In the South of France, the most memorable event of the Second World War was the sea and airborne invasion of 15 August 1944. Perhaps because it went relatively smoothly, this Second D-Day was soon relegated to the back pages of history. Operation Dragoon and the liberation is however only a small part of the story.

The arrival of the Allies was preceded by years of suffering and sacrifice under Hitlero-Vichyssois oppression. Proven ale people still struggle to come to terms with the painful past of split-allegiances and empty stomachs which epitomize les annees noirs (the dark years). Deportations, requisitions, forced labour, and hunger provoked some level of resistance by a courageous minority.