The Terrain

In the planning for Operation Dragoon, the port of Toulon was an important objective. With a large and well-protected harbor, it had been the center of French naval operations in the Mediterranean for centuries. The naval base was the largest in western Europe, covering hundreds of acres and having maintenance facilities for the biggest warships. As such, and as a supply source for the invasion second only to the larger civilian port of Marseilles, its capture was essential to Dragoon’s success.

The Germans were well aware of the importance of the city, and had turned the Toulon area into a fortress. The defenses against a direct attack from the sea included batteries of large naval guns at Mauvannes, on the peninsula of Saint-Mandrier, and at several other locations along the coast. As noted elsewhere, the presence of these guns was one reason why the Allied landings were moved further to the east.

Anticipating such a move, and realizing that the coastal defenses further from the city were unlikely to hold, the Germans also planned to defend Toulon against land attacks; but their attention was mostly focused to the east of the city. In all other directions (see map), Toulon and its surroundings were somewhat shielded by the mountainous terrain—a jumbled mass of steep, rocky hills and narrow valleys extending from Bandol, on the coast west of Toulon, to the Grand Cap Massif and the area west of Solliès-Ville. Only the coastal plain in the east, the area from La Valette to La Crau and Le Pradet, seemed to provide a good attack route. As this was also the part of the perimeter closest to the expected landing zone, the Germans covered the sector with two heavy belts of defenses.

The outer belt extended from the coast south of Hyères through the town itself, thus blocking the major east-west route National Road #98. The northern flank of Hyères was protected by a group of hills called Redon (Figure 1). From there the line extended along the Gapeau River, past La Crau and as far north as Solliès-Ville and Solliès-Pont. These defenses were also supported by artillery and observation from Coudon(Figure 2), a 700-meter-high fortified rock that overlooks the plains east of Toulon.

As for the inner belt, it extended from the foothills of Coudon south to the coast near Le Pradet. In general, it was based on two ridges: Touar, which ran northeast to southwest and was located between La Valette and La Garde, and Pradet, which ran along the coast south of Le Pradet. These ridges were relatively low but still provided excellent fields of fire across the open coastal plain, so the Germans covered them with pillboxes and anti-tank guns. Although there was a gap of several kilometers between the two ridges, any force trying to attack through it would be exposed to flanking fire from both sides and then would encounter a massive wire barrier, which blocked the western end of the gap and was covered by machine guns.

The last major element of the defenses was the natural obstacle of Faron, a steep barrier that hugs the whole north edge of Toulon and overlooks the entire city and harbor (Figure 3). Here, as in many other places around the city, the Germans made use of fortifications originally built by the French.

Immediately west of Faron, the Las River formed a valley that could provide an entry into Toulon(Figure 4). However, the valley was effectively blocked at a narrow point by the defenses of an installation named La Poudrière. There, inside three tunnels of an old quarry that the French had turned into a munitions dump, German pioneers and engineers had installed their own barracks and arsenal. At the time of the war, the tunnel openings (Figure 5) were protected by metal structures that lined the cliff faces, and which provided many protected firing positions for the defenders. (Whether they were built for this purpose or were simply left over from the installation’s days as a quarry is unclear.) This area would become a huge obstacle to a French advance through the valley.

(click to enlarge)

General de Lattre de Tassigny’s Operational Plan

In the operational plan adopted by Force 163, the French troops of Army Group B were to begin their attack on Toulon on D+9, the 24^th of August, after the landing of all elements of Garbo Force had been completed. The main thrust was to be carried out to the north of the city by the 3^ème Division d'Infanterie Algérienne (3^ème D.I.A./3^rd Algerian Infantry Division) while the 1^ère Division de la France Libre (1^ère D.F.L./1^st Free French Division) pinned the bulk of the German forces along the eastern defenses of Toulon. The 9^ème Division d'Infanterie Coloniale (9^ème D.I.C./9^th Colonial Infantry Division) would exploit this by passing through the 3^ème D.I.A. to capture the city.

