During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 ...

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 larger. ...

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