We will conclude our examination of unit organization with a look at the Allied Special Forces, involved in the campaign.

Today, the United States Army Special Forces have five primary missions: (1) unconventional warfare (the original and most important mission of Special Forces), (2) direct action, (3) special reconnaissance, (4) foreign internal defense, and (5) counter-terrorism. Allied special operations units in 1944 performed the first three of these missions, but primarily unconventional warfare—activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a denied area.

Next, we examine the French Resistance and French Paratroopers involved in the campaign.

We will continue or analysis of unit organization with a look at the German Army, Corps, Divisions and Kampfgruppe involved. The German Nineteenth Army was responsible for defending the entire Mediterranean coast of France. The Army was comprised of three corps, the LXII, LXXXV and IV Luftwaffe. In the diagram below, the divisions comprising each corps are shown. In the east, LXII defended the coast from the Franco-Italian border west to Toulon. In the center, XXXV Corps defended the area from Marseilles to just across the Rhone River delta. In the west, IV Luftwaffe Corps covered the beaches all the way to the Spanish border. The allied invasion would be unleashed upon the center of LXII Corps.

During World War II, the US Army activated five Airborne Divisions (the 11^th, 13^th, 17^th, 82^nd and 101^st) but only two (the 82^nd and 101st) were available in Europe in August 1944, and none in the Mediterranean. So, as 7^th US Army staff planned the airborne portion (Operation RUGBY) of the DRAGOON invasion, their request for an airborne division to support the amphibious landings could not be fulfilled. Instead, a division sized task force was formed from the smaller Allied airborne units already in the Mediterranean theater and independent units coming from the United States. The Task Force would ultimately include an American parachute regiment and three independent battalions (two parachute and one glider) and a British parachute brigade. The 1^st Airborne Task Force was a unique, temporary organization.

This is the second article on the organization of Allied and German units in Drop Zone: Southern France. Part 1 was a discussion of the organization of the Allied and German infantry from squad level moving up to battalion level. Part 2 will focus on regiment and brigade level organization.

This will be the first of many articles on the history of the campaign and design notes for Drop Zone: Southern France. We will begin with a discussion of the organization of the Allied and German armies in August 1944, beginning with the infantry from squad level moving up to battalion level.