On the 1^st of August, General de Lattre de Tassigny, commander of Army Group B, fleshed out this plan with the following additional details:

However, the actual Dragoon landings went better than expected, and as the first elements of Garbo Force began to come ashore on the evening of D+2, de Lattre had to make a difficult decision. The Allies had made significant advances to the north of Toulon, and the Germans were very disorganized. Should he follow the timetable for Operation Dragoon to the letter, or should he take advantage of the success of the initial landings and attack quickly before the Germans had time to regroup?

On the evening of August 18^th (D+3), de Lattre decided to be daring. He therefore ordered the immediate implementation of the August 1^st operational plan. The just-landed first elements of the 1^ère D.F.L were ordered to march that same evening and relieve the Americans on the Blue Line. Five companies from the 3^ème D.I.A. were to push west from the Pierrefeu-Cuers area on the morning of the 19^th. It was also decided to use the 9^ème D.I.C. along the most promising attack axis as soon as it landed at the beachhead (between D+5 and D+9).

To support these attacks, the Groupe de Commandos d'Afrique (G.C.A./African Commando Battalion, attached to the 9^ème D.I.C.) was given the responsibility of taking the Coudon summit forts and neutralizing the artillery and observers positioned there. The Bataillon de Choc ("Chocs"/Shock Battalion, commandos attached to the 3^ème D.I.A.) was made responsible for seizing the fortifications onFaron.

Late in the evening of the 18^th, an unexpected piece of news bolstered de Lattre’s decision. The 9^ème D.I.C. had begun to land, two days earlier than scheduled. A complete battalion was already ashore. The general then decided to strengthen his attack, ordering this unit to move along the right flank of the 1^ère D.F.L. and to attack down the Solliès-Pont—La Valette axis without waiting for the rest of the 9^ème D.I.C. This attack would be supported by the 2^nd Combat Command from the 1^ère D.B.

The updated plan was submitted to General Patch, the Allied invasion commander, on the morning of the 19^th. Despite the repeated objections of his headquarters staff, who were concerned about the rashness of this plan and who favored following the original timetable, General Patch was finally convinced by de Lattre’s insistence and gave his approval around midday.

Everything was in place—5 days ahead of schedule—for the liberation of Toulon to begin.

The 3^ème D.I.A.maneuvers to encircleToulon

On the afternoon of the 19^th, General de Monsabert of the 3^ème D.I.A. ordered Colonel Bonjour to launch the 3^ème R.S.A.R. along Departmental Road #2. The regiment drove past Meounes and Signes without encountering any serious opposition and reached the surroundings of Le Camp (see map) by the end of the afternoon. This hamlet is located at the crossroads of the Marseilles road (National Road #8) and the Toulon road (Figure 6). The Germans had set up a strongpoint here the previous day, heavily supported by machine guns and mortars. (This had not been detected by Allied intelligence, so the location was expected only to host a German NCO school.) The initial French attack failed (Scenario PP1) and another one had to be put off until the next day.

The bulk of the infantry also moved forward. Two battalions from 3^ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Algériens (3^ème R.T.A./3^rd Algerian Light Infantry Regiment), under the leadership of Colonel de Linares, turned directly south and climbed the deserted and lifeless Grand Cap Massif north of Toulon. Without any roads, F.F.I. (Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur) partisans and non-combatant volunteers (monks from the monastery at Cogolin) were used as guides. The forced night march over almost-nonexistent trails without any point of reference was a trial of strength. All equipment had to be backpacked, and each man had to painstakingly follow in the footsteps of the man ahead.

At dawn on the 20^th of August, as the skirmishers began the climb down the imposing and desolate slopes of the Massif into the valley of the Las, they could see the distant sea (Figure 4). At 0800, two companies from the 3^rd Battalion hurtled down on Revest-des-Eaux. No German sentinel was watching from the Saracen Tower; the small detachment of Feldgendarmerie (military police) was busy shopping in the marketplace! But south of Revest, the enemy pulled themselves together. They blocked the French advance around the hamlet of Dardennes and the chapel of Saint-Pierre, near La Poudrière. The Germans even counterattacked with old French tanks in an attempt to supply their almost-encircled troops in Saint-Pierre and to destroy the remaining bridges over the narrow channel of the Las (Scenario PP2).

