where did operation torch take place

Due to the lack of defence from the enemies, the troops were able to move rapid throughout the inshore of French North Africa. World War II Europe: Fighting in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein, French and Indian War: Siege of Louisbourg (1758), World War II: Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. Eisenhower told Patton that the past six weeks were the most trying of his life. Elements of the First Army (Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson), came to within 40 mi (64 km) of Tunis before a counterattack at Djedeida thrust them back. A compromise would be to land at Bône (Annaba) in eastern Algeria, some 300 miles (480 km) closer to Tunis than Algiers. The Eighth Army (Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery) advancing from the east, stopped around Tripoli while the port was repaired to disembark reinforcements and build up the Allied advantage. [37] Though some landings went to the wrong beaches, this was immaterial because of the lack of French opposition. The Eastern Task Force was led by Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson and consisted of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division, two brigades of the British 78th Infantry Division, and two British Commando units. (2020, August 26). Owing to a number of factors—notably the American decision to contest the Japanese occupation of Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands —the British eventually prevailed. You can opt-out at any time. The Allied Naval Commander of the Expeditionary Force was Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham; his deputy was Vice-Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who planned the amphibious landings. Departing Britain, the Center Task Force was led by Major General Lloyd Fredendall and Commodore Thomas Troubridge. To aid in assessing local conditions, the American consul in Algiers, Robert Daniel Murphy, was instructed to gather intelligence and reach out to sympathetic members of the Vichy French government. Torch was, for propaganda purposes, a landing by U.S. forces, supported by British warships and aircraft, under the belief that this would be more palatable to French public opinion, than an Anglo-American invasion. A Western Task Force (aimed at Casablanca) was composed of American units, with Major General George S. Patton in command and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt heading the naval operations. Two others landed in French Morocco and three in Spanish Morocco, where another Dakota dropped its paratroopers by mistake. F4F Wildcats Operation Torch 1942 . This gave the French defenders time to organize resistance, and the remaining landings were conducted under artillery bombardment. With their main targets being Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. One of the major unexpected benefits from Torch was the fact that military operations in the These officers were willing to support the Allies but asked for a clandestine conference with a senior Allied General in Algeria. In the south, French forces slowed the landings at Safi and snipers briefly pinned Allied troops down on the beaches. …1942 and named to head Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. As agreed at Cherchell, in the early hours of 8 November, the 400 mainly Jewish French Resistance fighters of the Géo Gras Group staged a coup in the city of Algiers. Axis forces pushed on to Sbeitla and then fought the Battle of Kasserine Pass on 19 February, where the US II Corps retreated in disarray until Allied reinforcements halted the Axis advance on 22 February. The 11th Brigade Group from the British 78th Infantry Division landed on the right hand beach; the US 168th Regimental Combat Team, from the 34th Infantry Division, supported by 6 Commando and most of 1 Commando, landed on the middle beach; and the US 39th Regimental Combat Team, also from the US 34th Infantry Division, supported by the remaining 5 troops from 1 Commando, landed on the left hand beach. [9] The French troops withdrew to the west and, within a few days, began to skirmish against the Germans, encouraged by small American and British detachments who had reached the area. American military leaders had preferred building up for an invasion of France as soon as possible, but Churchill and his staff convinced Roosevelt that this would take too long to prepare. [12] With Marshall unable to persuade the British to change their minds,[13] President Roosevelt gave a direct order that Torch was to have precedence over other operations and was to take place at the earliest possible date, one of only two direct orders he gave to military commanders during the war. Curtiss P-40F of 325th Fighter Group during Operation Torch . Giraud ended up taking over the post when Darlan was assassinated six weeks later.[40]. [38] Men from French North Africa would see much combat under the Allied banner as part of the French Expeditionary Corps (consisting of 112,000 troops in April 1944) in the Italian campaign, where Maghrebis (mostly Moroccans) made up over 60% of the unit's soldiers. They were transported directly from the United States in the first of a new series of UG convoys providing logistic support for the North African campaign.[24]. In June 1943, Giraud and de Gaulle agreed to form the French Committee of National Liberation (CFLN), with members from both the North African government and from de Gaulle's French National Committee. By 10 November, the remaining defenders were pinned down, and the bulk of Harmon's forces raced to join the siege of Casablanca. He was ultimately overruled by the Combined Chiefs of Staff who were concerned that should Spain enter the war on the side of the Axis, the Straits of Gibraltar could be closed cutting off the landing force. It was a collaborative operation between the United States and Great Britain, marking the first time in history that this has ever occured. World War II: Operation Torch. The lack of determined resistance by the Vichy French to the Allied invasions of North Africa and the new policies of de Gaulle in North Africa convinced the Germans that France could not be trusted. [25]) In reality, 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. This would later prove problematic as it took substantial time