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Battle of Marseille
Part ofMediterranean and Middle East Theatre and theEuropean Theatre ofWorld War II
(From left to right)André Diethelm,Jean de Lattre de Tassigny,Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert andEmmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie reviewing the7th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment in liberated Marseille, 29 August 1944
Date 21–28 August 1944 Location Marseille, southern France 43°20′N5°23′E / 43.33°N 5.38°E /43.33; 5.38 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
France	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert Veli Dedi[1]	Hans Schäfer
Units involved
II Corps	244th Division
Strength
French Army: 12,000	13,000
Casualties and losses
1,400[2]	2,000 killed and wounded 11,000 captured

TheBattle of Marseille was anurban battle ofWorld War II that took place August 21–28, 1944, and led to the liberation ofMarseille byFree French forces under the command of GeneralJean de Lattre de Tassigny. The groundwork was laid by theAllied invasion of southern France inOperation Dragoon on 15 August 1944 by theUnited States Seventh Army, with major support from theFrench First Army.

Along withToulon, the main port for theFrench Navy (French:Marine nationale), the Port of Marseille was a vital objective.^[2]: 88 The port, its facilities, and the rail and road links up theRhone valley, being essential to theliberation of southern France and the ultimate defeat of German forces. After the successful execution ofOperation Overlord (theNormandy landings), attention shifted to the south. Most ports in the north were unusable, or too heavily fortified (e.g.Cherbourg,Brest,Lorient,Saint Nazaire), which made seizure and control of the French ports atMarseille and Toulon increasingly attractive.^[3] In addition, the French leaders pressed for an invasion in southern France. Finally, after many delays, on 14 July,Operation Dragoon was authorized by the AlliedCombined Chiefs of Staff.^[4][5] The groundwork was laid by theAllied invasion of southern France inOperation Dragoon on 15 August by theUnited States Seventh Army under GeneralPatch, with support from theFrench First Army who began landing on 16 August and would within days amount to two thirds of the Dragoon troops on the ground. Patch gave the order to GeneralJean de Lattre de Tassigny to take the cities ofToulon andMarseille, which were to be attacked simultaneously with de Larminat in charge of attacking Toulon.

German defences centred on almost static infantry units guarding the coastal areas, with11th Panzer Division providing a mobile reserve.

At Marseille the244th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) provided the main defence, comprising three Grenadier regiments, the 932nd, 933rd and 934th together with an artillery regiment.^{[2]: 112–3}

Existing French Army defensive points, including large artillery batteries, provided a reasonable seaward defence. The landward side defence was augmented with mines and the digging of weapons pits, trenches and tank obstacles.^[2]: 77

On 20 August the Germans scuttled the ships that were in the harbour: one tanker, one cable laying ship, three passenger ships, and 20 cargo ships.^[6]

Marseille played host to two major resistance movements, the non communist coalition known asMouvements Unis de la Résistance (MUR) with 800 men and the French Communist PartyFrancs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) with 2,000 men.^[2]: 95Gaston Defferre was a leading figure in MUR as well as heading the Allied intelligence network. Both MUR and the Allies had operated a policy of non arming of communist groups. In February 1944 the creation ofFrench Forces of the Interior (FFI) in theory merged the two groups, however they stayed opposed to each other until the FFI was absorbed into the regular French Army.

On 23 August, with French Army troops approaching the city suburbs, the Resistance took over the city'sPrefecture. The German garrison could easily have destroyed this opposition, but seemed distracted by the regular French Army.^[2]: 125

Softening up using heavy bombers to attack gun positions around Marseille began on 12 August, the city had few anti aircraft defences. The 23/24 attacks scored some direct hits on gun positions in the Marseille area and roaming fighter bombers took on targets of opportunity.^[2]: 125

On 21 August the approaches to Marseille were cut, isolating the Marseille garrison.^[7] Units closed in on the suburbs. The Germans blew up theMarseille Transporter Bridge to try to block the port.

Ordered to clear the suburbs of Marseille, on 24 August 3rd Algerian Infantry Division occupied the centre of Marseille.^[8] GeneralJoseph de Goislard de Monsabert decided that with the Resistance rising up and 1st Combat Command moving on the Old Port, he would call upon the Germans to surrender, but was refused.^[2]: 125

Pockets of resistance were mopped up on 26 August. A German explosive-controlled boat attack on minesweepers sweeping channels to the port was broken up, and eight were sunk.^[9]

The main German resistance centred on the oldfort of St Nicolas. French artillery opened up on the fort and after two days it was clear that resistance was futile and the Marseille garrison surrendered on 27 August. On 29 Augustmarines from the cruisersUSSAugusta andUSSPhiladelphia accepted the surrender of Germans on the fortified harbour islands.^[2]: 126

