Operation Torch: Encyclopedia II - Operation Torch - The Landings

Operation Torch - The Landings

The Allies planned a three-pronged amphibious landing to seize the key ports and airports of Morocco and Algeria simultaneously, targeting Casablanca, Oran and Algiers. The Western Task Force (aimed at Casablanca) comprised all-American units, with Major-General George Patton in command and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt heading the naval operations. It consisted of the US 2nd Armored Division, and the US 3rd and US 9th Infantry Divisions - 35,000 troops in all. They were transported directly from the United States. The Central Task Force, aimed at Oran, comprised of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion and the US 1st Armored Division - 18,500 troops. It was transshipped from Britain and was commanded by Major-General Lloyd Fredendall, the naval forces being commanded by Commodore Thomas Troubridge. Eastern Task force, aimed at Algiers, was commanded by Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson and consisted of the British 78th and the US 34th Infantry Divisions - 20,000 troops. Naval forces were commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir Harold Burrough.

Operation Torch - Casablanca

The initial forces landed on November 8, 1942 at three points: Safi (Operation Blackstone), Fedala (Operation Brushwood), and Mehedia-Port Lyautey (Operation Goalpost). Landings commenced before daybreak. Because it was hoped that the French would not resist, there was no preliminary bombardment. During the previous night an Allied-backed coup attempt had been attempted by a General Bethouard, whose forces surrounded the villa of pro-Vichy General Auguste Paul Nogues. Nogues however called for reinforcements, and the coup attempt thus had the effect of putting the Vichy forces on alert.

At Safi the landings were mostly successful. The landings were initially conducted without covering fire, hoping that the French might not resist at all. When the transports were fired on by coastal batteries the supporting ships returned fire. When commanding General Harmon arrived French snipers had pinned the assault troops (most of whom were in combat for the first time) on the beaches. Most of the landings occurred behind schedule; air support from the carriers destroyed a French convoy of trucks intended to reinforce the defenses. Safi surrendered on the afternoon of November 8th. By November 10th the remaining defenders were pinned down and the bulk of Harmon's forces raced to join the siege of Casablanca.

Around Port-Lyautey the landing troops were uncertain of their position, and the second wave was delayed. This gave the defenders time to organize resistance, and the remaining landings were conducted under artillery bombardment. With the assistance of air support from the carriers the troops pushed ahead and the objectives were captured.

Around Fedala (the largest landings with 19,000 men) weather disrupted the landings. The landing beaches again came under fire after daybreak. General Patton landed at 8am and the beachheads were secured by later in the day. The Americans surrounded the port of Casablanca by November 10th, and the city surrendered an hour before the final assault was due to take place. Patton entered the city unopposed.

In general, French resistance in Morocco (apart from the coastal batteries) was sporadic. The French Navy, which was present in strength at Casablanca and only minutes from the landings, stayed in its port and was put out of action by shelling.

Operation Torch - Oran

The landing forces were split between three beaches, two west of Oran and one east. Landings at the westernmost beach were delayed because of a French convoy which appeared while the minesweepers were clearing a path. 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 been landed on the beaches to determine local conditions. This would be in contrast to later amphibious assaults, such as Operation Overlord, in which considerable weight would be given to pre-invasion reconnaissance.

The US 1st Ranger Battalion landed east of Oran, and quickly captured the shore battery at Arzew. An attempt was made to land US infantry at the harbour directly, in order to quickly prevent destruction of the port facilities and scuttling of ships. The attempt failed, however, as the two destroyers were shattered by crossfire from the French vessels there. The French Navy broke from the harbour and attacked the Allied invasion fleet, but were sunk or driven ashore.

Torch saw the first major airborne assault carried out by the United States. The U.S. 509th Parachute Regiment flew all the way from Britain, over Spain, intending to drop near Oran and capture airfields at Tafarquay and Youk-Les-Bains. The drop was marked by navigation and communications problems with French forces on the ground, and the extreme range forced several aircraft to force land in the desert. Nonetheless, and although the 509th was scattered over the area, both airports were captured.

Operation Torch - Algiers

At midnight, as the invasion troops were approaching the shore, and as agreed at Cherchell, a group of 400 French resistance, under the command of Henri d'Astier de La Vigerie and José Aboulker, staged a coup, in the early hours of November 8, in the city of Algiers. Key targets were seized, including the telephone exchange, radio station, governor's house and the headquarters of 19th Corps.
Then Robert Murphy drove to the residence of General Alphonse Juin with some resistance fighters. Juin was the senior French Army officer in North Africa, and while the resistance surrounded the house, making Juin effectively a prisoner, Murphy attempted to persuade him to side with the Allies. However he was treated to a surprise. Admiral François Darlan, the commander of all Vichy French forces, was in Algiers on a private visit. Juin insisted on contacting Darlan, and Murphy was unable to persuade either to side with the Allies. In the early morning the Vichy Gendarmerie arrived and released Juin and Darlan.

During the day Vichy troops (who might otherwise have been resisting the invasion) retook almost all the positions seized during the coup. The city surrendered to the invaders at 6pm.

The invasion was led by the US 34th Infantry with one brigade of the British 78th, the other acting as reserve. General Ryder, commander of the 34th, was given explicit command of the first wave, since it was believed that the French would react more favourably to an American commander than a British one. The landings were split between three beaches - two west of Algiers and one east. Some landings went to the wrong beaches, but this was immaterial since there was practically no French opposition; coastal batteries had been neutralized by French resistance. One French commander openly welcomed the Allies.

The only fighting took place in the port of Algiers intself, where two British destroyers attempted to land a party of US Rangers directly onto the dock, in order to prevent the French destroying port facilities and scuttling ships. Heavy artillery fire prevented one from landing, and drove the other from the docks after a few hours, leaving 250 of the infantry behind.

The landing troops pushed quickly inland, and by the afternoon a local capitulation was agreed with the North Africa commander, General Juin.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Landings", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki