US Troops Land in North Africa
On November 8, 1942, American troops landed in North Africa as part of Operation Torch, marking a significant moment in World War II under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. This operation aimed to establish a foothold in North Africa, which was crucial for the Allied effort against Axis powers, particularly in the context of ongoing battles between German forces led by General Erwin Rommel and British troops under General Bernard L. Montgomery. The invasion involved three primary task forces targeting key cities: Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers.
Despite initial hopes for cooperation from pro-American French forces, the invasion faced resistance, particularly in Casablanca. However, by the end of the first day, the Allies were able to seize control of key locations. The successful landings allowed Allied forces to push further into North Africa and ultimately contributed to the defeat of Axis powers in the region. Following the campaign, North Africa was liberated, securing the Mediterranean for Allied shipping and setting the stage for subsequent military operations, including the invasion of Sicily. This operation not only marked a turning point in the North African theater but also demonstrated the growing involvement of American forces in the conflict.
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US Troops Land in North Africa
US Troops Land in North Africa
On November 8, 1942, American forces under General Dwight D. Eisenhower staged their first major operation in the European theater when they landed in North Africa. Although it was a sideshow to the titanic struggle on the Russian front between Nazi and Soviet armies, North Africa was nevertheless the scene of important engagements between the Germans under General Erwin Rommel and the British (based in Egypt) under General Bernard L. Montgomery. Neither side had yet secured effective control over the region.
The entry of the United States into World War II in December 1941 gave the hard-pressed opponents of Nazism new hope of ultimate victory. Both the British and their Soviet allies wanted the Americans to enter combat as soon as possible, in order to relieve their own weary soldiers of part of the burden. One proposal, favored by American military planners and by the Soviets, was for an early cross-Channel invasion of continental Europe. However, President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain vetoed this plan as too rash. Instead, in July 1942 they chose North Africa as a more vulnerable invasion target and planned the undertaking for the fall.
On August 14, 1942, Eisenhower received the title of commander in chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force, and assumed responsibility for the North African operation. Major General Mark Clark of the United States was Eisenhower's acting deputy commander-in-chief, and Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham of Great Britain served as overall naval commander. Brigadier General James H. Doolittle directed American air units, and Air Marshal Sir William L. Welch led the British units.
Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers, politically important cities in western North Africa, became invasion targets. A separate task force received the mission of taking each of these hubs in the rail, highway, and communications systems of the region. French troops, subject to German control, garrisoned the area since that region as part of France's colonial empire had fallen to the Nazis. The Western Task Force, composed of American troops, was to leave the United States and sail directly to Casablanca. The Center Task Force, also American but with naval and air components that were largely British, was to embark from Britain and proceed to Oran. The Eastern Task Force, including British as well as American troops, was to depart from Britain and attack Algiers. Having secured their objectives, the Western and Center groups were to be ready to invade Spanish Morocco if it became necessary to repel a possible German invasion launched from Spain. The Eastern Task Force would become the British First Army under Lieutenant General Kenneth A. N. Anderson and would move east to Tunisia.
D day for Operation Torch, the code name for the invasion, was November 8, 1942. By November 7 the Western Task Force was in position, and the ships of the Center and Eastern groups moved past Oran and Algiers (as if to approach Malta or the Suez Canal) and then swung sharply south toward their real objectives under the cover of darkness. As night of November 7 passed, the men aboard the transports made their final preparations for battle. At each of the three landing sites, the tactics would be similar, as the commanders planned to place units on the coastal flanks of the targets and then take them by envelopment.
Elements of Major General George S. Patton's Western Task Force hit the beach between 4:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M. on November 8. Hopes that pro-American French officers in Morocco would not oppose the invaders proved unfounded, and the French troops resisted the Americans. Major General Ernest Harmon's men seized Safi, below Casablanca, by 10:15 A.M. on November 8. They took Marrakesh the following day and Mazagan on November 11. On the opposite flank, to the north of Casablanca, the Third Division took Fedala by the afternoon of November 8 and overran the Port of Lyautey airfield on November 10. Patton requested the surrender of Casablanca, and the French commander gave up the struggle on November 11 at 7:00 A.M. pursuant to orders from his superiors in Algiers.
At Oran Major General Lloyd Fredendall landed his Center Task Force at approximately 1:30 A.M. on November 8, 1942. A direct assault on the city's harbor was a costly failure, but in general the Americans made excellent progress. Fredendall's men enveloped Oran, and on November 10 at 12:30 P.M. the city surrendered. British and American troops of the Eastern Task Force met only light resistance at Algiers, because pro-American French soldiers managed to seize power in the city at the critical moment. By the nightfall of November 8 the Allies were in control.
Hitler saw the danger to Rommel's troops that the Allied invasion posed and immediately sent supplemental forces to Tunisia. General Walther Nehring arrived in Tunis on November 16, 1942 to assume command of the German and Italian units and held control until General Jürgen von Arnim replaced him on December 9. From this stronghold, the Germans hoped to expand their area of control and stop the Allied pincer movement. After several months of heavy fighting, however, they were unsuccessful and the Allies took hundreds of thousands of prisoners. When it was over, North Africa was free of the Axis menace, the Mediterranean was open to Allied shipping, and the Americans began their preparations for the invasion of Sicily.