The D-day of Provence was 15th August 1944. Units of Allied Operation Dragoon landed in eastern Provence on the shores from north of Fréjus to La Londe, and were air-dropped east of Draguignan.
The landing had for months been preceded by heavy air
bombardement of the naval installations in Toulon and bridges and
other installations for communications.
The railway station of Carnoules was one of the major targets for these bombardments. On the 25th of May 1944, allied aircraft dropped some 600 tons of bombs over the station area. Escorted heavy bomber aircraft of types B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators from the 5th Air Force stationed in southern Italy attacked this strategically important marshalling yard. Part of this attack were 85.5 tons dropped by 39 planes of type B-24H from the 484th Bombardment Group.
The installations at the Carnoules station – once a large hectic locomotive maintenance centre as well as terminal for the Gardanne – Carnoules railway line - were heavily damaged. To an extent that most of them were never restored.
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The Carnoules – Gardanne line was only lightly damaged during the liberation. Part of this line, Carnoules – Brignoles – Saint Maximin, is today used for the tourist trains with railcars, more at railtrain.org/attcv/ (English) or attcv.fr (French).
