Communications Zone is a US Army and NATO term which describes a part of the theater of war operations .
67-474: A communications zone is the rear part of theater of operations (behind but contiguous to the combat zone) which contains the lines of communications, establishments for supply and evacuation, and other agencies required for the immediate support and maintenance of the field forces. This began on 3 May 1942 as part of the U. S. Army Services of Supply . SOS commander Lieutenant General Brehon B. Somervell recommended Major General John C. H. Lee , then commanding
134-740: A coup in Algiers and despite the late alert raised in the Vichy forces, the Eastern Task Force met less opposition and were able to push inland and compel surrender on the first day. The success of Torch caused Admiral François Darlan , commander of the Vichy French forces, who was in Algiers, to order co-operation with the Allies, in return for being installed as High Commissioner , with many other Vichy officials keeping their jobs. Darlan
201-475: A party of US Army Rangers directly onto the dock, to prevent the French destroying the port facilities and scuttling their ships. Heavy artillery fire prevented one destroyer from landing but the other was able to disembark 250 Rangers before it too was driven back to sea. The US troops pushed quickly inland and General Juin surrendered the city to the Allies at 18:00. It quickly became clear that Giraud lacked
268-420: 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 local Gendarmerie arrived and released Juin and Darlan. On 8 November 1942, the invasion commenced with landings on three beaches—two west of Algiers and one east. The landing forces were under the overall command of Major-General Charles W. Ryder , commanding general of
335-643: A rapid move on Tunis to catch Axis forces in North Africa from the west in conjunction with the British advance from Egypt . The Western Task Force encountered unexpected resistance and bad weather but Casablanca, the principal French Atlantic naval base, was captured after a short siege. The Center Task Force suffered some damage to its ships when trying to land in shallow water but the French ships were sunk or driven off; Oran surrendered after bombardment by British battleships. The French Resistance had begun
402-441: A sortie of French cruisers, destroyers, and submarines opposing the landings. A cruiser, six destroyers, and six submarines were destroyed by American gunfire and aircraft. The incomplete French battleship Jean Bart —which was docked and immobile—fired on the landing force with her one working gun turret until disabled by the 16-inch calibre American naval gunfire of USS Massachusetts , the first such heavy-calibre shells fired by
469-736: The 2nd Infantry Division (United States) , in Texas, to Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall , who gave the assignment to Lee; Somervell had served under Lee in the 89th Infantry Division (United States) in WWI. Lee spent two weeks in Washington selecting key staff and planning the Operation Bolero buildup of men and materiel in Britain. This work continued through the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and on 6 June 1944
536-689: The Army of the United States on 9 March 1942. It was renamed the Army Service Forces on 12 March 1943, as it was felt that the term "supply" did not accurately describe its broad range of activities. From the day of inception (and even before) in 1942 through the end of WWII, the SOS/ASF was commanded by Lieutenant General (later General) Brehon B. Somervell . Most theaters of war had their own logistical organization, usually also named
603-585: The U.S. Navy anywhere in World War II. Many of her one-ton shells didn't explode, linked to poor detonators, and aircraft bombers sank the Jean Bart . Two U.S. destroyers were damaged. At Safi, the objective being capturing the port facilities to land the Western Task Force's medium tanks, the landings were mostly successful. The landings were begun without covering fire, in the hope that
670-521: The Agency was used by the Americans and British in planning the amphibious November 1942 Operation Torch landings in North Africa. Information gathering continued during the operation, the British and Americans sent teams who competed to collect intelligence information, an Abwehr coding machine, a different version of Enigma machines was captured in Algiers, it was found to have no plug board however
737-503: The Allies could only make three landings and Eisenhower—who believed that any plan must include landings at Oran and Algiers—had two main options: either the western option, to land at Casablanca, Oran and Algiers and then make as rapid a move as possible to Tunis some 500 miles (800 km) east of Algiers once the Vichy opposition was suppressed; or the eastern option, to land at Oran, Algiers and Bône and then advance overland to Casablanca some 500 miles (800 km) west of Oran. He favored
