.
Sgt
596 PCEC
Ernst
Albert J.
Pvt
A Co 517
Everett
William E.
Pvt
B Bat 602
Fabrick
Anthony
PFC
D Co 517
Farrell
Charles S.
PFC
6-2 FSSF
Fiander
Hubert J.
1Lt
509th PIB
Fields
Warren B.
Pvt
B Co 551
Fisher
Daniel A.
Cpl
HQ1 517
Fisher
Herbert E.
Pvt
509th PIB
Flament
Charles A.
PFC
509th PIB
Florant
John L.
Pvt
550 GIB 
Flynn
Leo L. Jr
Pvt
A Co 551
Ford/Fort
Johnnie C
PFC
B Co 509
Fouracre
Robert George
Pvt
5th Bn Scott
Fouts
John
Pvt
D Co 517
Freeman
Harold M.
2Lt
H Co 517th PIR
Funk
Jack D
Pvt
B Co 551
Gallardo
Jesus M.
Cpl
1-2 FSSF
Garcia
Julius
Pvt
B Co 509
Gardner
George B.
Sgt
4-1 FSSF
Gaunce
John E.
1Sgt
H Co 517
Gilbreath

517
Gillman
Marvin N
T 4
B Co 509
Green
Louis 
Cpl
A Bat 602
Gregory
Burton M.
Pvt
B Bat 602
Griffin
Donald F.
Pvt
A Co 509
Grodin
Morrie
SSgt
HQ/SV/C Bat 602
Gruwell
Robert R.
Pvt
G Co 517
Guynup
Clarence N.
Pvt
4-2 FSSF
Haight
David B.
PFC
Med 517
Haller
Leonard R.
Pvt
509th PIB
Hardin
Robert X.
FLO
79 Squ 436 Troop Carrier
Hathorn
Robert R.
Pvt
B Co 517
Hemsworth
George P.
PFC
509th PIB
Henderson
Lowell Jr.
PFC
C Co 517
Hirales
Ralph V.
PFC
509th PIB
Hofsommer
Walter M.
Pvt
G Co 517
Houck
Robert M.
Pvt
2-2 FSSF
Hughes
Felix J.
Pvt
A Co 551
Hulshier
Allen H.
Pvt
HQ 463th PFAB
Jamme
Richard A.
Cpl
A Co 517th PIR
Jaynes
Howard D. Jr
Sgt
596 Co
Jenner
William R
Sjt
Glider Pilot Rgt
Jensen
George W.
PFC
551
John
Frederick M.
Pvt
D Co 517
Jones
Davy James
Pvt
5th Bn Scott
Jones
Raymond L.
PFC
887 AEC
Jozefski
Chester B.
Pvt
HQ 463
Juve
Walter H. Jr
Pvt
1-2 FSSF
Keefe
Frank J.
Pvt
602 PFAB Med
Kenna
John A. 
Pvt
2-2 FSSF/Cannon co
Kennamer
Philip M.
PFC
C Bat 460
Kern
William E.
FLO
79 Squ 436 Troop Carrier
Kersey
Wilburn M.
Pvt
E Co 517th PIR
Kimball
Paul R.
2Lt
99 Squ 441 Troop Carrier
Klausen
Albert J.
PFC
550 GIB 
Kobel
Harold L.
Pvt
509th PIB
Kuehl
Orrin F.
Pvt
1-3 FSSF
Ladd
Walter L.
T4
1-1 FSSF
LaPorte
Paul G.
Lt
6-2 FSSF
LaValle
Ralph E.
FLO
84 Squ 437 Troop Carrier
Lawson
William C.
Pfc
551st PIB
Leaman
Horace F.
FLO
86 Squ 437 Troop Carrier
Lee
Calvin R.
PFC
550
Lee
James E.
Pvt
3-3 FSSF
Legg
Theodor N.
PFC
463 PFAB
Legros
Joseph
PFC
550 GIB 
Lemen
Charles C.
Pvt
E Co 517
Lencer
Rudolph M
Sgt
A Bat 602
Lewis
Harold J.
PFC
HQ2 517
Lewis
Billie E.
PFC
C Bat 460
Lindsey
Lewis N.
Pvt
509
Linett
Harry
Cpl
C Co 40 Eng
Lopez
Daniel T.
Pvt
D Co 517
Lucas
Vestal R.
Pvt
596 PCEC
Luksis
Albert V.
PFC
509th PIB
Lundquist
Arthur E.
PFC
509th PIB
Lupone
Arthur J.
T4
A Bat 602
Lynch
George R
PFC
B Co 509
Mann
Rexford C.
Pvt
1-1 FSSF
Mathis
Leonard
Pvt
596 Co
Mattice
Kenneth R
Sgt
I Co 517
McDonald
Theodore M.
Pvt
4-1 FSSF
McDougall
Kenneth D.
2Lt
3-1 FSSF
McFarland
Richard M.
FLO
7 Squ 62 Troop Carrier
McGeever
Joseph T.
Capt
HQ 3 517
McLamb
Herbert B.
PFC
596 PCEC
McLey
Melvin W.
PFC
A Co 517
