Torch Operation, North Africa 1942
On November 8, 1942, Allied forces were led by the United States and the United Kingdom in launching Operation Torch. This invasion of North Africa marked the first large-scale deployment of American forces in the European theater. It landed Allied troops in French Morocco and Algeria with the aim of removing German and Italian forces from the northern portion of the African continent.
Simply put, North Africa was extremely important to Germany and Italy right from the beginning of WWII because if they controlled North Africa, Mediterranean shipping would support their campaigns. For instance, in Germany’s case, by 1942, Hitler had been expanding his country’s power; the Nazis had occupied most of the European continent either by seizing or incorporating its territory. Also, Germany was hoping for access into the Mediterranean to give it free reign there through the Suez Canal to the oil fields and other raw material for its mechanized war efforts. And Italy, being led by Benito Mussolini at the time, wanted to control the Mediterranean Sea. It was essential to their national power and honor. It would create a “New Roman Empire.” This would expand Italian influence throughout the region, project great military power, especially against British interests. Also, like Germany, Italy would achieve vital trade routes via the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean would be seen as “Mare Nostrum” — Our Sea.
There isn’t enough space here in this blog to tell you what went into the entire Torch assault, but I will quote Operation Torch – World History Encyclopedia for you. I suggest you go to that site to read all about Operation Torch for a complete review of the attack.
The principal landing sites of Torch were Casablanca (Western Task Force), Oran (Central Task Force), and Algiers (Eastern Task Force), although each force had multiple landing targets. The commanders of the task forces attacking these respective targets were Major-General George Patton (1885-1945), Major-General Lloyd Fredendall, and Major-General Charles Ryder. The Western Task Force came directly from the United States while the other two sailed from Britain. All three task forces were to be supported by air attacks from over 1,000 Allied aircraft. The idea after landing was for the task forces to link up and push eastwards to Tunisia where they would meet the British Eighth Army, coming from Egypt. As a result, the remaining Axis forces would be sandwiched between two Allied armies. The total landing force of Torch was around 110,000 men, and they had a naval escort of some 650 ships. The Western Task Force consisted of around 35,000 troops. The Central Task Force had 39,000 men. The Eastern Task Force had 33,000 men….
After Operation Torch, the Anglo-American landings in North-West Africa in November 1942 and fighting against Vichy France forces (which then changed sides), the Allies trapped about 250,000 German and Italian personnel in northern Tunisia, forcing their surrender in May 1943.
Other sources offered that, first, The Eastern Task Force that landed in Algiers was not the same as the Vichy French force. The Eastern Task Force primarily consisted of a combined force of British troops with a smaller contingent of U.S. soldiers. Now, the French Vichy government set up military units primarily stationed in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. They were there to defend these territories against the Allied invasion. However, some chose to cooperate with the Allies depending on the particular leadership of the area and its situation.
The Vichy French troops stationed in Morocco, Algeria, consisted of more than 125,000 troops; specifically, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia broke down to roughly 60,000 troops in Morocco, 50,000 in Algeria, and 15,000 in Tunisia. Tunisia actively resisted the Allied landings, and they became a significant challenge to the operation.
The complexities of the battles, beginning with its planning and the commands in northern Africa, prohibit detailed discussion here in this blog. Many authorities claim the battles themselves to be sheer hell; and from what I read, it was nothing less than that for all sides on the battlefields. In less than two years, if you want to look at it that way, in the end, the Allies won the war there. Won? It was a victory due to the Allies’ occupation of the ports, airfields, and territory and by the deployment of Allied forces in numbers that the Germans could not overcome.
Here are some statistics from How North Africa Became a Battleground in World War II:
Axis losses in Tunisia alone totaled 40,000 dead or wounded, 240,000 prisoners, 250 tanks, 2,330 aircraft and 232 ships. British and American casualties were 33,000 and 18,558 respectively. For the entire North African campaign, the British suffered 220,000 casualties. Total Axis losses came to 620,000, which included the loss of three field armies.
So, to recap, 82 years ago, on November 8, 1942, Operation Torch put Allied troops on French Morocco and Algeria sands in order to remove both German and Italian forces off the northern part of the African continent. This Allied operation overcame many difficulties, such as the testing logistics of shipping troops directly from the United States and Britain, and the large presence of Vichy French forces in North Africa, but the landings were ultimately successful, and therefore the region was established as a launchpad for the future invasion of Italy.
Not any of the eleven men in my book, The WWII Chain Letter Gang, participated in Operation Torch, nor anywhere else on the northern continent of Africa during World War II. Perhaps you know of those who were involved in that part of the war. That is not to say that many of the men who were fighting for our freedom in Northern Africa did not come to Europe afterwards to join our troops there. There are stories, there is evidence about those who did, and they are all our heroes from WWII, and we shall never, ever forget them.
Map source: La segunda Guerra mundial clase 2024.ppt
A note from Lynne Attardi: If you have letters from those who fought in North Africa in Operation Torch during WWII and would like to send them to me for future publication, so we can all hear their voices, kindly contact me at ltalongbranch@gmail.com