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#1732772206850804-461: The Allies the next day. His forces surrounded the villa of General Charles Noguès , the Vichy-loyal high commissioner. However, Noguès telephoned loyal forces, who stopped the coup. In addition, the coup attempt alerted Noguès to the impending Allied invasion, and he immediately bolstered French coastal defenses. At Fedala, a small port with a large beach close to Casablanca, weather disrupted
871-877: The American Consul Robert Daniel Murphy in Algiers . The French were former members of the Allies and the American troops were instructed not to fire unless they were fired upon. Suspicions were harbored that the Vichy French Navy would bear a grudge over the British Attack on Mers-el-Kébir near Oran in June 1940, to prevent French ships being taken by the Germans, which killed almost 1,300 French sailors. An assessment of
938-699: The Americans, and the invasion as well. Because of divided loyalties among the groups on the ground their support was uncertain, and due to the need to maintain secrecy, detailed plans could not be shared with the French. Planners identified Oran, Algiers and Casablanca as key targets. Ideally there would also be a landing at Tunis to secure Tunisia and facilitate the rapid interdiction of supplies traveling via Tripoli to Erwin Rommel 's Afrika Korps forces in Italian Libya . The British proposed to achieve this by means of an airborne operation launched from Malta, as
1005-726: The British and American public, who regarded all Vichy French as Nazi collaborators and Darlan as one of the worst. 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 de Gaulle had no official power in Vichy North Africa, much of its population now publicly declared Free French allegiance, putting pressure on Darlan. On 24 December, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle ,
1072-409: The French commander-in-chief in Algiers. These officers were willing to support the Allies but asked for a clandestine conference with a senior Allied General in Algeria. Major General Mark W. Clark —one of Eisenhower's senior commanders—was dispatched to Cherchell in Algeria aboard the British submarine HMS Seraph and met with these Vichy French officers on 21 October 1942. With help from
1139-530: The French garrison in Tunisia would be too weak to resist. However, Marshall persisted in opposing the North African plan and the British proposal was vetoed, claiming Tunis was much too close to the Axis airfields in Sicily and Sardinia for any hope of success. A compromise would be to land at Bône in eastern Algeria, some 300 miles (480 km) closer to Tunis than Algiers. Limited resources dictated that
1206-660: The French vessels there. The Vichy French naval fleet broke from the harbor and attacked the Allied invasion fleet but its ships were all sunk or driven ashore. The commander of Reservist, Captain Frederick Thornton Peters , was awarded the Victoria Cross for valour in pushing the attack through Oran harbour in the face of point blank fire. French batteries and the invasion fleet exchanged fire throughout 8–9 November, with French troops defending Oran and
1273-418: The French would not resist at all. However, once French coastal batteries opened fire, Allied warships returned fire. 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. Most of the landings occurred behind schedule. Carrier aircraft destroyed a French truck convoy bringing reinforcements to
1340-461: The Resistance, the Allies also succeeded in slipping French General Henri Giraud out of Vichy France on HMS Seraph —passing itself off as an American submarine —to Gibraltar, where Eisenhower had his headquarters, intending to offer him the post of commander in chief of French forces in North Africa after the invasion. However, Giraud would take no position lower than commander in chief of all
1407-662: The SOS-ETO was abolished, becoming the Communications Zone, ETO. Lee commanded the largest single unit in WWII outside the United States; over 930,000 men and women by V-E Day, 8 May 1945, delivering over 41 million tons of arms, fuels, and supplies to the continent. The Korean Communications Zone, abbreviated to KComZ or KCOMZ, was operated by the United States military during the Korean War . Logistics Matters and
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#17327722068501474-692: The Services of Supply. The European Theater, and its SOS was subdivided into the ETO and the MTO (Mediterranean Theater of Operations) for the Operation Torch invasion of North Africa, then Sicily, then Italy, though the MTO was largely supplied by the SOS out of Great Britain. The SOS-ETO became TSF/ET (Theater Service Forces—European Theater) on D-Day , 6 June 1944, the term SOS was abolished, and its activities on
1541-520: The Soviets. In conducting their planning, Allied military strategists needed to consider the political situation on the ground in North Africa, which was complex, as well as external diplomatic political aspects. The Americans had recognized Pétain and the Vichy government in 1940, whereas the British did not and had recognized General Charles de Gaulle 's French National Committee as a government-in-exile instead, and agreed to fund them. North Africa