The 1^st Battalion of the 3^ème R.T.A. deployed west of the 3^rd and entered the pass between Les Caumes hill and Bau-de-Quatre-Heures. Early in the afternoon, it seized the Quatre-Chemins crossroads, the northwestern entry point into Toulon. One of its companies occupied the hydraulic factory and blocked the southern end of the Las Valley, thereby isolating the La Poudrière garrison. Another company infiltrated the northwestern suburbs of Toulon, reaching as far as the rear of the hill L’Oratoire. Dangerously, there was no link between the two battalions.

Further to the west, Group Bonjour seized Le Camp, mostly deserted by its defenders, then closed in on Toulon by going down National Road #8. By the end of the day, 3^ème R.S.A.R. captured the village of Le Beausset, where it was joined by the 7^ème Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique (7^ème R.C.A./7^th African Armored Regiment) which had come ashore some hours before.

On the 21^st of August, these last two units descended from Le Beausset toward Bandol on the coast. At 0930, the tank destroyers of 7^ème R.C.A. arrived at the beaches. Under heavy bombardment, they nevertheless held their ground and blocked the coastal road, preventing fugitive German groups from escaping to Marseilles. The encirclement of Toulon was now complete. The town was entirely in the bag.

During the evening of the 21^st, the lead elements of the 3^ème R.T.A. infiltrated from the suburbs of Toulon into the city itself. They reached the Carrefour des Routes crossroads and the Toulon-Marseilles railway. The first enemy positions inside the city were captured, and street fighting began in earnest.

The 1^ère D.F.L.’s Frontal Assault

On the 18^th of August, a thorn in the side of the 1^ère D.F.L. had been removed when 60 African commandos captured the Mauvannes battery—four 150mm naval guns. But Redon, the key to the defenses of Hyères, still rose in front of the division’s forward positions. Its capture was the first requirement of the operation, and that task fell to Colonel Garbay’s 2^ème Brigade.

On the 19^th, the 2^ème Brigade relieved the U.S. troops holding the Blue Line. While doing so, they experienced several small isolated counterattacks from the Azerbaijani contingents holding the western banks of the river Real Martin, who were trying to take advantage of the inevitable confusion caused by the relief (Scenario PP3).

On the 20th, the assault on Redon began. The 5^th Battalion succeeded in taking and holding several enemy positions despite many counterattacks. However, to its right, the 11^th Battalion collided with the stone blockhouses of Les Pousselons. Further to the south, Colonel Raynal’s 4^ème Brigade found itself blocked by the Golf Hôtel, a huge building that controlled the section of National Road #98 just east of Hyères, and whose high gray walls towered over the surrounding forest of maritime pines. Despite two fierce attacks, the 4^ème Brigade could not get closer than 400 meters from the hotel. Finally, the 21^st Battalion succeeded in infiltrating the eastern outskirts of Hyères, in the Lazarine district, by following a railroad.

On the 21^st, the assault resumed with increased momentum. After three murderous attacks, the 2^ème Brigade finally succeeded in crossing the Gapeau River and in clearing a way toward the village of La Crau. In front of the 4^ème Brigade, the defenders of the Golf Hôtel continued to resist. During the afternoon, an artillery concentration carried out by the newly captured guns of Mauvannes dumped more than a thousand shells on this strongpoint, without any great effect. Finally, toward evening, a special assault group composed of the best infantry platoons from the Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique (B.I.M.P./Pacific Naval Infantry Battalion) charged down Redon and breached the fortified building in a fierce assault, taking the position (Scenario PP4).

