France marked the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings on the French Riviera during World War II, a pivotal event to push back the Nazis, with ceremonies on Thursday that paid special tribute to the many African soldiers from France’s former colonies who participated in the effort.
Often referred to as the “forgotten D-Day,” the commemoration was led by French President Emmanuel Macron. Due to storm warnings along the Mediterranean coast, a planned maritime segment of the events was canceled.
President Macron, along with Cameroonian President Paul Biya, was scheduled to speak at the Boulouris national cemetery in Saint-Raphaël, where 464 French soldiers who fell in the August 1944 battles are buried. Other African leaders were also present for the ceremonies.
Six World War II veterans—five French and one foreign—were to be awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest distinction. The commemoration was to include an aeronautical display and a fireworks show.
On August 15, 1944, hundreds of thousands of troops, mainly American and French, landed on the Mediterranean coast as part of Operation Dragoon. This operation, initially intended to coincide with the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944, was delayed due to resource constraints.
African soldiers constituted up to half of the French forces, hailing from what are now around twenty independent nations.
While the exact number of Allied casualties is unclear, the French Defense Ministry reports that 1,300 Allied soldiers lost their lives in the first two days of the operation.
Operation Dragoon enabled the Allies to liberate most of southern France within just four weeks. Troops from the Normandy landings in northwestern France eventually joined forces with those from Operation Dragoon on September 12, 1944, in the Burgundy region.