1608-467: The U.S. 34th Infantry Division . The 11th Brigade Group from the British 78th Infantry Division landed on the right hand beach; the US 168th Regimental Combat Team , from the 34th Infantry Division, supported by 6 Commando and most of 1 Commando, landed on the middle beach; and the US 39th Regimental Combat Team , from the US 9th Infantry Division, supported by the remaining 5 troops from 1 Commando, landed on
1675-650: The U.S. Army in Occupied Germany, 1945-1949 , By Lee Kruger, Springer Publishing, 2017 Services of Supply The Services of Supply or "SOS" branch of the Army of the USA was created on 28 February 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department" and War Department Circular No. 59, dated 2 March 1942. Services of Supply became one of the three autonomous components of
1742-501: The authority to take command of the French forces. He preferred to wait in Gibraltar for the results of the landing. However, Darlan in Algiers had such authority. Eisenhower, with the support of Roosevelt and Churchill, made an agreement with Darlan, recognizing him as French "High Commissioner" in North Africa. In return, Darlan ordered all French forces in North Africa to cease resistance to the Allies and to cooperate instead. The deal
1809-458: The beach defenses. Safi surrendered on the afternoon of 8 November. By 10 November, the remaining defenders were pinned down, and the bulk of Harmon's forces raced to join the siege of Casablanca. At Port-Lyautey, the landing troops were uncertain of their position, and the second wave was delayed. This gave the French defenders time to organize resistance, and the remaining landings were conducted under artillery bombardment. A former French pilot of
1876-871: The continent were referred to as COM-Z, or Communications Zone . United States Army Services of Supply, Southwest Pacific Area (USASOS SWPA) in the South West Pacific Area were a direct outgrowth of the U.S. Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), formed from command elements arriving in Australia with the Pensacola Convoy . They were commanded by Brigadier General Richard J. Marshall , and later Brigadier General J. L. Frink from September 1943. They were abolished in April 1945, and absorbed into Army Forces, Western Pacific (AFWESPAC). The Services of Supply, European Theater of Operations (ETO),
1943-565: The decision removed the early capture of Tunis from the probable to only the remotely possible because of the extra time it would afford the Axis to move forces into Tunisia. In July 1941, Mieczysław Słowikowski (using the codename " Rygor "—Polish for "Rigor") set up " Agency Africa ", one of the Second World War's most successful intelligence organizations. His Polish allies in these endeavors included Lt. Col. Gwido Langer and Major Maksymilian Ciężki . The information gathered by
2010-617: The eastern option because of the advantages it gave to an early capture of Tunis and also because the Atlantic swells off Casablanca presented considerably greater risks to an amphibious landing there than would be encountered in the Mediterranean. The Combined Chiefs of Staff, however, were concerned that should Operation Torch precipitate Spain to abandon neutrality and join the Axis, the Straits of Gibraltar could be closed cutting
2077-509: The entire Allied force's lines of communication. They therefore chose the Casablanca option as the less risky since the forces in Algeria and Tunisia could be supplied overland from Casablanca (albeit with considerable difficulty) in the event of closure of the straits. The Morocco landings ruled out the early occupation of Tunisia. Marshall did convince the Allies to abandon the planned invasions of Madeira and Tangier in preparation for
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2144-544: The first large-scale airborne assault carried out by the United States. The French colonies were aligned with Germany via Vichy France but the loyalties of the population were mixed. Reports indicated that they might support the Allies. The American General Dwight D. Eisenhower , supreme commander of the Allied forces in Mediterranean theater of the war , approved plans for a three-pronged attack on Casablanca (Western), Oran (Center) and Algiers (Eastern), then
2211-467: The first of a new series of UG convoys providing logistic support for the North African campaign. The Center Task Force, aimed at Oran, included the U.S. 2nd Battalion 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment , the U.S. 1st Infantry Division , and the U.S. 1st Armored Division —a total of 18,500 troops. They sailed from the United Kingdom and were commanded by Major General Lloyd Fredendall ,
2278-583: The ground. The planners assumed that if the leaders were given Allied military support they would take steps to liberate themselves, and the U.S. embarked on detailed negotiations under American Consul General Robert Murphy in Rabat with the French Liberation Movement. Since Britain was already diplomatically and financially committed to de Gaulle , it was clear that negotiations with the French Liberation Movement would have to be conducted by
