Today is a national holiday to mark the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, ie the day that Christians believe Christ's mother ascended to Heaven, but also it marks the day that French and Allied troops landed in the south of France as part of the liberation in 1944. Some two months after the Normandy landings the beaches of the Var were pounded by bombs then followed the troops in their landing craft. The generals had reckoned that it would take about 2 months to complete the operation, but in fact only 13 days were needed to secure the ports of Marseille and Toulon. Ceremonies will be held in various cities to mark the invasion, in which some 4000 soldiers were killed.
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