who was involved in operation torch

Hickman, Kennedy. Patton landed at 08:00, and the beachheads were secured later in the day. See more ideas about operation torch, world war two, torch. The Western Task Force landed before daybreak on 8 November 1942, at three points in Morocco: Safi (Operation Blackstone), Fedala (Operation Brushwood, the largest landing with 19,000 men), and Mehdiya-Port Lyautey (Operation Goalpost). Approx. Juin was treated to a surprise: Admiral François Darlan—the commander of all French forces—was also in Algiers on a private visit. [29] Poor weather over Spain and the extreme range caused the formation to scatter and forced 30 of the 37 air transports to land in the dry salt lake to the west of the objective. [23] These officers were willing to support the Allies but asked for a clandestine conference with a senior Allied General in Algeria. By Nov. 10, the city was surrounded and seeing no alternative, the French surrendered to Patton. 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. The Vichy French had around 125,000 soldiers in the territories as well as coastal artillery, 210 operational but out-of-date tanks and about 500 aircraft, half of which were Dewoitine D.520 fighters — … "World War II: Operation Torch." A WWI-era destroyer, the Dallas was stripped of much of her structure to make her light, giving her a shallow draft. 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. Torch was an American led operation under Eisenhower with substantial UK support. Underway in coastal waters. On all fronts, the French were eventually overcome and American forces tightened their grip on Casablanca. The Center Task Force was split between three beaches, two west of Oran and one east. Outside of the city, American forces fought for a full day before the French in the area finally surrendered on Nov. 9. Departing Britain, the Center Task Force was led by Major General Lloyd Fredendall and Commodore Thomas Troubridge. The Axis forces attacked eastward at the Battle of Medenine on 6 March but were easily repulsed by the Eighth Army. Additionally, French sailors in Toulon scuttled many of the French Navy's ships to prevent their capture by the Germans. In 1940, the Germany Army had defeated most of Western Europe, and in 1941, they turned their attentions to Eastern Europe and Russia. French sailors scuttled many of their navy ships to prevent Hitler from capturing them. This new addition to the most detailed strategy game available on the Western Front of WWII, introduces 10 new challenging scenarios, including both historical and what-if operations. 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. Who was involved in operation torch? The Naval Battle of Casablanca resulted from a sortie of French cruisers, destroyers, and submarines opposing the landings. He succeeded in contacting several French officers, including General Charles Mast, the French commander-in-chief in Algiers. At Port-Lyautey, the landing troops were uncertain of their position, and the second wave was delayed. At Safi, the objective being capturing the port facilities to land the Western Task Force's medium tanks, the landings were mostly successful. Operation Torch cost the Allies around 480 killed and 720 wounded. With the groundwork laid with the French, the invasion convoys sailed with the Casablanca force departing the United States and the other two sailing from Britain. The Allied Naval Commander of the Expeditionary Force would be Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham; his deputy was Vice-Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who would plan the amphibious landings. However, once French coastal batteries opened fire, Allied warships returned fire. Rober Daniel Murphy located in Algiers at the time was assigned with the task to determine if and how cooperative the French army would be. General Sir Harold Alexander arrived in Tunisia in late February to take charge of the new 18th Army Group headquarters, which had been created to command the Eighth Army and the Allied forces already fighting in Tunisia. The Germans attacked the poorly-equipped French units twice and were driven back. Darlan was assassinated soon after and the Free French gradually came to dominate the government. [14], 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. Eisenhower insisted, however, that he had no real choice if his forces were to move on against the Axis in Tunisia, rather than fight the French in Algeria and Morocco. Though later captured, this force did prevent the destruction of the port. For the same reason, Churchill suggested that British soldiers might wear U.S. Army uniforms, although there is no evidence that this tactic was implemented. Safi surrendered on the afternoon of 8 November. Carrier aircraft destroyed a French truck convoy bringing reinforcements to the beach defenses. All the coastal batteries had been neutralized by the French Resistance and one French commander defected to the Allies. 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Successful completion of these operations was to be followed by an eastwards advance into Tunisia. The French lost about 1,346 individuals while a further 1,997 were wounded. Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942.. Some delay and confusion, and damage to landing ships, was caused by the unexpected shallowness of water and sandbars; although periscope observations had been carried out, no reconnaissance parties had landed on the beaches to determine the local maritime conditions. The Morocco landings ruled out the early occupation of Tunisia. Asked by Wiki User. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-operation-torch-2361497. Initially dubbed Operation Gymnast, it was soon renamed Operation Torch. Under the direction of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, AUS, Adm. Andrew B. Cunningham, RN, Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN, and others, the Allies kept pressure on the Axis by attacking what Winston Churchill dubbed the soft underbelly of … The French joined up with the Allied forces in North Africa and built a strong force. In reality, the 503rd contained only one battalion and was sometimes referred to as the 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion. By the time the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment arrived, French snipers had pinned the assault troops (most of whom were in combat for the first time) on Safi's beaches. 