2345-405: The headquarters of the 19th Corps . Robert Murphy took some men and then drove to the residence of General Alphonse Juin , the senior French Army officer in North Africa. While they surrounded his house (making Juin a hostage) Murphy attempted to persuade him to side with the Allies. Juin was treated to a surprise: Admiral François Darlan —the commander of all French forces—was also in Algiers on
2412-499: The invading forces, a job already given to Eisenhower. When he was refused, he decided to remain "a spectator in this affair". The Allies organised three amphibious task forces to simultaneously seize the key ports and airports in Morocco and Algeria, targeting Casablanca , Oran and Algiers. Successful completion of these operations was to be followed by an eastwards advance into Tunisia. A Western Task Force (aimed at Casablanca)
2479-621: 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 . U-boats , operating in the eastern Atlantic area crossed by the invasion convoys, had been drawn away to attack trade convoy SL 125 . Aerial operations were split into two commands, with Royal Air Force aircraft under Air Marshal Sir William Welsh operating east of Cape Tenez in Algeria, and all United States Army Air Forces aircraft under Major General Jimmy Doolittle , who
2546-566: The landings, which he maintained would lose the element of surprise and draw large Spanish military contingents in Spanish Morocco and the Canary Islands into the war. However, Harry Hopkins convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to agree to the general plan. Eisenhower told Patton that the past six weeks were the most trying of his life . In Eisenhower's acceptance of landings in Algeria and Morocco, he pointed out that
2613-503: The landings. The landing beaches again came under French fire after daybreak. Patton landed at 08:00, and the beachheads were secured later in the day. The Americans surrounded the port of Casablanca by 10 November, and the city surrendered an hour before the final assault was due to take place. Casablanca was the principal French Atlantic naval base after German occupation of the European coast. The Naval Battle of Casablanca resulted from
2680-444: The largest landing with 19,000 men), and Mehdiya- Port Lyautey ( Operation Goalpost ). Because it was hoped that the French would not resist, there were no preliminary bombardments. This proved to be a costly error as French defenses took a toll on American landing forces. On the night of 7 November, pro-Allied General Antoine Béthouart attempted a coup d'etat against the French command in Morocco, so that he could surrender to
2747-610: The left hand beach. The 36th Brigade Group from the British 78th Infantry Division stood by in floating reserve. Though some landings went to the wrong beaches, this was immaterial because of the lack of French opposition. All the coastal batteries had been neutralized by the French Resistance and one French commander defected to the Allies. The only fighting took place in the port of Algiers, where in Operation Terminal , two British destroyers attempted to land
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2814-415: 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 landed on the beaches to determine the local maritime conditions. This helped inform subsequent amphibious assaults—such as Operation Overlord —in which considerable weight
2881-472: The naval forces being commanded by Commodore Thomas Troubridge. Torch was, for propaganda purposes, a landing by U.S. forces, supported by British warships and aircraft, under the belief that this would be more palatable to French public opinion, than an Anglo-American invasion. For the same reason, Churchill suggested that British soldiers might wear U.S. Army uniforms , and No.6 Commando did so. ( Fleet Air Arm aircraft did carry US "star" roundels during
2948-725: The operation, and two British destroyers flew the Stars and Stripes . ) In reality, the Eastern Task Force—aimed at Algiers—was commanded by Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson and consisted of a brigade from the British 78th and the U.S. 34th Infantry Divisions , along with two British commando units ( No. 1 and No. 6 Commandos ), together with the RAF Regiment providing 5 squadrons of infantry and 5 Light anti-aircraft flights, totalling 20,000 troops. During
3015-605: The plan. Marshall and other U.S. generals advocated the invasion of northern Europe later that year, which the British rejected. After Prime Minister Winston Churchill pressed for a landing in French North Africa in 1942, Marshall suggested instead to President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the U.S. abandon the Germany first strategy and take the offensive in the Pacific. Roosevelt said it would do nothing to help