Metzger
Harold D
Cpl
509 PIB
Michaels
Patrick L.
Pvt
596 PCEC
Miley
Maurice J
2Lt
HQ2 517
Miller
Robert J.
Sgt
I Co 517th PIR
Miller
Harold H.
Pvt
596 PCEC
Montgomery
Walace A.
Pvt
B Co 517th PIR
Moore
Harry F.
2Lt
C Bat 460 PFAB
Moore
James D.
2Lt
4-3 FSSF
Moore
Harry J.
Pvt
6-3 FSSF
Moore
Alfred 
Pvt
2nd Chemical Btl
Morley
Eric Arthur
Pvt
23rd Ind Para Bn
Naylor
Thomas A.
Pvt
Med 517 PIR
Newell
Harry
Pvt
4th Bn
O'Brien
Joseph E.
Pvt
F Co 517
O'Flaherty
Patrick
Pvt
4th Bn
Ogniewski
Daniel L.
PFC
D Co 517th PIR
Oliver
Marvin R.
PFC
A Co 517
Olson
Clarence B.
PFC
B Bat 602
Painton
Robert J.
Lt
2-1 FSSF
Palmer
Melvin R.
Pvt
D Bat 460
Paplatario
Anthony 
1Sgt
550 GIB 
Patenaude
Eugene F.
T4
HQ3 FSSF
Patterson
James Fairbairn
Pvt
127 Para Field Amb
Peabody
Rushton D.
1Lt
A Co 551
Pennebaker
Thomas W
Pvt
B Co 509
Pinciak
John A.
Pvt
4-3 FSSF
Pipino
Alfred Jr
Pvt
B Co 509 PIB
Polinsky
John J.
Pvt
E Co 517
Pollender
Paul Emile Maurice
Pvt
5-1 FSSF
Polson
Lee W.
T5 Med
HQ 509
Potenza
Thomas C.
Sgt
6-2 FSSF
Potter
Leon V
Pfc
B Co 509
Rader
Sam L.
T4
1-2 FSSF
Radon
Stanley E.
Pvt
I Co 517th PIR
Ratajczak
Carl R. Jr
Pvt
334 QM
Reed
Emmett J.
Pvt
4-3 FSSF
Reid
George W
T 5
B Co 509th PIB
Richards
William
PFC
H Co 517th PIR
Richmond
Howard L.
Pvt
E Co 517th PIR
Ridler
Arthur W.
1Lt
G Co 517
Ridout
Arnold C
SSgt
F Co 517
Rigby
Don A.
Pvt
1-3 FSSF
Robinson
Albert M.
2Lt
HQ2 517
Rodger
Robert George
Pvt
4th Battalion
Rodgers
Herbert
Lnc Sjt
5th Battalion Scottish
Rowe
Joe G.
Pvt
C Co 551
Ruark
Walter D. Jr
Cpl
4-2 FSSF
Ruell
George P.
Pfc
D Bat 463
Sadlo
Charles J.
2Lt
A Co 517
Salmon
Carl G.
Pvt
C Co 517
Sanchez
Max W.
FLO
76 Squ 435 Troop Carrier
Scecina
George J.
Pvt
A Co 517 PIR
Schmidt
Floyd Stanley
Sgt
6-2 FSSF
Scott
Mark E.
PFC
550 GIB
Seegar
Harold D.
Pvt
HQ 1 517
Sepulveda
Ramon M.
Pvt
B Co 551
Sexton
Rex D
PFC
509th PIB
Shaneyfelt
Alton L.
T4
F Co 517
Sharpe
George W.
1Lt
550 GIB 
Sherman
Arthur E.
Cpl
F Co 517
Shumaker
Harold I.
PFC
I Co 517
Siewierski
Alois J.
PFC
596 PCEC
Singley
Eugene D. Jr
Pvt
550
Smith
Duane L.
2Lt
A Bat 460
Smith
David W.
Sgt
B Co 551
Smith
Willis H.
PFC
A co 550
Starr
Hugh R.
T5
Sv Co FSSF
Stephens
Preston
FLO
44 Squ 316 Troop Carrier
Stevenson
Leonard
Pvt
6th Bn Welsh
Stewart
Arthur Claude Firth
Lt
4th Battalion
Stewart
Joseph M.
Cpl
A Co 517
Sutherland
William A
Sgt
B Co 509 PIB
Swank
Glenn W.
Pvt
Sv Co FSSF
Szczech
Casimer W.
T5
HQ 3 517
Tappen
Jerome F.
T5
550 GIB 
Tatro
Charles H.
Pvt
C Bat 460 PFAB
Tenute
Louis J.
Pvt
B Co 551
Thomas
Gwilym John
Cpl
6th Bn Welsh
Thomas
Hillard B.
2Lt
H Co 517
Thompson
Raymond F.
Pvt
H Co 517
Thompson
Alfred G.
FLO
97 Squ 440 Troop Carrier
Thorng
William
Pvt
D Co 517
Tierno
James J.
Pvt
FABTF
Tobiassen
Reidar
Pvt
887 AEC
Tully
Joseph J.
Pvt
512 Ab Signal Co