French casualties were over 1,800 and they took 11,000 prisoners.^[10]

The ports of Toulon and Marseille were captured in 14 days, when the plan of attack had estimated D+40.^[2]: 126

TheOld Port of Marseille appeared to be in complete ruins. According to eye-witness accounts, in January 1943, the Germans, aided by the French police, dynamited much of the historic old town and demolished the gigantic aerial ferry or"transbordeur", an engineering tour de force that had become a major landmark of Marseille, comparable to theEiffel Tower inParis. However, the harbour was still functional. In August 1944 Hitler ordered his troops under the command of General Hans Schäfer to hold Marseille "to the last man and last cartridge" and destroy the harbour beyond repair if defeat was inevitable. But Schäfer refused to let the majority of his men become casualties and allowed only partial demolition. He and his 11,000 surviving troops surrendered on August 28.^[11]

The mainMarseille-Fos Port facilities suffered damage from 2,000 mines that were used to destroy quays, bridges, moles, cranes and sheds,^[12] however with hard work, two weeks later, the first ship entered the port to begin unloading supplies.^[2]: 126

The landing of supplies increased rapidly, with 57,000 tonnes (63,000 short tons) of rail freight moving from the port in September, plus 200,000 tonnes (220,000 short tons) by truck.^[13]: 188

A fuel pipe line was built,^[13]: 191 it started atMartigues and utilising storage tanks in theLa Mede refinery. The harbour was mined and it was 9 September when the first tanker docked. A tug assisting it dock hit a mine. Pipe laying started the same day. Six teams, each laying over three kilometres (two miles) of 100-millimetre (4 in) pipe a day. Interim storage and dispensing points were built. When completed it was capable of moving 450 tonnes (500 short tons) of petrol a day, which reduced the problems caused by a shortage ofjerrycans and trucks. A second 150 mm (6 in) pipeline would be laid and it eventually reached theSarrebourg, 850 km away. By Spring 1945, 4,500,000 litres (1,200,000 US gal) were being pumped every day, meeting the requirements of both theSeventh United States Army and theFirst Army (France).^[14]

By mid October, with the repairs to the railway lines, especially bridges, freight increased. The southern route would become a significant source of supplies to help the Allied advance into Germany, moving over 91,000 tonnes (100,000 short tons) a week^[15] and providing about one third of the total Allied requirement.^[16]

The left wing French resistance took over the city administration and the American forces did not have an easy time of getting their requirements met, using the city as a rest and relaxation centre was not appreciated.^[2]: 126

GeneralCharles de Gaulle took a dim view of FTP and the part it played in the liberation. He ensured that these paramilitary units were absorbed into the regular army, so eliminating any threat against him. The French Army presence in southern France combined with theLeclerc's2nd ArmouredLiberation of Paris elevated De Gaulle to the leader of theProvisional Government of the French Republic in the eyes of the Allied Politicians.

The port of Marseille had been the prime route for the shipping ofRed Cross parcels fromLisbon to theInternational Committee of the Red Cross inGeneva, for onward transport to PoW camps.Operation Dragoon put a stop to that,^[17] although a few parcels did start arriving again through Toulon in November.

• Gaujac, Paul (1985).L'Armée de la victoire [The Army of Victory]. Les Grandes batailles de France (in French). Vol. 3 De la Provence à l'Alsace. Paris: Charles-Lavauzelle. pp. 124–137.ISBN 978-2-702-50126-9.OCLC 461876740..
• Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1949).Histoire de la première armée française [History of the First French Army] (in French).Plon.ISBN 978-2258007055.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• François de Linares (2005).Par les portes du Nord : la libération de Toulon et Marseille en 1944 [By the Northern Ports: the Liberation of Toulon and Marseille in 1944] (in French). Paris: Nouvelles éditions latines.ISBN 978-2-723-32056-6.OCLC 62176140.

• La libération de Notre Dame de la Garde le 25 août 1944Archived 8 May 2021 at theWayback Machine
• Sur la Canebière, la jeep du colonel Chappuis arborant des drapeaux blancs, Marseille, 22-23 août 1944
• Le général de Monsabert et le colonel Chappuis en août 1944 à Marseille

• Conflicts in 1944
• 1944 in France
• Battles of World War II involving France
• World War II invasions
• Naval battles and operations of the European theatre of World War II
• Operation Dragoon
• Western European Campaign (1944–1945)
• Invasions of France
• Invasions by the United States
• August 1944 in Europe
• Marseille in World War II
• Battles of World War II involving Germany

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