Immediately, the 21^st and 24^th Battalions rushed into Hyères, supported by tank destroyers from the 8^ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique (8^ème R.C.A.) and reconnaissance vehicles from the 1^ère Régiment de Fusiliers-Marins (1^ère R.F.M./1^st Naval Infantry Regiment). Their first objective was to rapidly take the town’s western suburbs, in order to prevent a German withdrawal that would reinforce Toulon's defenses. The French crossed the town to the cheers of the crowd, but as they approached the western edge of town they were greeted with salvos coming from an 88mm battery to their south. The German battery was installed on the foothills of Montagne aux Oiseaux (Birds’ Mountain), a marvelous position which gave it a commanding view over all of the town’s western suburbs and outskirts (Figure 7). The taking of the western suburbs, under fire from this battery and also from 20mm antiaircraft guns whose fire lanes interdicted any movement on Hyères’ long straight avenues (Figure 8), was accomplished in bloody fighting that lasted until nightfall (Scenario PP5).

Around midnight, the liberation and cleaning up of Hyères was complete and the 1^ère Bataillon de Légion Etrangère (1^ère B.L.E./1^st Battalion of the Foreign Legion) claimed a foothold on the Birds’ Mountain foothills. The 1^ère D.F.L.’s penetration of the first of Toulon's defensive belts was complete.

The 9^ème D.I.C. Finds Its Slot

On the 19^th of August, while many of its units were still in the process of landing, the 9^ème D.I.C. began regrouping around the village of Pierrefeu, in order to be able to attack along its assigned axis the next day.

The 20^th of August saw the 6^ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais (6^ème R.T.S./6^th Senegalese Light Infantry Regiment, the "Senegalese" appellation being applied to all units from sub-Saharan west and central Africa), supported by an engineer company and Shermans from the 1^ère D.B., launch an attack on Solliès-Pont. This flanked the 1^ère D.F.L. attack along the La Crau–La Garde axis. Despite the broken terrain, which was not very favorable for vehicles, the Shermans stuck to the skirmishers like glue and gave them immediate and efficient support. In spite of this help, the 6^ème R.T.S. remained blocked at the northern outskirts of Solliès-Pont. The remainder of the division continued to regroup around Pierrefeu.

On the morning of the 21^st, the 6^ème R.T.S. smashed the Solliès-Pont defenses with a vigorous assault, and the 3^rd Battalion continued on to seize the village of Solliès-Ville (Figure 9), on the hill to the west, and the crest of the hill at the Notre-Dame Chapel. Despite heavy artillery shelling and five German counterattacks, the battalion succeeded in holding both positions (Scenario PP6). Another battalion breached and crossed the continuous wire defenses just south of Solliès-Pont, interspersed with machine-gun nests every two or three hundred meters, which blocked the road toward Toulon. The armor immediately lunged through the breach and rushed forward down the road.

But as soon as they reached the hamlet of La Farlède, 2^nd Lieutenant Destremeau’s light tank platoon found themselves trapped. Minefields surrounded them, and the first tank had been wrecked and was blocking traffic. Behind them, the Germans quickly built up roadblocks to prevent any withdrawal. More tanks and infantry were needed to remove these obstructions, but since most of the infantry had not arrived at the planned meeting point, the armor (Figure 10) had to sort out the situation virtually alone (Scenario PP7). This lack of coordination cost the 1^ère D.B. dearly, as eight Shermans were destroyed.

Nevertheless, the rescue operation succeeded and La Farlède was captured. The armor regrouped, and Captain de Pazzis, leader of the 2^nd Squadron of the 5^ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique (5^ème R.C.A.), without waiting for the infantry, moved forward with the light tanks and the surviving Shermans. At 1600, the Division H.Q. heard over the radio that they had destroyed the antitank guns around the Pierre Ronde crossroads. At 1915, a last radio message, picked up with great difficulty, said that de Pazzis’ group had just entered the village of La Valette (Figure 11). Then there was only silence—which would continue for the next 48 hours, as the infantry struggled to conquer, step by step, the road that the Germans had closed again behind the tanks. Surprisingly, de Pazzis’ detachment would survive the whole time, despite terrible ammunition and fuel shortages, by fortifying and holding the village of La Valette with the spontaneous assistance of the local partisans (Toulon's Gates Campaign Game).