3082-417: The port on board a US destroyer led her up the shallow river to take over the artillery battery, clearing the way to the air-base. With the assistance of carrier air support, the troops pushed ahead, and the objectives were captured. The Center Task Force was 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
3149-416: The post when Darlan was assassinated six weeks later. The Eisenhower/Darlan agreement meant that the officials appointed by the Vichy regime would remain in power in North Africa. No role was provided for Free France , which was supposed to be France's government-in-exile and had taken charge in other French colonies. That deeply offended Charles de Gaulle , the head of Free France. It also offended much of
3216-566: The role played by the airborne forces in Operation Torch was minimal. As agreed at Cherchell, in the early hours of 8 November, the 400 mainly Jewish French Resistance fighters of the Géo Gras Group staged a coup in the city of Algiers. Starting at midnight, the force under the command of Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie and José Aboulker seized key targets, including the telephone exchange, radio station, governor's house and
3283-552: The surrounding area stubbornly; bombardment by the British battleships brought about Oran's surrender on 10 November. Torch was the first major airborne assault carried out by the United States. The 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment , aboard 39 C-47 Dakotas , flew all the way from Cornwall in England, over Spain , to drop near Oran and capture airfields at Tafraoui and La Sénia , respectively 15 miles (24 km) and 5 miles (8 km) south of Oran. The operation
3350-433: The sympathies of the French forces in North Africa was essential, and plans were made to secure their cooperation, rather than resistance. German support for the Vichy French came in the shape of air support. Several Luftwaffe bomber wings undertook anti-shipping strikes against Allied ports in Algiers and along the North African coast. The operation was originally scheduled to be led by General Joseph Stilwell , but he
3417-564: 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—equal to many British and U.S. fighters. These forces included 60,000 troops in Morocco, 15,000 in Tunisia, and 50,000 in Algeria. In addition, there were 10 or so warships and 11 submarines at Casablanca . The Allies believed that the Vichy French Armistice Army would not fight, partly because of information supplied by
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#17327722068503484-595: The three rotors had been changed to rotate 11, 15 and 19 times rather than once every 26 letters, plus a plate on the left acted as a fourth rotor. It was sent to the UK with 2 tons of paperwork for analysis. To gauge the feeling of the Vichy French forces, Murphy was appointed to the American consulate in Algeria. His covert mission was to determine the mood of the French forces and to make contact with elements that might support an Allied invasion. He succeeded in contacting several French officers, including General Charles Mast ,
3551-546: The title Commanding General, Army Service Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army . The development of telecommunications infrastructure in the region of Cheltenham was one of the major reasons why the GCHQ was moved to the town after American operations ceased. The activation of Services of Supply, China, Burma and India (SOS CBI) was authorized by the War Department on 28 February 1942. The Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (Provisional), SOS USAF CBI,
3618-584: The unit's soldiers. When Adolf Hitler learned of Darlan's deal with the Allies, he immediately ordered the occupation of Vichy France and sent Wehrmacht troops to Tunisia . The American press protested, immediately dubbing it the "Darlan Deal", pointing out that Roosevelt had made a brazen bargain with Hitler's puppets in France. If a main goal of Torch had originally been the liberation of North Africa, hours later that had been jettisoned in favor of safe passage through North Africa. Giraud ended up taking over
3685-659: Was activated as a subordinate command of USAF CBI at Karachi, India, 23 April 1942. Headquarters, SOS USAF CBI, was initially located in Karachi but moved to New Delhi on 26 May 1942. It was commanded by Brigadier General Raymond A. Wheeler from 28 February 1942 (with the rank of major general from 11 March 1942); then Brigadier General William E. R. Covell from 15 November 1943 (with the rank of major general from 29 November 1943); Brigadier General John A Warden from 18 December 1944; and Major General William E. R. Covell from 10 February 1945. Services of Supply, China, Burma and India
3752-551: Was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War . Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale. It was the first mass involvement of US troops in the European–North African Theatre and saw