Vanderpool
Walter
Pvt
D Co 517
Vickers
Charles E.
T4
6-2 FSSF
Waddle
Ernest
2Lt
550
Wall
Edward J. Jr
T4
2 FSSF
Walton
James L.
Pvt
HQ2 517
White
Harley L.
T5
FSSF
Whitfield
Jack
PFC
HQ 3 517
Wikins(ki)
Henry 
Pvt
596 PCEC
Williams
John
Cpl
6th Bn Welch
Williams
Max G.
Cpl
B Co 551
Woodcock
Willis A.
Pvt
I Co 517
Wright
Stephen J.
Pvt
2-1 FSSF
Yellowrobe
Alvin J.
PFC
A Co 551
York
Joe E.
PFC
HQ 2 517
Yulo
Basil
PFC
550 GIB 





Apperman                Henry-Heinrich        2Lt           G Co 141IR
Arzallier   Marius     Sgt Chf Inf Col         Groupe Naval Assaut
Beeman    Edgar F.   PFC          C Co 141IR
Benter      William C.                Pvt           D Co 141IR
Braconnier               Henri       Matl Can  Groupe Naval Assaut
Braff        Samuel     Pvt           A Co 141IR
Brookshier               Vivian F.  PFC          A Co 141IR
Cacaud     René        Qrt Mtr Mnvr           Groupe Naval Assaut
Carvalho  Joseph     PFC          A Co 141IR
Chesunas Charles    PFC          AT Co 141IR
Corlou     Albert      2 Mtr Fsl  Groupe Naval Assaut
Cross       Roderick S.              PFC          A Co 141IR
Dodson    Robert L. 1Lt           B Co 636TD
Dorschel  Carl H.     1Lt           C Co 141IR
Dourous  Pierre       Matl Fsl   Groupe Naval Assaut
Dunlap     George H. IV           Pvt           B Co 141IR
Edwards  Thurman H.             PFC          L Co 141IR
Fichefeux Pierre       2 Mtr Mnvr              Groupe Naval Assaut
Foster      Albert S.  PFC          HQ1 141IR
Gabrus     Joseph     Sgt           G Co 141IR
Griffitts    William C.                Sgt           C Co 141IR
Guidoni   Jacques    Qrt Mtr Can             Groupe Naval Assaut
Guilcher   Henri       Matl Gbr  Groupe Naval Assaut
Henderson               William B.                PFC          A Co 141IR
Hessong   Arthur J.  PFC          E Co 141IR
Hillerson  Sayre       Pvt           C Co 141IR
Hosey      Carl O.     PFC          A Co 141IR
Hudson    Dudley W.               SSgt         I Co 141IR
Marche    Gérard     Capt Corvette           Groupe Naval Assaut
McKee     Paul R.     1Lt           Rec Co 636TD
Meek       Willard E.                PFC          L Co 141IR
Mignot     Georges   Matl Fsl   Groupe Naval Assaut
Nichols    William E.                PFC          A Co 141IR
Obenrader                Eugene E.                PFC          E Co 141IR
Petras       Adolph    T/Sgt        K Co 141IR
Servel      Pierre       Ensgn Vaisseau       Groupe Naval Assaut
Sheehan   Thomas L.               Pvt           L Co 141IR
Strassburg                Alton W.  PFC          A Co 141IR





Keywords: oral history, battlefield archeology, Operation Dragoon, Airborne, Reserve Division 148, First Airborne Task Force, Maritime Alps, WWII, French Riviera. Histoire orale, archéologie de confit.


Keywords Libération de Vence, Villeneuve-Loubet, Montauroux, Nice, St Cézaire sur Siagne, la Roquette sur Var, la Colle sur Loup, Mandelieu la Napoule, Cannes, Théoule sur Mer, Fayence, la Turbie, Peira Cava, Hill 1098, le Col de Braus, Sospel, le Broc, Grasse, St Tropez, Menton, Callian, et le reste de la Côte d'Azur. Reserve Division 148. Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 7.  Reserve Jäger Bataillon 28.  Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 164.  Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 327.  Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 372.  Reserve Grenadier Bataillon 444.  Reserve Artillerie Regiment 8.  Reserve Artillerie Abteilung 44. 509th Parachute Infantry Batallion. 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. First Special Service Force (FSSF). FABTF. First Airborne Task Force. Le Groupe Naval d'Assaut de Corse. Generalleutnant Otto Fretter-Pico. General Robert T. Frederick. Colonel Yarborough. 517th Parachute Infantry Combat Team Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment Moulinet Tête du Pin, First Airborne Task Force.
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