Battle of Marseille facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Marseille |
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| Part of Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre and the European Theatre of World War II | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Free France France French Forces of the Interior |
 Germany |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert Veli Dedi |
Hans Schaefer |
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| Strength | |||||||
| French Army: 12,000 | 13,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,400 | 2,000 killed and wounded 11,000 captured |
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The Battle of Marseille was an important fight during World War II. It happened from August 21 to 28, 1944. This battle led to the city of Marseille in southern France being freed from German control. Free French forces, led by General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, fought bravely to take back the city. This battle was part of a bigger plan called Operation Dragoon, where Allied troops invaded southern France on August 15, 1944.
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Why Marseille Was Important
Marseille was a very important city during World War II. It had a big port, just like Toulon, which was a main port for the French Navy. Controlling the port of Marseille and its roads and rail links was key. These links helped the Allies move supplies and troops. This was needed to free southern France and defeat the German forces.
After the successful Operation Overlord (the Normandy landings) in northern France, the Allies looked south. Many ports in the north were too damaged or too strongly defended. So, taking the ports of Marseille and Toulon became very important. French leaders also pushed for an invasion in southern France. Finally, on July 14, Operation Dragoon was approved.
On August 15, the United States Seventh Army began the invasion. The French First Army started landing on August 16. Within days, French troops made up two-thirds of the forces. General Alexander Patch ordered General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny to capture Toulon and Marseille at the same time.
German Defenses in Marseille
The German defenses mainly used infantry units that stayed in one place. These units guarded the coastal areas. The 11th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht) acted as a mobile reserve, ready to move where needed.
In Marseille, the 244th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) was the main defending force. It included three Grenadier regiments and an artillery regiment. The Germans also used existing French Army defenses, like large artillery batteries. These helped protect the city from the sea. On land, they added mines, dug weapon pits, trenches, and built tank obstacles.
On August 20, the Germans sank many of their own ships in the harbor. This included a tanker, a cable-laying ship, three passenger ships, and 20 cargo ships. They did this to block the port.
The French Resistance Helps
Marseille had two main resistance groups. One was the non-communist Mouvements Unis de la Résistance (MUR) with 800 men. The other was the French Communist Party's Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) with 2,000 men. Gaston Defferre was a key leader in MUR. He also led an Allied intelligence network.
In February 1944, the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) were created. This group was supposed to combine the two resistance movements. However, they often remained separate until the FFI joined the regular French Army.
On August 23, as French Army troops got close to the city, the Resistance took over the city's main government building, the Prefecture. The German soldiers could have easily stopped them. But the Germans seemed more focused on the approaching French Army.
The Fight Begins: August 1944
Heavy bombers started attacking German gun positions around Marseille on August 12. The city had few defenses against air attacks. On August 23 and 24, the bombings hit some gun positions directly. Fighter planes also attacked targets they found.
On August 21, the roads leading into Marseille were cut off. This trapped the German soldiers inside the city. French units moved closer to the city's suburbs. The Germans blew up the Marseille Transporter Bridge to try and block the port.
Taking Back the City
On August 24, the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division entered the center of Marseille. General Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert saw that the Resistance was rising up and French troops were moving on the Old Port. He asked the Germans to surrender, but they refused.
On August 26, the French cleared out smaller groups of German resistance. German explosive boats tried to attack minesweepers clearing paths to the port, but the attack failed. Eight of the boats were sunk.
The main German resistance was at the old Fort of St Nicolas. French artillery fired on the fort. After two days, it was clear that the Germans could not win. The German soldiers in Marseille surrendered on August 27. On August 29, Marines from the cruisers USS Augusta and USS Philadelphia accepted the surrender of Germans on the fortified harbor islands.
The French forces had over 1,800 casualties. They captured 11,000 German prisoners.
The Port After the Battle
The ports of Toulon and Marseille were captured in just 14 days. The original plan had estimated it would take 40 days.
The Old Port of Marseille looked completely destroyed. In January 1943, the Germans, with help from French police, had blown up much of the old town. They also destroyed the huge "transbordeur", a famous landmark. However, the harbor could still be used. In August 1944, Hitler ordered his troops to hold Marseille "to the last man" and destroy the harbor if defeat was certain. But General Hans Schäfer, the German commander, refused to let most of his men die. He allowed only some demolition. He and his 11,000 surviving troops surrendered on August 28.
The main Marseille-Fos Port facilities were damaged by 2,000 mines. These mines destroyed docks, bridges, cranes, and sheds. But with hard work, the first ship entered the port to unload supplies just two weeks later.
Supplies started arriving very quickly. In September, 63,000 tons of rail freight moved from the port. Another 220,000 tons moved by truck.
A fuel pipeline was built starting at Martigues. It used storage tanks at the La Mede refinery. The harbor had been mined, so the first tanker docked on September 9. A tugboat helping it dock hit a mine. Pipeline laying began the same day. Six teams worked, each laying over 2 miles (3.2 km) of 4-inch (100 mm) pipe a day. Temporary storage and fuel stations were also built. When finished, the pipeline could move 500 tons of petrol a day. This helped solve problems with not having enough jerrycans and trucks. A second 6-inch (150 mm) pipeline was also laid. It eventually reached Sarrebourg, 850 km away. By spring 1945, 1,200,000 US gallons (4,500,000 L) were being pumped every day. This met the needs of both the Seventh United States Army and the First Army (France).
By mid-October, with railway lines and bridges repaired, freight increased even more. The southern route became a major source of supplies for the Allied advance into Germany. It moved over 100,000 tons a week. This provided about one-third of all Allied supply needs.
What Happened Next
After the liberation, the left-wing French resistance took control of the city government. The American forces found it difficult to get their needs met. Using the city as a rest and relaxation center was not popular with the new administration.
General Charles de Gaulle did not like the role the FTP played in the liberation. He made sure these armed groups joined the regular army. This removed any threat they might pose to him. The French Army's presence in southern France, along with Leclerc's 2nd Armored division's role in the Liberation of Paris, helped De Gaulle become the leader of the Provisional Government of the French Republic in the eyes of Allied politicians.
Before the battle, the port of Marseille was the main route for Red Cross parcels. These parcels went from Lisbon to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. From there, they were sent to prisoner-of-war camps. Operation Dragoon stopped this. However, a few parcels started arriving again through Toulon in November.
See also
- Battle of Toulon (1944)
- FFI
- Nazi Germany
- Operation Dragoon
- Vichy France
- Zone libre
