Op. Rugby 15 August 1944

"Operation RUGBY was the British airborne element of the wider Operation DRAGOON - the Allied invasion of southern France, centred around St Tropez, on 15 Aug 1944.  

British 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade (4th, 5th and 6th   Battalions the Parachute Regiment and associated air-landed arms) under Brigadier Pritchard, in a combined parachute and glider landing in the Argens Valley, dropped alongside their US Allies.

Despite an accurate marking of the drop and landing zones, someway north of St Tropez,  by 23rd Independent Parachute Platoon, the drop was quite wide (across over 30km) with poor visibility hampering the air operations.  The Brigade quickly captured their primary objectives however, the villages at La Motte and Le Mitan. A secondary objective however, Le Muy was handed to and captured by their US colleagues.

A rapid push from the beaches saw the Brigade relieved with 48 hours and it became the local reserve formation.  Command intent had always to return the Brigade to its barracks in Italy and with 11 days this had been achieved.  Its next, somewhat unorthodox, operation was in Greece.

Despite the number of days in reserve, there are few photographs of the Brigade in France, These feature the drop zone, glider landing later on the 15th and elements of a rifle section (Bn unknown) - a water party in a US dressing station (taken from a larger USA C of E photograph).