During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Operation Span was an Allied

military deception Military deception (MILDEC) is an attempt by a military unit to gain an advantage during warfare by misleading adversary decision makers into taking action or inaction that creates favorable conditions for the deceiving force. This is usually ac ...

operation in support of the landings in southern France in 1944. After the ''Dragoon'' landings,

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force ( infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are large ...

and other amphibious vessels were used to approach likely landing areas elsewhere in southern France coast and along the Italian coast. This tied down German troops and prevented their deployment against the

beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. Th ...

.Jeffrey J. Clarke and Robert Ross Smith, ''Riviera to the Rhine'' (1993). CMH Pub 7-10, cloth, GPO S/N 008-029-00213-2; CMH Pub 7-10-1, paper, GPO S/N 008-029-00229-9. "A history of combat operations by Sixth Army Group from its landing in southern France to its crossing of the Rhine."

References

Battles and operations of World War II Operation Dragoon World War II deception operations {{World-War-II-stub