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In November 1942, over 100,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of North Africa in Operation Torch, marking America's first major offensive against Nazi Germany. From Casablanca to Algiers, this daring three-pronged invasion would change the course of World War II forever. Discover the untold stories of courage, strategy, and sacrifice that opened the second front and began the liberation of Europe.
Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French Morocco and Algeria during the North African Campaign of World War II. It began on November 8 and concluded on November 16, 1942. Commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the operation was designed as a pincer movement with American landings at Morocco's Atlantic coast and Anglo-American landings on Algeria's Mediterranean coast.
The campaign represented a critical turning point in the war, marking the first major Allied offensive operation that successfully put German and Italian forces on the defensive. The primary objective was to secure bridgeheads for opening a second front to the rear of German and Italian forces battling the British in Libya and Egypt. The operation involved approximately 107,000 Allied troops landing across three main objectives: Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers.
The Anglo-U.S. invasion of northwest Africa had its origins at the Arcadia Conference in Washington, D.C., in the winter of 1941–42 and at meetings in London the following July. Under pressure from Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to open a second front, the Western Allies debated how they might best engage Germany.
The campaign was a compromise between American desires for a direct assault on Europe and British strategic concerns about premature invasion. The operation was intended to draw Axis forces away from the Eastern Front, thus relieving pressure on the hard-pressed Soviet Union.
The Western Task Force (aimed at Casablanca) comprised American units, with Major General George S. Patton in command and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt heading the naval operations. This Western Task Force consisted of the U.S. 3rd and 9th Infantry Divisions, and two battalions from the U.S. 2nd Armored Division, 35,000 troops in a convoy of over 100 ships.
Key Units:
The Centre Task Force, aimed at Oran, included the U.S. 2nd Battalion 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, and the U.S. 1st Armored Division, a total of 18,500 troops. They sailed from the United Kingdom and were commanded by Major General Lloyd Fredendall.
Primary Components:
The Eastern Task Force, aimed at Algiers, was commanded by Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson and consisted of a brigade from the British 78th and the U.S. 34th Infantry Divisions, along with two British commando units (No. 1 and No. 6 Commandos), together with the RAF Regiment providing 5 squadrons of infantry and 5 Light anti-aircraft flights, totalling 20,000 troops.
The Western Task Force executed landings at three strategic points along the Moroccan coast:
|
Landing Site |
Operation Code |
Primary Units |
Objectives |
|
Safi |
Blackstone |
Elements of 3rd Infantry Division |
Capture port facilities, land Sherman tanks |
|
Fedala |
Brushwood |
Main force of 3rd Infantry Division |
Primary assault on Casablanca |
|
Mehdia-Port Lyautey |
Goalpost |
Elements of 9th Infantry Division |
Secure northern approaches |
At Safi the objective was to capture the port facilities intact and to land the Western Task Force's medium Sherman tanks, which would be used to reinforce the assault on Casablanca. Late in the morning a fortuitous meeting of personality and circumstance occurred to break the impasse at the cape. Col. William H. Wilbur had come ashore with the leading waves on a one-man mission direct from General Patton.
Charged with taking the Algerian city of Oran, Maj. Gen. Lloyd R. Fredendall's Center Task Force consisted of the 1st Infantry Division with the 1st Ranger Battalion attached and Combat Command B of the 1st Armored Division.
Landing Beaches:
The 16th and 18th Regimental Combat Teams of Maj. Gen. Terry Allen's 1st Infantry Division, the attached 1st Ranger Battalion, and most of Combat Command B under Brig. formed the assault elements.
The invasion commenced with landings on three beaches, two west of Algiers and one east. The landing forces were under the overall command of Major-General Charles W. Ryder, commanding general of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division.
