Cradle to Grave

The area around Lyon was known as the “cradle of the resistance” due to activity of the FFI. Consequently, after landing in southern France on 15 August and heading quickly northward, the American Seventh Army encountered more friendly maquisards than German opposition. Advancing 300 miles in just 14 …

1944-09-01

J154

The area around Lyon was known as the “cradle of the resistance” due to activity of the FFI. Consequently, after landing in southern France on 15 August and heading quickly northward, the American Seventh Army encountered more friendly maquisards than German opposition. Advancing 300 miles in just 14 days, Maj. General William Eagles’ 45th “Thunderbird” Infantry Division secured a bridge over the Rhone at the town of Meximieux. It was here that the German Nineteenth Army chose to turn and fight the Thunderbirds, despite the fact that the countryside was crawling with maquis.

Meximieux, France

Operation Dragoon was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence on 15 August 1944. The operation was initially planned to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in Normandy, but the lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the second landing. By July 1944 the landing was reconsidered, as the clogged-up ports in Normandy did not have the capacity to adequately supply the Allied forces. Concurrently, the French High Command pushed for a revival of the operation that would include large numbers of French troops. As a result, the operation was finally approved in July to be executed in August.

German

American / French

Scenario Type = Standard