Company B: A Fierce Fighting Force in the Tunisian Campaign of World War II
In the early days of the American advance into Tunisia, a tank destroyer company went on a risky but successful offensive virtually alone.
Here s What You Need to Know: Company B’s success was also a tribute to the courage and spirit of its soldiers.
For the United States Army, the long road to Germany began in the mountainous deserts of Tunisia in mid-November 1942. Earlier in the month thousands of GIs had come ashore in the Vichy French territories of Morocco and Algeria. After the brief fighting with French troops ended and a political settlement had been reached, the Americans turned their attention to the east, toward the Germans and Italians. On May 13, 1943, those enemies would capitulate, ending the North African campaign. Although their British allies were seasoned veterans of the desert war, the roughly six-month period between landing and surrender would be a tough one for the U.S. forces. T
World War II: This Daring Allied Raid on Algiers Harbor Ended in Failure
A joint U.S. Army and Royal Navy force attempted a coup de main on Algiers harbor in the opening hours of Operation Torch.
Here s What You Need to Know: Preparations included seizing Algiers Harbor intact.
In November 1942, the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch, caused a short but intense conflict with French forces loyal to the Vichy regime in power on the European mainland. The Allies sought to finish the Axis presence not only in Vichy-controlled areas but also to eliminate the Italian-German forces to the east in Libya. The British Eighth Army, fresh from victory at El Alamein, was steadily pushing those forces westward. Taking control of the entire North African coastline would cement the Allied position and make follow-on operations in the Mediterranean Theater possible.
Operation Torch: Why Did America Fight French Forces in 1942?
Instead of welcoming American troops with brass bands, Vichy France’s colonial forces fought back with everything they had.
Here s What You Need to Know: Early in the North African campaign, American tankers battled the Vichy French.
Lucian Truscott needed a cigarette. The 47-year-old brigadier general was having the worst night of his life. Earlier that day, American troops under his command charged ashore on the Atlantic coast of French Morocco as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. From the start, though, almost nothing went right.
“As far as I could see along the beach there was chaos,” Truscott recalled. “Landing craft were beaching in the pounding surf, broaching to the waves, and spilling men and equipment into the water. Men wandered about aimlessly, hopelessly lost, calling to each other and for their units, swearing at each other and at nothing.”
by J. Furman Daniel Daniel III Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2020. Pp. xvi, 305. Illus., maps, notes, biblio., index. . $40.00. ISBN: 0826222099
The General who Studied History
Prof. Furman Daniel (Emory-Riddle), the author of
21st Century Patton, on the applicability of the general’s thought to contemporary conflict, has produced a unusual biography of Patton. He uses the General’s life-long interest in history to explore how it helped him develop his ideas about strategy, planning, operations, and warfare in general. This can be seen, for example, in Patton’s preparations for Operation Torch, for which he did extensive reading in the history of Morocco and even the
Battleship Cove: Massachusetts Is Home To a Priceless Floating Museum Complex
Massachusetts’ Battleship Cove is a fitting tribute to U.S. Navy sailors.
Here s What You Need to Know: Battleship Cove bills itself as the world’s largest naval ship museum.
Many associate Massachusetts with the Kennedy family, and its influence is evident at Battleship Cove. The World War II record of the Kennedys is a distinguished one. Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, who would later become president, was nearly killed fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific. Fittingly, an exhibition hall holds two PT boat specimens.
PT 617, the type on which Kennedy served, is the last surviving