to advance troops from Casablanca and the greater distance to Tunis permitted the Germans to enhance their positions in Tunisia. They aspired to come in behind Axis forces fighting the British in Egypt, disrupt collaborationist Vichy French control of northwest Africa, open the Mediterranean for Allied shipping, restore French forces to the Allied cause, and take pressure off the embattled Russians. [15], Marshall's opposition to Torch delayed the landings by almost a month, and his opposition to landings in Algeria led British military leaders to question his strategic ability; the Royal Navy controlled the Strait of Gibraltar, and Spain was unlikely to intervene as Franco was hedging his bets. The French North African government gradually became active in the Allied war effort. In preparation for Operation Torch, General Henri Giraud was smuggled out of Vichy France with the aid of the resistance. It also offended much of the British and American public, who regarded all Vichy French as Nazi collaborators and Darlan as one of the worst. The incomplete French battleship Jean Bart—which was docked and immobile—fired on the landing force with her one working gun turret until disabled by the 16-inch calibre American naval gunfire of USS Massachusetts, the first such heavy-calibre shells fired by the U.S. Navy anywhere in World War II. However, Darlan in Algiers had such authority. Successful completion of these operations was to be followed by an eastwards advance into Tunisia. Tafraoui and La Sénia were eventually captured but the role played by the airborne forces in Operation Torch was minimal.[33][35]. As a result, both vessels were lost with the entire attack force either killed or captured. The success of Torch caused Admiral François Darlan, commander of the Vichy French forces to order co-operation with the Allies, in return for being installed as High Commissioner, with many other Vichy officials keeping their jobs. Though de Gaulle had no official power in Vichy North Africa, much of its population now publicly declared Free French allegiance, putting pressure on Darlan. Despite Operation Torch's role in the war and logistical success, it has been largely overlooked in many popular histories of the war and in general cultural influence. Conversely, there was concern about French resentment over the British attack on Mers el Kebir in 1940, which had inflicted heavy damage on French naval forces. The plan to take Safi was a bold one. [34] Of the other aircraft, one pilot became disoriented and landed his plane in Gibraltar. Additionally, French sailors in Toulon scuttled many of the French Navy's ships to prevent their capture by the Germans. It began on November 8 and concluded on November 16, 1942. Initially dubbed Operation Gymnast, it was soon renamed Operation Torch. As a result, the decision was made to land at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. 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, half of which were Dewoitine D.520fighters—e… Torch was an American led operation under … The personal clash between. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was given command of the operation, and he set up his headquarters in Gibraltar. Patton landed at 08:00, and the beachheads were secured later in the day. Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN[43] "Operation Torch was the first major Allied and American offensive in WWII and, because everyone from the generals down to the privates were inexperienced in combat, there were many mistakes and hard learned lessons. Operation Torch cost the Allies around 480 killed and 720 wounded. Giraud succeeded Darlan but, like him, replaced few of the Vichy officials. [36] Starting at midnight, the force under the command of Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie and José Aboulker seized key targets, including the telephone exchange, radio station, governor's house and the headquarters of the 19th Corps. While efforts to land directly in the harbor largely failed, Allied forces quickly surrounded the city and at 6:00 pm on Nov. 8, Juin surrendered. In North Africa, the French Armée d’Afrique joined with the Allies as did several French warships. That deeply offended Charles de Gaulle, the head of Free France. Hickman, Kennedy. Given the code-name Operation Torch, General Dwight D. Eisenhowerwas appointed Allied commander of the invasion. The only fighting took place in the port of Algiers, where in Operation Terminal, two British destroyers attempted to land a party of US Army Rangers directly onto the dock, to prevent the French destroying the port facilities and scuttling their ships. Robert Murphy took some men and then drove to the residence of General Alphonse Juin, the senior French Army officer in North Africa. At Port-Lyautey, the landing troops were uncertain of their position, and the second wave was delayed. He favored the eastern option because of the advantages it gave to an early capture of Tunis and also because the Atlantic swells off Casablanca presented considerably greater risks to an amphibious landing there than would be encountered in the Mediterranean. Approx. The Allies planned an Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa/Maghreb—Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, territory nominally in the hands of the Vichy French government. Planners identified Oran, Algiers and Casablanca as key targets. [18] His Polish allies in these endeavors included Lt. Col. Gwido Langer and Major Maksymilian Ciężki. In 1942, having been persuaded of the impracticality of launching an invasion of France as a second front, American commanders agreed to conduct landings in northwest Africa with the goal of clearing the continent of Axis troops and preparing the way for a future attack on southern Europe. At Fedala, weather disrupted the landings. The French troops in North Africa who were not already captured submitted to and eventually joined the Allied forces. 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. Surrounding his house, they made him a prisoner. Elsewhere, French warships, such as the battleship Richelieu, rejoined the Allies. The American press protested, immediately dubbing it the "Darlan Deal", pointing out that Roosevelt had made a brazen bargain with Hitler's puppets in France.

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