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. Fredendall was sacked and replaced by George Patton. By 13 May, the Axis forces in Tunisia had surrendered, opening the way for the Allied invasion of Sicily in July. In the early morning, the local Gendarmerie arrived and released Juin and Darlan. Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN[38] "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. This new addition to the most detailed strategy game available on the Western Front of WWII, introduces 10 new challenging scenarios, including both historical and what-if operations. The Germans and the Italians immediately occupied southern France, and German troops moved to seize the French fleet in the port of Toulon from 10 November. Operation Torch was the allied invasion of Vichy France's North African territories. Operation Torch was the invasion of west North Africa to prevent the Germans taking control of the territories occupied by the French, then under the control of the Vichy French Government. "The Stamford Historical Society Presents: Operation Torch and the Invasion of North Africa", "Frederick Thornton Peters - the Canadian Virtual War Memorial - Veterans Affairs Canada", "Remembering Operation Torch on its 75th anniversary", United States Army Center of Military History, "Chapter 7: The Decision to Invade North Africa (Torch)", The Decision to Invade North Africa (TORCH), US Army Campaigns of World War II Series/Algeria-French Morocco, History and photos of the operations of the USS Ranger and its Air Group during Operation Torch, (North African Jewish Resistance to Nazis and the Holocaust), The accord Franco-Américan of Messelmoun (in French), Report of the Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces to the Combined Chief of Staff on Operations in North Africa, Operation Torch: Allied Invasion of North Africa, Operation TORCH Motion Pictures from the National Archives, Provisional Government of the French Republic, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, Military Governor, U.S. The operation called for three main landings to take place across North Africa. As a result of French failure to prevent an Allied invasion, Adolf Hitler ordered an invasion and takeover of Vichy, France. 6 Commandos), together with the RAF Regiment providing 5 squadrons of infantry and 5 Light anti-aircraft flights, totalling 20,000 troops. Though Eisenhower had intended to make Giraud the commander of French forces in North Africa after the invasion, the Frenchman demanded that he be given the overall command of the operation. 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. Anderson (CG, 3rd Infantry Division, USA) (18,783 officers and enlisted), Fez Division (Maj. Gen. Maurice-Marie Salbert), Meknès Division (Maj. Gen. Andre-Marie-François Dody), Marrakech Division (Brig. In the fall of 1942, US Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe, planned Operation Torch, and wrote the story in his … After consolidating in Algeria, the Allies began the Tunisia Campaign. 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. [6] It was the first mass involvement of US troops in the European–North African Theatre, and saw the first major airborne assault carried out by the United States. During the landing phase, ground forces were to be commanded by U.S. Major General Charles W. Ryder, Commanding General (CG) of the 34th Division and naval forces were commanded by Royal Navy Vice-Admiral Sir Harold Burrough. Under pressure from the Allies and de Gaulle's supporters, the French régime shifted, with Vichy officials gradually replaced and its more offensive decrees rescinded. On 9 November, Axis forces started to build up in French Tunisia, unopposed by the local French forces under General Barré. To gauge the feeling of the Vichy French forces, Murphy was appointed to the American consulate in Algeria. In Operation Torch, they had the task of slipping into Oran harbor, carrying two companies of the US 1 st Armored Division for an assault on the port. World War II Europe: Fighting in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, World War II: Operation Lila & the Scuttling of the French Fleet, World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. 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. Wracked with indecision, Barré moved his troops into the hills and formed a defensive line from Teboursouk through Medjez el Bab and ordered that anyone trying to pass through the line would be shot. Colonel Edson D. Raff was in command. A total of 67 American troops were interned by Franco's forces until February 1943. Surrounding his house, they made him a prisoner. 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, until disabled by the 16-inch calibre American naval gunfire, OPÉRATION TORCH Les débarquements alliés en Afrique du Nord. Nearly 100 men lost their lives in that mission. 15 16 17. While that was of minimal military effect, it committed the French to the Allied side. Although ammunition was short and equipment obsolete, their fighting caliber was high. In November 1943, de Gaulle became head of the CFLN and de jure head of government of France and was recognized by the U.S. and Britain. It provided Allied staff officers and senior military leaders the opportunity to work together in evolving common practices, and even a common language for military operations. Slated to land on Nov. 8, 1942, the Western Task Force approached Casablanca under the guidance of Major General George S. Patton and Rear Admiral Henry Hewitt. During the time of Operation Torch the French Air Force had some 500 aircraft based on five airfields in Morocco, all within easy range of Casablanca, and various other fields in Algeri… Several Luftwaffe bomber wings undertook anti-shipping strikes against Allied ports in Algiers and along the North African coast. Building up their strength, Allied troops advanced east into Tunisia with the goal of trapping Axis forces as General Bernard Montgomery's 8th Army advanced from their victory at Second El Alamein. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings. 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