Torch : North Africa and the Allied path to victory

374 Pages·2015·12.93 MB·English

by  O'Hara

Naval Institute Press 291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
© 2015 by Vincent P. O’Hara All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data O’Hara, Vincent P., 1951– Torch: North Africa and
the allied path to victory / by Vincent P. O’Hara.
1 online resource.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
ISBN 978-1-61251-922-7 (epub) — 1. Operation Torch, 1942. 2. World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—
Africa, North. I. Title.
D766.82
940.54’231—dc23
2015021812
Print editions meet the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First printing
Contents
List of Illustrations and Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Situation
2 The Art of Amphibious Warfare
3 Decision
4 Planning and Preparation
5 Opposition
6 Mediterranean Convoys
7 Algiers
8 Oran
9 Atlantic Convoy
10 Port Lyautey
11 Casablanca
12 The Naval Battle of Casablanca
13 The Fall of Casablanca
14 Safi
15 Axis Reaction
16 The Allies Move East
17 Final Roundup
Conclusion
APPENDIX I. Abbreviations
APPENDIX II. French Order of Battle, North Africa, 8 November 1942
APPENDIX III. Allied Order of Battle as of 0100, 8 November 1942
APPENDIX IV. Ships Sunk in Operation Torch
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Illustrations and Tables
Photos
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston S. Churchill at Marrakech
U.S. Rangers practicing an assault
Marshal Philippe Pétain
Dwight D. Eisenhower and George C. Marshall
Landing craft practicing
U.S. troops landing in Algeria
British monitor Roberts
U.S. troops landing east of Oran
Soldiers descending a boarding ladder
Concert at sea
Task Force 34 maneuvering
USS Ranger and Gleaves-class destroyers
The Kasba
USS Dallas
The Batterie d’El Hank
American soldiers landing near Fédala
French battleship Jean Bart
The liner Porthos capsized in Casablanca Harbor
Gleaves-class destroyer firing to port
French contre-torpilleurs Milan and Albatros and light cruiser Primauguet
Edward Rutledge at the moment of being torpedoed
Light cruiser USS Philadelphia
Off Safi
Safi from the north
Top: Admiral François Darlan and Maj. Gen. Mark Clark; Bottom: Corps
General Alphonse Juin and Robert Murphy
Italian Fiat G.12 transport aircraft at Tunis
Italian M 14 tanks being unloaded in Bizerte
French prisoners being taken to Italy
Maps
1 .1. France under Axis Occupation
4 .1. Operation Torch Plan and Dispositions
6 .1. Operation Torch Landings
7 .1. Landings at Algiers
7 .2. Algiers Harbor
8 .1. Oran Landings
8 .2. Attack on Oran Harbor
8 .3. Naval Action off Oran, 8 November
8 .4. Naval Action off Oran, 9 November
9 .1. Torch Convoys
1 0.1. Port Lyautey Landings
1 1.1. Fédala Landings
1 1.2. Bombardment of Casablanca
1 2.1. Naval Battle of Casablanca, 0815–0840
1 2.2. Naval Battle of Casablanca, 0840–0940
1 2.3. Naval Battle of Casablanca, 0940–1040
1 2.4. Naval Battle of Casablanca, 1040–1200
1 3.1. Advance on Casablanca and the Naval Battle of 10 November
1 4.1. Safi Landings
1 4.2. Attack on Safi Harbor
1 6.1. The Race to Tunis, 11–16 November
Tables
6 .1. Torch Convoys from the United Kingdom to Algeria
1 1.1. Task Group 34.1 Gunnery, Bombardment of Casablanca, 8 November
1942
1 2.1. Gunnery Damage on Warships during Bombardments and Surface Action,
Casablanca, 8 November 1942
1 3.1. Landing Craft Losses in Initial Assault, Fédala Area, 8 November 1942