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Operation Anton (also Fall Anton in German) was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France
Vichy France

Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the French Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal of France Philippe P?tain pro...
 carried out by Germany
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
 and Italy
Italian Fascism

The term Italian Fascism denotes the Authoritarianism Nationalism Fascismo political movement that ruled Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943 under leader Benito Mussolini....
 in 1942.

rman plan to occupy Vichy France had originally been drawn up in December 1940 under the codename of Operation Attila
Operation Attila (WW II)

During World War II, Operation Attila was a plan for the Nazism occupation of Vichy France. This plan was drawn up in 1940 in case the French rejoined the Allies or in case of an Allied threat to the south of France....
, and soon came to be considered as a single operation with Operation Camellia , the plan to occupy Corsica
Corsica

Corsica is the Mediterranean islands#By area in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the France mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. Operation Anton updated the original Operation Attila, including different German units and adding Italian
Italian Army

The Italian Army is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel....
 involvement.

Following the Allied landings in French North Africa on 8 November 1942 (Operation Torch
Operation Torch

Operation Torch was the United Kingdom-United States invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started 8 November 1942....
), Adolf Hitler could not risk an exposed flank on the French Mediterranean.






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Operation Anton (also Fall Anton in German) was the codename for the military occupation of Vichy France
Vichy France

Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the French Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal of France Philippe P?tain pro...
 carried out by Germany
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
 and Italy
Italian Fascism

The term Italian Fascism denotes the Authoritarianism Nationalism Fascismo political movement that ruled Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943 under leader Benito Mussolini....
 in 1942.

Background

A German plan to occupy Vichy France had originally been drawn up in December 1940 under the codename of Operation Attila
Operation Attila (WW II)

During World War II, Operation Attila was a plan for the Nazism occupation of Vichy France. This plan was drawn up in 1940 in case the French rejoined the Allies or in case of an Allied threat to the south of France....
, and soon came to be considered as a single operation with Operation Camellia , the plan to occupy Corsica
Corsica

Corsica is the Mediterranean islands#By area in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the France mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. Operation Anton updated the original Operation Attila, including different German units and adding Italian
Italian Army

The Italian Army is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel....
 involvement.

Following the Allied landings in French North Africa on 8 November 1942 (Operation Torch
Operation Torch

Operation Torch was the United Kingdom-United States invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started 8 November 1942....
), Adolf Hitler could not risk an exposed flank on the French Mediterranean. Following a final conversation with French premier Pierre Laval
Pierre Laval

Pierre Laval was a France politician. He served four times as Prime Minister of France of the Third French Republic, thrice consecutively. Following France's Armistice with Germany in 1940, he served twice in the Vichy Regime as head of government....
, Hitler gave orders for Corsica
Corsica

Corsica is the Mediterranean islands#By area in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the France mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
 to be occupied on 11 November, and Vichy France to be occupied the following day.

History

By the evening of 10 November 1942, Axis
Axis Powers

The Axis powers were those countries that were opposed to the Allies of World War II during World War II. The three major Axis powers - Nazi Germany, Kingdom of Italy , and Empire of Japan - were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers....
 forces had completed their preparations for Anton. The German First Army
German First Army

The 1st Army was a World War I and World War II field army....
 advanced from the Atlantic coast, parallel to the Spanish border, while the German Seventh Army
German Seventh Army

The 7th Army was a World War II field army....
 advanced from central France towards Vichy
Vichy

Vichy is a Communes of France in the Departments of France of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It is known as a Spa town and resort town....
 and Toulon
Toulon

Toulon is a city in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-C?te-d'Azur regions of France, Toulon is the Prefectures in France of the Var departments of France, in the former provinces of France of Provence....
 — both Armies under the command of General Johannes Blaskowitz
Johannes Blaskowitz

Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz was a Germany general during World War II....
. The Italian 4th Army occupied the French Riviera
French Riviera

The C?te d'Azur , often known in English as the French Riviera, is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeastern corner of France, extending from Menton near the Italy border on the east to either Hy?res or Cassis in the west....
 and an Italian division landed on Corsica
Corsica

Corsica is the Mediterranean islands#By area in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the France mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. By the evening of 11 November 1942, German tanks had reached the Mediterranean coast.

Vichy France limited its active resistance to radio broadcasts objecting to the violation of the armistice of 1940
Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)

The Second Armistice at Compi?gne was signed at 18:50 on 22 June 1940 near Compi?gne, in the department of Oise, between Nazi Germany and France....
. The 50,000-strong Vichy French Army initially took defensive positions around Toulon
Toulon

Toulon is a city in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-C?te-d'Azur regions of France, Toulon is the Prefectures in France of the Var departments of France, in the former provinces of France of Provence....
, but when confronted by German demands to disband, they lacked the military capability to resist the Axis forces.

The Germans formulated Operation Lila
Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon

The French fleet in Military port of Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi Germany forces....
 with the aim of capturing intact the demobilised French fleet at Toulon. French naval
French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale , is the maritime arm of the French military. It consists of a full range of vessels, from patrol boats to guided missile frigates, and includes one nuclear aircraft carrier and ten nuclear submarines ....
 commanders, however, managed to delay the Germans by negotiation and subterfuge long enough to scuttle
Scuttling

Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the Hull . This can be achieved in several ways - valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives....
 their ships before the Germans could seize them, preventing three battleships, seven cruisers, 28 destroyers and 20 submarines from falling into the hands of the Axis powers. While the German Naval War Staff were disappointed, Adolf Hitler considered that the elimination of the French fleet sealed the success of Operation Anton.

See also

  • Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
    Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon

    The French fleet in Military port of Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi Germany forces....
  • German occupation of France during World War II
  • Italian-occupied France
    Italian-occupied France

    Italian fascism Kingdom of Italy occupied a small section of south-east France during World War II, during the time of the Vichy France under Nazi Germany control....
  • Italian Empire