1st Airborne Task Force (Allied)
The 1st Airborne Task Force was a short-lived Allied airborne unit that was active during World War II created for Operation Dragoon–the invasion of Southern France. Formed in July 1944, under the command of Major General Robert T. Frederick, it took part in the "Dragoon" landings on 15 August 1944, securing the area north-west of the landing beaches, before moving towards the French–Italian border as part of the United States Seventh Army. The unit was disbanded in November 1944.
Troops of the 517th PRCT prepare for the landings.
British gliders towed by C47 Dakota aircraft over Southern France for the Allied airborne invasion.
Robert T. Frederick (as a Brigadier General)
Operation Dragoon was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence on 15 August 1944. Although initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in Normandy, a lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the second landing. By July 1944 the landing was reconsidered, as the clogged-up ports in Normandy did not have the capacity to adequately supply the Allied forces. Concurrently, the High Command of the French Liberation Army pushed for a revival of the operation that would include large numbers of French troops. As a result, the operation was finally approved in July to be executed in August.
The Operation Dragoon invasion fleet off the coast of Southern France
German 88-mm gun on the coast in southern France
U.S. paratroopers of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team prepare for the landings.
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (in dark pants and shirt without jacket, behind André Diethelm in suit) reviewing troops in the liberated city of Marseille on 29 August 1944