Operation Dragoon, the Allied landings in the south of France in August 1944, is often seen as a sideshow supporting Operation Overload, the crucial D-Day landings in Normandy. And often the operation is criticized as an expensive diversion of men and equipment from the struggle against the German armies in Italy. Yet, as Anthony Tucker-Jones shows in his new in-depth study, Dragoon and the subsequent Allied advance across southern France were key stages in the liberation of Europe, and the operation had far-reaching political and military ramifications. Controversy dogged the plan from the start. Fierce disagreement among the senior Allied commanders and politicians ? in particular between Churchill, Eisenhower and de Gaulle - threatened to weaken the Anglo-American war effort. In vivid detail Anthony Tucker-Jones tells the story of the high-level strategic argument that gave birth to Dragoon, and he looks at the impact of the operation on the direction and duration of the war against Nazi Germany. He also describes the course of the invasion on the ground ? the massive logistical effort required, the landings themselves, the role played by the French resistance, and the bitter battles fought against German rearguards as they sought to retain France's southern cities and cover their withdrawal toward the strategic Belfort Gap. AUTHOR: Anthony Tucker-Jones received his BA in History from Portsmouth University, and his MA International Relations lStrategic Studies from Lancaster University. After career in the intelligence community he became a freelance defence consultant and a prolific writer on military, intelligence, counter-terrorism, military aviation and naval affairs. He has also established a reputation as a writer on the history of warfare, in particular on armoured fighting vehicles. He has also been widely published in many leading Aviation Magazines. ILLUSTRATIONS 30 photos *