Also on the 21^st, the G.C.A., after an advance under fire that had taken a hard day and two nights, succeeded in infiltrating as far as the depression lying immediately to the north of the Coudon ridge (Figure 12). At 1400, the assault on the fort held by the Kriegsmarine began. The works were assaulted section by section, and at 1530, the six survivors of the company guarding the fort surrendered. Another of the keys to the defense of Toulon had fallen.

Though the first defensive curtain was broken by the evening of August 21^st, the German defenses on the northeastern Toulon approaches remained strong and heavy.

The Cracking of the Final Defenses

On the 22^nd, things were beginning to look favorable in the eastern sector. In the plains between Hyères and La Garde, the advance of the 1^ère D.F.L. was proceeding rapidly. But soon the violence of the artillery fire coming from the Touar and Pradet defenses showed that this second position would be no less hard to secure than the first. Although the pinewoods that surrounded the Touar ridge were infested with minefields, the 2^ème Brigade seized one of the hills that comprised the ridge (Figure 13), and managed to hold there despite counterattacks by reinforcements coming from La Garde (Scenario PP8).

To the left of the 2^ème Brigade, Raynal’s 4^ème Brigade reduced the Pradet defenses but stalled in front of the village and castle of La Garde (Figure 14), which had been heavily fortified and were occupied by a rifle company, a heavy weapons company, and some anti-tank weapons. Any infiltration was repulsed by violent counterattacks. It was only at 2100 that the B.I.M.P. seized this strongpoint. The 1^ère D.F.L. was again closely engaged on all fronts. An assault was planned for the following day to seize the rest of the Touar ridge.

Meanwhile, the 9^ème D.I.C. had progressed with difficulty towards La Valette. La Farlède was mopped up and the hamlet of Les Grands captured. Strongpoints in Pierrascas and Les Moulières were reduced and the blockage at Pierre Ronde eliminated. But in the evening, the division still had not crossed the line running from La Platrière to La Calabre and the Redon Chateau, even though the farthest advances had gotten within 600 meters of La Valette. Further to the north, in the foothills of Coudon, a strongly fortified and defended ravine at Les Minimes stopped all progress (Figure 15). The armor of the 1^ère D.B., obsessed by the desire to break the encirclement of their comrades in La Valette, attempted several rushes—but they were hit by artillery barrages, and driven back with some losses.

To the west, the Bataillon de Choc pushed into the interior of Toulon. One column advanced as far as the Place d'Espagne to block the trunk road to Marseilles. Another column infiltrated throughout the western districts of Toulon, reaching the train station, the Boulevard de Strasbourg, and the Place de la Liberté. However, as night fell, the Battalion HQ wisely decided to consolidate these dispersed forces around the Place d’Espagne. Meanwhile, an assault company climbed Faron and seized the fort of Croix du Faron (Figure 16).

Another party, this one from the 3^ème R.T.A., attempted to capture La Poudrière. However, hundreds of soldiers firing from the metal structures, as well as some captured French tanks that were rushed out of the quarry tunnels at critical moments, prevented any advance. Colonel de Linares then called in two tank destroyers and two Shermans, which pounded the approaches to La Poudrière. Soon the defenders of the metal structures surrendered. But the rest of the garrison took refuge in the tunnels, not wanting to hear anything of surrender, and called down an artillery bombardment on the entrances. In the night, to finish things off, the tanks closed in and fired directly through the tunnel openings. At 2100, a shell hit an ammunition depot and the galleries exploded. Hundreds of corpses were pulled out of the rubble in the following days. One of the residents on the west of Faron, whose house faced the tunnels, still remembers the rain of stone that followed the explosion of La Poudrière (Figure 5 was photographed from that house).

