Plage de Pampelone, the long Sand Beach just south of Saint-Tropez
August is the time of the year when people flock to the beaches on the Côte d’Azur. The Pamplona beach near Saint-Tropez is particularly popular. As anywhere in France, “la plage” is open to everybody. But if you have some cash to spend, the beach clubs 10 meters away from the water line are happy to welcome you. There are many. All the famous names are present: Nikki Beach, Byblos, Bagatelle, Tiki Beach, La Reserve, Tropicana. The food is pricy. There are lots of chic people. A bottle of champagne costs easily EUR 1’000.- Still, these places are packed. Many people like the lifestyle that goes with these names.
The famous Nikki Beach of Saint-Tropez. You need to book early if you want to visit
Almost 80 years ago, on August 15th, 1944, Pamplona beach looked rather different. 18-year-old Americans, the gun infantry (GI) of the US 3rd Infantry Division, stormed the beach to fight the 19th German Army. The 2nd landing in France, code named Dragoon had begun.
Vessels of the US Landing Fleet just south of Saint-Tropez. Pamplona Beach is to the left
150’000 men in four divisions landed on and behind the beaches from Saint-Rafael to Cavalaire. Within days, another 500’000 soldiers followed. Pushing up the Rhone Valley they opened a second front against the Wehrmacht.
The Landing Sectors of the US VI Corps with 3 divisions - the Paras landed near Le Muy
Within three weeks, Lyon was liberated. On the 15th of September, a month after the landing, the combined US and French Armies stood west of Belfort. German resistance in France collapsed. Operation Dragoon was a strategic success.
The Advance of the US 7th Army and the French Army B up the Rhone Valley
Compared to the Normandy landing two months earlier, the losses were light. Only 7’301 soldiers were killed during the operation. In Normandy, the number was seven times as high. That the landing was unopposed in many places is visible in most photos. The GIs look relaxed – the fact that there are plenty of photos indicates that there was little fighting on the beaches. It changed later on when the Allied Forces pushed inland.
Landing Boat approaching the Beach - nobody takes cover - opposition was light
Looking at today’s holidayers, it is difficult to imagine that Ramatuelle and Saint-Tropez woke up to gun-fire on the 15th of August 1944. Ship artillery aimed at German bunkers, landing crafts laid smoke screens and fired their machine guns. Overhead, a fleet of C-47s (DC-3) crossed on its way to drop a parachute division near Le Muy and Draguignan. The beach is peaceful these days. Waves and screaming children are the biggest noise.
"Is it true that GIs landed on this Beach in 1944?" - It is
The military trained eye though sees a lot of evidence from the battle 80 years ago. Rusty blocks of concrete are the remains of German beach bunkers. There are memorial tablets with French and American flags. On the road behind the beaches we find small monuments erected by veterans to remember their fallen comrades. Once a year, someone cleans them and plants fresh flowers.
Our friend Stephen Weiss in Paris wearing his Legion d'Honneur order in February 2020
One of GIs landing near Saint-Raphael was my friend Stephen Weiss who sadly passed away in 2020. We met in London where he taught military history at Kings College. As an 18-year-old, he landed with the 36th Infantry Division on these beaches. After Salerno south of Naples, it was his second landing. He told me that he did not expect to survive. But he and his fellow soldiers pushed quickly through the light German defenses and were within a week in Grenoble. The French Resistance had showed them which roads were free of Germans.
Stephen Weiss (far right) boarding a Landing Ship during an Exercise in Italy in 1943
A day later he fought in Montélimar in the Rhone valley against the Wehrmacht’s 11th Tank Division, was cut off from his unit, rescued with other American fellows by French Resistance Fighters and fought on their side for the next few weeks. Back with his unit in the Vosges, he suffered from shell shock and wandered off the battlefield. He got almost court-marshalled but a doctor recognized his condition and helped him recover. Steve ended the war as a camera man documenting the war efforts. Upon returning to the USA, he studied psychology – learning and understanding Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder was his passion.
One of the German Panther Tanks which cut off Stephen from his unit
Steve would seldom talk about his PTSD or the GI friends he lost. But when he did you could feel his inner sadness. Once he told me “I always wonder what life they would have led after the war.” But he felt that landing in France on the 15 August 1944 was his tiny contribution to the good life we live today and that it was the right thing to do.
Many of Steve's Friends did not make it back home - a fact that saddened him deeply
We accompanied Steve to Paris when he was made Commandeur de La Legion d’Honeur – one of the highest orders one can get in France. In his late 80ties, he was truly happy with the award but felt that he did not really deserve it. But he did. When I see people sipping expensive drinks in Saint-Tropez, I always wish they had the opportunity to meet Steve. He made us aware of the privileged lives we live without saying a word. We will visit the place in Saint-Raphael where he landed in our first week of sailing this summer. Was never there but he described it to me in every detail necessary.
If you have a bit more time, watch the US War Departments Bulletin No 17 on the "Dragoon". A bit vintage but still informative