At Algiers a French Resistance coup assisted the Eastern Task Force. The Resistance temporarily seized key facilities, disabled shore batteries, isolated senior Vichy leaders, and sowed confusion.
|
Commander |
Position |
Force/Unit |
|
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Supreme Allied Commander |
Overall Operation Torch |
|
Maj. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. |
Task Force Commander |
Western Task Force (Casablanca) |
|
Maj. Gen. Lloyd R. Fredendall |
Task Force Commander |
Center Task Force (Oran) |
|
Lt. Gen. Kenneth Anderson |
Task Force Commander |
Eastern Task Force (Algiers) |
|
Maj. Gen. Terry Allen |
Division Commander |
1st Infantry Division |
|
Maj. Gen. Charles W. Ryder |
Division Commander |
34th Infantry Division |
All of French North Africa was still loyal to the Vichy government of Marshal Pétain, with which the United States, unlike Great Britain, was still formally maintaining diplomatic relations. Thus, the French commander in chief in Algeria, General Alphonse Juin, and his counterpart in Morocco, General Charles-Auguste Noguès, were subordinate to the supreme commander of all Vichy's forces, namely Admiral Jean-François Darlan.
Key French Leaders:
Armored Vehicles: The U.S. 1st Armored Division would have to fight in the Algerian, Moroccan, and Tunisian desert with their Lee tanks. The Lee tanks clanked ashore and defeated the outdated Vichy French machines they faced.
|
Vehicle Type |
Model |
Primary Role |
|
Medium Tank |
M3 Lee |
Main battle tank for initial operations |
|
Medium Tank |
M4 Sherman |
Advanced tank for follow-up operations |
|
Light Tank |
M3 Stuart |
Reconnaissance and support |
|
Tank Destroyer |
M10 |
Anti-tank operations |
Infantry Weapons:
Aircraft: The latest in the Hawk line of fighter aircraft, the Warhawk had a better engine and was more aerodynamic than its predecessor thanks to flush rivets. It became the main fighter of the US Army Air Corps fighter squadrons.
It must be noted that fighter aircraft were transported to the western landings in crates where the planes had to be assembled in secured land-locations before being placed into combat. The B-17s, C-47s and medium bombers flew to North Africa from England.
The Vichy French had around 125,000 soldiers in the territories as well as coastal artillery, 210 operational but out-of-date tanks and about 500 aircraft, of which 173 were modern Dewoitine D.520 fighters. These forces included 60,000 troops in Morocco, 15,000 in Tunisia, and 50,000 in Algeria.
French Equipment:
Operational Success Timeline
|
Date |
Location |
Result |
|
November 8 |
All beaches |
Initial landings successful |
|
November 9 |
Algiers |
City surrendered |
|
November 10 |
Oran |
City captured |
|
November 11 |
Casablanca |
Armistice concluded |
On November 10, the Allied troops readied to assault Casablanca. After a brief naval engagement, the French surrendered the city before an all-out attack was launched.
Strategic Impact
The operation achieved its primary objectives within the planned timeframe. The invasion succeeded in bringing French North African forces back into the Allied fold. After signing an armistice on November 11, 1942, the Allies secured Morocco and Algeria.
Key Achievements:
Soldiers who participated in the Algeria-French Morocco campaign were entitled to wear the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (EAME).
Established on November 6, 1942, the European – African – Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (EAME) honors military personnel who carried out service in the European Theater during World War II. Initially awarded as a ribbon, the medal was authorized in July of 1947.
Medal Specifications
The medal is bronze and features the image of Allied forces landing on shore below an inscription that reads "EUROPEAN AFRICAN MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN," and the reverse features a bald eagle, the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," and the years "1941-1945."
Campaign Credit
Qualification Requirements: Air operations, Algeria/French Morocco between November 8 and 11, 1942 specifically qualified personnel for this award. Ground and Naval groups also qualified.
Campaign Stars: Personnel could receive campaign stars for participation in specific operations, including the Algeria-French Morocco campaign.
Historical Significance: Legacy of Operation Torch
Operation Torch was, in Churchill's famous phrasing, not the "beginning of the end" but at least the "end of the beginning." American and British ground forces were now rolling forward into an inevitable major collision with their German and Italian counterparts.
The campaign established crucial precedents for future Allied amphibious operations, including D-Day over a year and a half later. It demonstrated the effectiveness of combined Allied operations and proved that large-scale amphibious assaults could succeed against defended positions.
The successful completion of Operation Torch set the stage for:
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