Battle of La Ciotat
Part of World War II, Battle of the Mediterranean
USS Endicott in 1944.
Date August 17, 1944 Location off La Ciotat, France, Mediterranean Sea Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  United Kingdom	Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders
John D. Bulkeley	unknown
Strength
American: 1 destroyer, 17 PT boats, unknown aircraft British: 2 gunboats	1 corvette, 1 auxiliary cruiser
Casualties and losses
American: 1 wounded, 1 destroyer damaged British: unknown	169 captured, 1 corvette sunk, 1 auxiliary cruiser sunk
One German merchant ship was sunk during the battle.

The Battle of La Ciotat was a naval engagement that occurred in August of 1944 during the Second World War 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 with the objective of creating 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 and a naval battle was fought.

Battle

On August 17, 1944 the Allied command appointed Medal of Honor recipient Captain John D. Bulkeley to be in charge of the operation. Bulkeley proceeded to La Ciotat with a force of one destroyer, the USS Endicott, seventeen PT boats and two British Insect class gunboats, HMS Scarab and HMS Aphis. When the Allies arrived off La Citotat the PT boats and gunboats were sent in ahead of the Endicott and first tasked themselves with attacking a German merchant steamer in the harbor, which they sank. After the warships began bombarding targets in the city until two German warships were spotted. They were the former Italian corvette Antilope, renamed UJ6082 and the former Egyptian armed yacht origionally named Nimet Allah. UJ6082 was armed with one 3.9 inch gun and two torpedo tubes, she featured the same characteristics as her sister ship UJ6081 which was sunk two days earlier at the Battle of Port Cros. The armed yacht held only one gun but it was a notorius German 88-millimeter.

First the two British gunboats engaged with their 6-inchers and 12-pounders but the enemy fire was returned accurately so the British were forced to flee. USS Endicott with only one operable 5-inch gun closed to within 1,500 yards of the enemy ships and opened fire. The Germans switched fire from the gunboats to the Endicott and a few shots hit her, wounding one man, the only American casualty. In an engagement that lasted just under an hour; the Americans and the Germans dueled at close range until both the corvette and auxiliary cruiser were sunk. The Allies then continued to bombard the city again. That same day, American aircraft, just north of La Ciotat, dropped around 300 dummy paratroopers and firework like devices that exploded when they hit the ground, simulating the sound of rife fire. When later asked why he engaged two enemy vessels which at the time outgunned his detroyer, Captain Bulkeley replied:

"What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."

Aftermath

German casualties are unknown though the Endicott rescued 169 saillors who became prisoners of war. John Bulkeley eventually became a vice admiral in the United States Navy.