Excellent study of an M7 HMC firing on German positions in the
Rhine Valley in December—the litter of shell cases shows the size
of the fire missions. By the beginning of September VI Corps had
advanced from the Riviera to the Moselle in less than a month. They
were getting tired and artillery was playing an increasingly important
role.. STRIKING PICTURES included in a new book have revealed the often forgotten invasion of the French Riviera by the Allies two months after D-Day that play a pivotal role in winning World War Two. The incredible images show German prisoners of war in St. Tropez, France, the face of battle with men of 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division who had spent a week surrounded in hostile territory in December 1944 and landing on the beach at Pampelonne on August 15 with men who had sailed from Naples on the USS Samuel Chase. Other stunning shots show men of Armée B march on Boulevard de Strasbourg, during the parade celebrating the city’s recent liberation, August 28, an M4A1 crossing the Durance river at Mirabeau and the French Resistance who played a major role in the invasion after being supplied by airdrops and the British Special Operations Executive. The images are showcased in Simon Forty and Leo Marriott’s new book, From the Riviera to the Rhine, which is published by Casemate. Mediadrumimages / Simon Forty and Leo Marriott