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The Soviet Union had been putting pressure on the United States and Britain to begin operations in Europe, a second front to relieve the pressure on the Russian forces. The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill favoured an attack on northern Africa followed by an invasion of Europe in 1943, while American president Roosevelt suspected the Africa operation would rule out an invasion of Europe in 1943 but agreed to support Churchill.
The Allies planned an Anglo-American invasion of northwestern Africa - Morocco and Algeria, territory nominally in the hands of Vichy France. The French had around 60,000 soldiers in Morocco as well as coastal artillery, a handful of tanks and aircraft, with ten or so warships and 11 submarines at Casablanca. The Allies believed that the French forces would not fight, although they harboured suspicions that the French navy would bear a grudge over the British action at Mers-el-KebirThe Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir French North Africa (now Algeria), by the British Royal Navy took place on July 3, 1940. In 1940, during World War II, following the surrender of France to the advancing forces of Nazi Germany, the Brit (near OranThis article is about the city in Algeria. See also Oran, Missouri Oran (population 700,000) is a city in northwest Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean Sea coast. Administration Oran is the capital of a province wilaya of the same name. History Oran wa) in 1940. The Allies co-opted a French General, Henri GiraudHenri Giraud ( January 18 1879 March 13 1949) was a French general who fought in the First World War and escaped from German captivity during the Second World War. Henri Giraud was born in Paris, France. He was of Alsatian descent. He graduated from the S, into their force as a potential commander of the French troops following invasion. The Allies intended to advance rapidly eastwards into TunisiaTunisia is a Muslim Arab country situated on the North African Mediterranean coast. It borders on Algeria to the west and Libya to the south and east. El-joumhouriyya et-Tounisiyya Official language Arabic Capital Tunis President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali P and attack the German forces in the rear. General Dwight Eisenhower gained command of the attack, with headquarters in GibraltarGibraltar is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is located in southwestern Europe adjoining the southern coast of Spain, a strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. History Main a
The Allies planned to capture the key ports from Morocco to Algeria simultaneously, targeting Casablanca, Oran and Algiers.
The Western Task Force comprised all-American units, with Major General George Patton leading the first assault force and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt heading the naval operations.
The naval support consisted of five aircraft carriers, three battleships, seven cruisers, 38 destroyers, plus transport, support and other vessels. The three initial attack groups numbered 7,000, 19,500, and 9,500 soldiers; some of the force shipping directly from America to the battlefield. The assault force departed from Hampton Roads on October 24, meeting the rest of the force mid-Atlantic.
The initial forces landed on November 8, 1942 at Safi, Fedala , and Mehedia - Port Lyautey to sporadic French resistance. Pro-Allied forces had attempted a coup on the night of the 7th, but with no success. Safi, to the west, fell the most easily - on the first afternoon. The Americans met tougher resistance at Port Lyautey. The landing at Fedala, nearest to the target of Casablanca, formed potentially the most risky part of the operation - a sortie by the French navy could reach the landing sites within minutes, and so most of the Allied naval strength stood arrayed against this threat. Weather made the initial landings at Fedala tricky, while around Casablanca the French batteries soon opened fire on the US naval vessels and dogfights between French and US navy fighters occurred - the Allies sank or severely damaged four French destroyers and three submarines. The initial landing at Fedala did not even finish until the 9th, and rather than advance, the American forces hung back, pending the outcome of negotiations for the French to cease armed resistance.
The Vichy leader in Algiers, Admiral François Darlan had already begun talks with the US before the landings, and agreed that French forces would cease armed resistance next day, November 10, providing he remained head of a French administration. Hitler retaliated by ordering German forces to occupy the so-called Unoccupied Zone of Central and Southern France. Most French troops in Africa followed Darlan's lead but certain elements joined the German forces in Tunisia.