Battle of La Ciotat
Encyclopedia
The Battle of La Ciotat was a naval engagement that occurred in August 1944 during World War II
as part of Operation Dragoon
. Allied
forces, engaged at the main landings in Vichy France
, ordered a small flotilla of American
and British
warships to make a feint against the port city of La Ciotat
with the objective of creating a diversion. The Allies hoped to draw German
forces away from the main landing zones at Cavalaire-sur-Mer
, Saint-Tropez
and Saint Raphaël
. During the operation, two German warships attacked the Allied flotilla
.
John D. Bulkeley
to take charge of the operation. Bulkeley proceeded to La Ciotat with a force of one destroyer
, , 17 PT boat
s and the British Insect-class
gunboat
s and . When the Allies arrived off La Ciotat, the PT boats and gunboats were sent in ahead of Endicott and sank a German merchant steamer
in the harbor. The warships then bombarded targets in the city until two German ships were spotted. They were the former Italian corvette
Antilope, renamed UJ6082 and the former Egyptian
armed yacht Nimet Allah. UJ6082 was armed with one 3.9 in (99.1 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes, her sister ship
UJ6081 had been sunk two days earlier at the Battle of Port Cros
. The armed yacht mounted only one gun, but it was an 88 mm (3.46 in) FlaK gun, a powerful German-built weapon.
First, the two British gunboats engaged with their 6 in (152.4 mm) and 12-pound weapons, but the enemy fire was returned accurately so the British ships were forced to withdraw. USS Endicott, with only one 5 in (127 mm) gun in operation, opened fire from within 1500 yd (1,371.6 m) of the enemy ships. The Germans switched fire from the gunboats to Endicott and hit her, wounding one man, the only American casualty. Though a dud, the shell tore a large hole in Endicotts side. In an engagement that lasted just under an hour, the Americans and the Germans dueled at close range until both the corvette and auxiliary cruiser were sunk. The Allies then resumed the bombardment of the city. When later asked why he engaged two enemy vessels which at the time outgunned his destroyer, Captain Bulkeley replied; "What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."
On the same day, American aircraft
, just north of La Ciotat, dropped around 300 dummy paratrooper
s and explosive devices that simulated rifle fire. German casualties are unknown, though Endicott rescued 169 sailors who became prisoners of war. John Bulkeley eventually rose to the rank of Vice Admiral
in the United States Navy
, largely due to his conduct in this action.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as part of Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
. Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
forces, engaged at the main landings in Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, ordered a small flotilla of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
warships to make a feint against the port city of La Ciotat
La Ciotat
La Ciotat is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. It is part of the metropolitan area of Marseille Provence. La ciotat is located to the east of Marseille at an equal distance from Marseille and Toulon...
with the objective of creating a diversion. The Allies hoped to draw German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces away from the main landing zones at Cavalaire-sur-Mer
Cavalaire-sur-Mer
Cavalaire-sur-Mer is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-History:During World War II, on August 16, 1944, it was one of the sites of a beach landing in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern FranceCavalaire-sur-Mer is probably...
, Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez
Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez....
and Saint Raphaël
Saint-Raphaël, Var
Saint-Raphaël is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus Saint-Raphaël...
. During the operation, two German warships attacked the Allied flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
.
Battle
On 17 August 1944, the Allied command appointed CaptainCaptain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
John D. Bulkeley
John D. Bulkeley
John Duncan Bulkeley was a Vice Admiral in United States Navy and was one of the most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II...
to take charge of the operation. Bulkeley proceeded to La Ciotat with a force of one destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, , 17 PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
s and the British Insect-class
Insect class gunboat
The Insect class patrol boats were a class of small, but well-armed Royal Navy ships designed for use in shallow rivers or inshore. They were intended for use on the Danube...
gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s and . When the Allies arrived off La Ciotat, the PT boats and gunboats were sent in ahead of Endicott and sank a German merchant steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
in the harbor. The warships then bombarded targets in the city until two German ships were spotted. They were the former Italian corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Antilope, renamed UJ6082 and the former Egyptian
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
armed yacht Nimet Allah. UJ6082 was armed with one 3.9 in (99.1 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes, her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
UJ6081 had been sunk two days earlier at the Battle of Port Cros
Battle of Port Cros
The Battle of Port Cros was a battle of World War II fought off the French Riviera in the Mediterranean Sea at the islands of Port Cros. The battle began when a United States Navy warship encountered two German warships in August 1944 while supporting the Allied Operation Dragoon...
. The armed yacht mounted only one gun, but it was an 88 mm (3.46 in) FlaK gun, a powerful German-built weapon.
First, the two British gunboats engaged with their 6 in (152.4 mm) and 12-pound weapons, but the enemy fire was returned accurately so the British ships were forced to withdraw. USS Endicott, with only one 5 in (127 mm) gun in operation, opened fire from within 1500 yd (1,371.6 m) of the enemy ships. The Germans switched fire from the gunboats to Endicott and hit her, wounding one man, the only American casualty. Though a dud, the shell tore a large hole in Endicotts side. In an engagement that lasted just under an hour, the Americans and the Germans dueled at close range until both the corvette and auxiliary cruiser were sunk. The Allies then resumed the bombardment of the city. When later asked why he engaged two enemy vessels which at the time outgunned his destroyer, Captain Bulkeley replied; "What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."
On the same day, American aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, just north of La Ciotat, dropped around 300 dummy paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
s and explosive devices that simulated rifle fire. German casualties are unknown, though Endicott rescued 169 sailors who became prisoners of war. John Bulkeley eventually rose to the rank of Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, largely due to his conduct in this action.