Devers, General Jacob

1887–1979

   Devers was a US General appointed to direct Operation Dragoon in August 1944. He had started his war career as Commander of Armored Forces and was appointed Commander of US Forces in the UK in 1943. Since he did not have sufficient battle experience he was made General Maitland WILSON’s second in command in the Mediterranean Theater. The Allies argued over tactics in this theater and the British gave way and agreed to a landing in southern France to link up with Overlord forces in northern France. Devers was put in charge of the landings which took place on 15 August 1944 and his troops only met pockets of resistance at Montélimar and Marseilles, which they bypassed. The US troops traveled at great speed up the Rhone Valley and reached other Allied forcesin September. Devers was then given command of the 6th Army Group: the US 7th Army and the French 1st Army. They successfully held on to Strasbourg during the Alsace counter-offensive and swept into Germany to take Munich and Berchtesgaden.