On the morning of the 23^rd, on the eastern front, Garbay’s 2^ème Brigade continued the attack on Touar. Their advance was hindered by fire from numerous concrete casements (Figure 17) and by blazes burning in the pinewoods on the slopes. Meter by meter, the brigade worked its way forward, and the summit of Touar’s tallest hill was captured in the middle of the afternoon. The B.I.M.P. then exploited this conquest and tackled the barbed wire barrier to the west. At the end of the day, the marines deployed between Nole and a walled farm, Le Clos de Pouvenel.

Meanwhile, General Brosset, acting as the 1^ère D.F.L.’s point element, drove quickly into Toulon in his jeep, and then turned around to meet up with his leading troops. "Go ahead, I have just kissed at least 200 girls!" he yelled to them. Following this order, some detachments spread out to cross the last enemy defenses through La Palasse and Saint-Jean du Vas and entered into Toulon. One of them succeeded in joining up with the advanced elements of the 9^ème D.I.C. and, in a huge gamble, obtained the surrender of the Heeresarsenal (Army Arsenal).

For the 9^ème D.I.C., this day saw the resumption of the attempt to reach La Valette. The ravine at Les Minimes remained impenetrable, despite the intervention of the G.C.A., who pushed down Coudon in the fortified position’s rear. But at La Valette, the effort finally paid off, and despite the pits, fences, cypress hedges, and ponds, and under fire from innumerable snipers, contact was made with the encircled armor.

At the same time, a company on the south side of La Valette bypassed Beaulieu and entered the suburbs of Toulon. Seven light tanks of the Régiment Colonial de Chasseurs de Chars (R.C.C.C./Colonial Tank Destroyer Regiment) crossed the city line and made contact with the 3^ème D.I.A. They then took part in the capture of the castles of Fontpre and Beaulieu. Some troops joined up with the 1^ère D.F.L. and advanced as far as the Place de la Liberté.

To the west, before the break of day, the Germans had regained the initiative, and mixed groups (composed mainly of the Arsenal Maritime garrison) counterattacked the leading elements of the Bataillon de Choc (Figure 18) (Scenario PP9). Some French squads, surprised in the middle of the night, surrendered—and were immediately executed. An indescribable shambles followed, with the main Choc force trying to regroup and the Germans attempting with all their might to clear a way to the west. But the Chocs recovered from their confusion and, with the help of artillery, first reformed as a solid defensive cordon and then pushed the attackers back into the Arsenal Maritime. That was the Germans’ last escape attempt.

The Chocs, assisted by tank destroyers of the R.C.C.C., then resumed their advance into the town, slowly but surely. One platoon reached the Place de la Liberté by evening and assured the link up with the two divisions further to the east.

On the evening of the 23^rd, the situation was as follows: the front had disappeared and the French were everywhere inside and outside of the city. The Germans still had operational defenses: the ravine at Les Minimes; large pockets between the 1^ère D.F.L and the 9^ème D.I.C. in the eastern suburbs of Toulon; and in the middle of the city, small pockets around the interior defenses—isolated and encircled from all sides. Except in some isolated areas, the Germans had fought to the death rather than surrender. During the night, the French colors were hoisted on the sous-Préfecture building.

The Last Pockets Surrender; The City Is Liberated

On the morning of the 24^th, the French plans were completely revised. The elimination of the last pockets of resistance in the city had to be achieved in a systematic and well-coordinated manner. As the largest part of the 3^ème D.I.A. had already been fighting inside Marseilles for three days, its units remaining on the western side of Toulon (amounting to little more than a regiment) had to be relieved as quickly as possible to support the rest of the division. On the other hand, the 1^ère D.F.L. needed another day to fully reduce the small pockets of resistance which remained within its operations zone—particularly from Sainte-Musse to Cap Brun. Moreover, this division had experienced much of the heaviest fighting and was in serious need of rest. Thus, the 9^ème D.I.C. was entrusted with the task of clearing Toulon. The relief of the 3^ème D.I.A. had to be undertaken as soon as possible—in other words, that same day.