3819-560: Was assassinated by a monarchist six weeks later and the Free French gradually came to dominate the government. The Allies planned an Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa , the territories of Morocco , Algeria and Tunisia , nominally in the hands of the Vichy French government. With British forces advancing from Egypt, this would eventually allow the Allies to carry out a pincer operation against Axis forces in North Africa. The Vichy French had around 125,000 soldiers in
3886-401: Was composed of American units, with Major General George S. Patton in command and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt heading the naval operations. This Western Task Force consisted of the U.S. 3rd and 9th Infantry Divisions , and two battalions from the U.S. 2nd Armored Division —35,000 troops in a convoy of over 100 ships. They were transported directly from the United States in
3953-473: Was divided in the fall of 1942 to include service and supply functions in the North African Theater of Operations to support the Operation Torch invasion of North Africa, and the subsequent invasions of Sicily, Italy, and southern France. Lee's deputy, Brigadier General Thomas B. Larkin , was spun off from the SOS-ETO to direct this effort for the duration of the war, ending the conflict with
4020-758: Was established in Cheltenham , England on 24 May 1942 under the command of Major General John C. H. Lee . Almost two years of build up followed, supporting the North African Campaign and eventually the Invasion of Normandy . The command was redesignated COMZ (Communications Zone) after the 6 June 1944 invasion. Within COMZ was ADSEC (the Advance Section, Communications Zone) and FECOMZ (Forward Echelon, Communications Zone). This command
4087-399: Was given to pre-invasion reconnaissance. The U.S. 1st Ranger Battalion landed east of Oran and quickly captured the shore battery at Arzew . An attempt was made to land U.S. infantry at the harbour directly, in order to quickly prevent destruction of the port facilities and scuttling of ships. Operation Reservist failed, as the two Banff -class sloops were destroyed by crossfire from
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#17327722068504154-434: Was made on 10 November, and French resistance ceased almost at once. The French troops in North Africa who were not already captured submitted to and eventually joined the Allied forces. Men from French North Africa would see much combat under the Allied banner as part of the French Expeditionary Corps (consisting of 112,000 troops in April 1944) in the Italian campaign , where Maghrebis (mostly Moroccans) made up over 60% of
4221-682: Was marked by communicational and navigational problems owing to the anti-aircraft and beacon ship HMS Alynbank broadcasting on the wrong frequency. 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. Of the other aircraft, one pilot became disoriented and landed his plane in Gibraltar . Two others landed in French Morocco and three in Spanish Morocco , where another Dakota dropped its paratroopers by mistake. A total of 67 American troops were interned by Franco 's forces until February 1943. Tafraoui and La Sénia were eventually captured but
4288-406: Was part of France's colonial empire and nominally in support of Vichy, but that support was far from universal among the population. Political events on the ground contributed to, and in some cases were even primary over, military aspects. The French population in North Africa were divided into three groups: American strategy in planning the attack had to take into account these complexities on
4355-468: Was reassigned after the Arcadia Conference revealed his vitriolic Anglophobia and skepticism over the operation. Lt. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was given command of the operation, and he set up his headquarters in Gibraltar . Senior U.S. commanders remained strongly opposed to the landings and after the western Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) met in London on 30 July 1942, General George Marshall and Admiral Ernest King declined to approve
4422-652: Was redesignated Services of Supply, India Burma Theater (SOS IBT) on 2 November 1944 when the theater was split in two. On 10 November Advance Section No. 1, SOS IBT, was redesignated Supply, China Theater, with its headquarters at Kunming , China. It was commanded by Major General Gilbert X. Cheves from 12 November 1944, and Major General Henry S. Aurand from 25 May 45. Operation Torch [REDACTED] United States [REDACTED] United Kingdom [REDACTED] Vichy France 1941 1942 1944 1945 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942)
4489-513: Was under the direct command of Major General Patton, operating west of Cape Tenez. P-40s of the 33rd Fighter Group were launched from U.S. Navy escort carriers and landed at Port Lyautey on 10 November. Additional air support was provided by the carrier USS Ranger , whose squadrons intercepted Vichy aircraft and bombed hostile ships. The Western Task Force landed before daybreak on 8 November 1942, at three points in Morocco: Safi ( Operation Blackstone ), Fedala ( Operation Brushwood ,
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