Photography by John Michael

At the Rhone American Cemetery north of St. Tropez, in the little city of Draguignan, above all the graves, a stone wall is inscribed:

In all, 250,000 Allied soldiers stormed France’s Mediterranean shores on Aug. 15, 1944, just 70 days after the D-Day landings at Normandy, catching German troops in a pincer so tight that Hitler muttered to aides, “This is the darkest day of my life.”

You can read more about it at this Wikipedia entry about Operation Dragoon

Recently at Arlington National Cemetery a gathering of WW II veterans, their families and friends occurred to remember that “other” invasion of France. Many call it the “Forgotten Other D-Day.” But here 65 years later, they gathered to remember and be remembered.

The invasion involved a significant coordination of US forces represented by the 3d, 36th and 45th Infantry Divisions, the 509th & 551st Parachute Infantry Regiments, the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion (gliders), the bi-national troops of the 1st Special Services Forces and even the OSS. The troops were delivered by the US Army Air Forces and the US Navy, both of which then provided air cover and landing support.