The Bataillon de Choc commandos were relieved at the start of the day by the 4^ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais (4^ème R.T.S.), the last 9^ème D.I.C. unit to land, which entered the city from the northwest by way of Le Camp. The 4^ème R.T.S. immediately continued to push toward the Arsenal Maritime and the barracks in the Grignan district. Its companies were thrown into the battle as they arrived, and they found themselves threatened occasionally by local counterattacks. But the regiment requisitioned vehicles from the militia to increase the availability of transport, and thus was able to reinforce the weak points before disaster struck (Scenario PP10).

The evening of August 24^th saw the fall of the Grignan barracks, of the Sainte-Catherine and Lamalgue forts, and of the Arènes ridge—where more than a thousand prisoners were dragged out from underground galleries. To the east, the Les Minimes ravine fortifications were finally conquered by the 6^ème R.T.S. General de Lattre de Tassigny, accompanied by the War Commissioner Diethelm and the former American ambassador, Commander Bullit (who had pled with General de Gaulle for the honor of serving in the French Army), made their way into Toulon that same day. Their ride changed from time to time into an assault course as they traversed unsecured areas, and the only safe route across the railway was by means of an improvised ramp! Nevertheless, General De Lattre established his headquarters in the old Hôtel de la Subdivision by the end of the afternoon.

The dawn of the 25^th saw the colonials of the 9^ème D.I.C. beginning to clear the naval base. Furious combat took place on the peninsula of Le Mourillon and inside the Arsenal Maritime, which was itself a small city that had to be taken block by block. By dusk, the French closely encircled Fort Malbousquet, whose commander was convinced to surrender by a 15-minute artillery concentration. This example set the pattern, and little by little, the Germans felt their defense a lost cause and started discussing surrender. Exceptions did exist however, and the commander of the Lartigues fort did not agree to start negotiations until under the threat of a no-quarter assault.

The 26^th saw the final collapse. The arsenal at Le Mourillon, almost flattened by 155mm shelling, surrendered at 1130. At Cap Sicie, southwest of the city, the garrisons of Fort de Six-Four and of the Bregallion battery surrendered at midday. The 13^ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais (13^ème R.T.S.) mopped up the peninsula during the course of the afternoon. Only Cap Eguillette, Fort Napoleon, and the Balaguier battery offered some resistance. During the night, the colonials occupied the heights that had been the objective of Bonaparte in 1793. Admiral Lambert, without waiting for the end of the fighting, established his office at the Préfecture Maritime and took possession of the port in the name of the Marine Nationale (National Navy).

On the morning of the 27^th of August, the victorious troops paraded in Toulon before the War and Naval Commissioners, in the midst of indescribable enthusiasm. However, the noise of artillery drowned out the clamor of the crowd, because on the other side of the harbor the peninsula of Saint-Mandrier still resisted. Since the 18^th, the Allied air force had rained hundreds of tons of bombs on the 340mm naval gun pillboxes. Then Allied warships had joined in the onslaught, and since the 21^st, the bombardment had been virtually uninterrupted. Despite this, the Kriegsmarine continued serving their guns.

At 2000, Admiral Rufus, commander of the city (considered a fugitive by the garrison for having abandoned his headquarters in La Valette), agreed to receive an emissary to negotiate surrender. At 2245, he resolved to capitulate unconditionally.

The epilogue of this battle comes on the following day, the 28^th of August, when, at 0800, the 1,800 marines of the Saint-Mandrier garrison offered their surrender and formed a column to return to the Les Sablettes district, the first stage of their captivity. The surrender of this great French military port on the Mediterranean was completed eight days ahead of schedule. In the course of nine days’ combat, the price paid was about 2,700 French casualties, of whom 100 were officers, as well as many tanks destroyed. On the German side, thousands of corpses confirmed the bitterness of the fighting. The spoils of the French army consisted of 17,000 prisoners, a large amount of war material, and a hundred artillery pieces, which were used to reinforce the war effort. At last, the largest naval base in western Europe was conquered and opened up to the Allied forces to lay the groundwork for further victories.

L.C.