Battle of La Ciotat

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Battle of La Ciotat
Part of the Battle of the Mediterranean of World War II
American sailors examining battle damage to USS Endicott after the action off La Ciotat
Date 17 August 1944 Location off La Ciotat, France, Mediterranean Sea Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
John D. Bulkeley	Hermann Polenz[1]
Strength
1 destroyer 2 gunboats 17 PT boats	1 corvette 1 naval yacht
Casualties and losses
United States: 1 man wounded 1 destroyer damaged United Kingdom: Unknown	169 captured 1 corvette sunk 1 naval yacht sunk
One German merchant ship was sunk during the battle

The Battle of La Ciotat was a naval engagement in August 1944 during World War II as part of Operation Dragoon. Allied forces, engaged at the main landings in Vichy France, ordered a small flotilla of American and British warships to make a feint against the port city of La Ciotat as a diversion. The Allies hoped to draw German forces away from the main landing zones at Cavalaire-sur-Mer, Saint-Tropez and Saint Raphaël. During the operation, two German warships attacked the Allied flotilla.