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Battle of La Ciotat
Part of theBattle of the Mediterranean ofWorld War II
American sailors examining battle damage to USSEndicott after the action off La Ciotat
Date 17 August 1944 Location offLa Ciotat, France,Mediterranean Sea Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
John D. Bulkeley	Hermann Polenz[1]
Strength
1destroyer 2gunboats 17PT boats	1corvette 1 navalyacht
Casualties and losses
United States: 1 man wounded 1 destroyer damaged United Kingdom: Unknown	169 captured 1 corvette sunk 1 naval yacht sunk
One German merchant ship was sunk during the battle

TheBattle of La Ciotat was a naval engagement in August 1944 duringWorld War II as part ofOperation Dragoon.Allied forces, engaged at the main landings inVichy France, ordered a small flotilla of American and British warships to make a feint against the port city ofLa Ciotat as a diversion. The Allies hoped to drawGerman forces away from the main landing zones atCavalaire-sur-Mer,Saint-Tropez andSaint Raphaël. During the operation, two German warships attacked the Alliedflotilla.

On 17 August 1944, the Allied command appointedCaptainJohn D. Bulkeley to take charge of the operation. Bulkeley proceeded to La Ciotat with a force of onedestroyer,USS Endicott, 17PT boats and the BritishInsect-classgunboatsHMSScarab andAphis. When the Allies arrived off La Ciotat, the PT boats and gunboats were sent in ahead ofEndicott and sank a German merchant steamer in the harbor. The warships then bombarded targets in the city until two German ships were spotted. They were the former ItalianGabbiano-classcorvetteAntilope, renamedUJ6082 and the former Egyptianarmed yachtNimet Allah.UJ6082 was armed with one 100 mm (3.9 in) gun and two torpedo tubes. Hersister shipUJ6081 had been sunk two days earlier at theBattle of Port Cros. The yacht mounted only a Germananti-aircraft/anti-tank88 mm (3.46 in) Flak gun.

The two British gunboats engaged the Germans with their 6 in (150 mm) and 12-pounder weapons, but the enemy fire was so accurate that they were forced to withdraw. USSEndicott, with only one 5 in (130 mm) gun in operation, opened fire from within 1,500 yd (1,400 m) of the enemy ships. The Germans switched fire from the gunboats toEndicott and hit her, wounding one man, the only American casualty. Although a dud, the shell tore a large hole inEndicott's side. In an engagement that lasted just under an hour, the Americans and the Germans dueled at close range until both the corvette and the yacht were sunk. The Allies then resumed their bombardment of the city. When later asked why he engaged two enemy vessels, Captain Bulkeley replied, "What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."

On the same day, American aircraft, just north of La Ciotat, dropped around 300dummy paratroopers and explosive devices that simulated rifle fire. German casualties are unknown, althoughEndicott rescued 169 sailors who became prisoners of war. John Bulkeley eventually rose to the rank ofvice admiral in theUnited States Navy, retiring from service in 1988.

• 
  HMSAphis during World War II
• 
  USSEndicott in 1944

• Swarns, Rachel L. Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley, 84, Hero of D-Day and Philippines New York Times (1996), retrieved 8/30/10

 This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Naval battles of World War II involving the United States
• Naval battles of World War II involving Germany
• Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
• Allied naval victories in the battle of the Mediterranean
• 1944 in France
• August 1944 in Europe
• Maritime incidents in August 1944

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