The US embassy in Morocco announced on November 1st, commemorating the 80th anniversary of a major moment in U.S.-Morocco history, ‘Operation Torch’. The festivities will take place over the next week.
During the Second World War, the Allies invaded French North Africa as part of Operation Torch which took place between 8 November 1942 and 16 November 1942.
Operation Torch was a compromise operation that gave the American armed forces the chance to take part in the war against Nazi Germany on a small scale while also achieving the British goal of ensuring victory in North Africa.
The United States launched its first significant airborne assault during this period of US troops’ initial widespread participation in the European-North African Theater.
Although the French colonies were legally allied with Germany through Vichy France, the populace had a variety of allegiances.
The supreme commander of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, devised a three-pronged attack on Casablanca (Western), Oran (Center), and Algiers (Eastern), followed by a swift advance on Tunis to encircle Axis forces (Afrika Korps) in North Africa from the west in conjunction with the Allied advance from Egypt.
According to The Naval History and Heritage Command, the operation was designed as a pincer movement, with American landings on the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Western Task Force—Safi, Fedala, Mehdia-Port Lyautey) and Anglo-American landings on the Mediterranean coast of Algeria (Center and Eastern task forces—Oran, Algiers).
Orders to retaliate were granted when the Moroccan Resistance campaign was unsuccessful. The soldiers encountered fierce resistance when they first touched down at 5 am in Fedala, Mehdia, and Safi. At Mehdia and Port Lyautey, there was brutal fighting, according to Chemins de Memoire’s French website.
The US embassy declared preparing in-person activities related to the historical event.
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