Operation Torch order of battle

Operation Torch was the Allied invasion of French North Africa between 8 and 16 November 1942 during World War II. It was intended to distract the Axis forces from the Eastern front and thereby relieve the Soviet Union of the pressure it was facing to fight them.[1] The invasion led to Oran's surrender on 10 November and France's agreement to an armistice with the Allies. Involved were British and American forces, organized into the Western, Central and Eastern task forces, which landed on beaches near Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers, respectively.[2]

Overview

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Western Task Force – Morocco

[edit]
Ground and naval commanders for Western Task Force
Major General George S. Patton, United States Army, and Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, United States Navy aboard the heavy cruiser Augusta
A half track and anti-tank gun are loaded onto a landing craft during Operation Torch.
British sailors and British and American soldiers on the beach near Algiers

Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN[3][4]

Task Group 34.1 covering force
Battleship USS Massachusetts (Capt. Whiting)
Heavy cruisers USS Wichita (Capt. Low) and USS Tuscaloosa (Capt. Gillette)
Destroyers USS Wainwright, USS Mayrant, USS Rhind and USS Jenkins
Tanker USS Chemung
Task Group 34.2 Carrier group
Aircraft carrier USS Ranger (Capt. Durgin)
Escort carrier USS Suwannee (Capt. Clark)
Light cruiser USS Cleveland (Capt. Burrough)
Destroyers USS Ellyson, USS Forrest, USS Fitch, USS Corry and USS Hobson
Tanker USS Winooski
Task Group 34.8 Northern task force
Battleship USS Texas (Capt. Pfaff)
Escort carriers USS Sangamon (Capt. Wieber) and USS Chenango (Capt. Wyatt)
Light cruiser USS Savannah (Capt. Fiske)
Destroyers USS Roe, USS Livermore, USS Kearny, USS Ericsson, USS Parker, USS Hambleton, USS Macomb, USS Dallas and USS Eberle
Submarine USS Shad
Submarine tender USS Barnegat
Minesweepers USS Raven and USS Osprey
Tanker USS Kennebec
8 transport ships
Task Group 34.9 Center task force
Heavy cruiser USS Augusta (Capt. Hutchins)
Light cruiser USS Brooklyn (Capt. Denebrink)
Destroyers USS Wilkes, USS Swanson, USS Ludlow, USS Murphy, USS Bristol, USS Woolsey, USS Edison, USS Tillman, USS Doyle and USS Rowan
Submarines USS Gunnel and USS Herring
15 transport ships
6 mine hunting vessels
Task Group 34.10 Southern task force
Battleship USS New York (Capt. Umsted)
Escort carrier USS Santee (Capt. Sample)
Light cruiser USS Philadelphia (Capt. Hendren)
Destroyers USS Mervine, USS Knight, USS Beatty, USS Cowie, USS Quick, USS Doran, USS Cole, USS Bernadou, USS Rodman and USS Emmons
Submarine USS Barb
Tankers USS Housatonic and USS Merrimack
3 mine hunting ships
6 transport ships

US I Armored Corps

Major General George S. Patton, USA

Northern Attack Group (Mehedia)
Brig. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott (9,099 officers and enlisted)
60th Infantry Regiment (Reinforced) of 9th Infantry Division
1st Battalion of 66th Armored Regiment of 2nd Armored Division
1st Battalion of 540th Engineers
Centre Attack Group (Fedhala)
Maj. Gen. J. W. Anderson (18,783 officers and enlisted)
3rd Infantry Division
7th Infantry Regiment (Reinforced)
15th Infantry Regiment (Reinforced)
30th Infantry Regiment (Reinforced)
Southern Attack Group (Safi)
Maj. Gen. Ernest N. Harmon (6,423 officers and enlisted)
47th Regimental Combat Team of 9th Infantry Division
3rd and elements of 2nd Battalion of 67th Armored Regiment of 2nd Armored Division

French forces in Morocco

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Général de division Georges Lascroux

Division Regiments and others
Casablanca Division [fr]

   Général de division Émile Béthouart

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

Guard:

Fez Division [fr]

   Général de brigade Maurice-Marie Salbert

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

Guard:

  • IV/9th Guard Regiment
Marrakesh Division [fr]

   Général de division Henry Martin

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

Guard:

  • II/9th Guard Regiment
Meknes Division [fr]

   Général de division André Dody [fr]

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

Guard:

  • III/9th Guard Regiment

Covering Task Force - Force H - Mediterranean

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ViceAdmiral Edward Neville Syfret, RN[4]

Aircraft carriers HMS Victorious, HMS Formidable and HMS Furious
Battleships HMS Duke of York, HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson
Battle cruiser HMS Renown
light cruisers HMS Bermuda, HMS Argonaut and HMS Sirius
17 Destroyers

Central Task Force – Oran

[edit]
Ground and naval commanders for Central Task Force
Maj. Gen. Lloyd R. Fredendall, USA
Commodore Thomas Hope Troubridge, RN
A Royal Air Force Spitfire that suffered landing gear failure upon landing near Bône, Algeria

Commodore Thomas Hope Troubridge, RN[5][4]

Escort carriers HMS Biter and HMS Dasher
Light cruisers HMS Jamaica and HMS Aurora
Anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Delhi
Headquarters ship HMS Largs
1 anti-aircraft ship
13 Destroyers
4 sloops
6 Corvettes
8 mine hunters
8 Trawlers
2 Submarines
19 Landing ships
28 Transport ships

US II Corps

Major General Lloyd R. Fredendall, USA

Approx. 39,000 officers and enlisted

1st Infantry "Big Red One" Division (Maj. Gen. Terry Allen)
16th Infantry Regiment
18th Infantry Regiment
26th Infantry Regiment
1st Armored Division (Maj. Gen. Orlando Ward)
Combat Command B
6th Armored Infantry Regiment
1st Ranger Battalion
2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Eastern Task Force – Algiers

[edit]
Ground and naval commanders for Eastern Task Force
Maj. Gen. Charles W. Ryder, USA
Rear Adm. Sir Harold M. Burrough, RN

Rear Admiral Sir Harold Burrough, RN[6][4]

Aircraft carrier HMS Argus
Escort carrier HMS Avenger
Light cruisers HMS Sheffield, HMS Scylla and HMS Charybdis
Headquarters ship HMS Bulolo
Monitor HMS Roberts
3 anti-aircraft ships
13 Destroyers
3 Sloops
6 Corvettes
7 Mine hunters
8 Trawlers
3 Submarines
17 Landing ships
16 Transport ships

Allied Landing Forces

Major General Charles W. Ryder, USA[a]

Approx. 33,000 officers and enlisted

United Kingdom British (approx. 23,000)
78th Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Vyvyan Evelegh)
11th Infantry Brigade
36th Infantry Brigade
No. 1 Commando
No. 6 Commando
5 squadrons of RAF Regiment
United States United States (approx. 10,000)
9th Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Manton S. Eddy)
39th Infantry Regiment
34th Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Charles W. Ryder)
135th Infantry Regiment
168th Infantry Regiment

19th Army Corps (French Army in Algeria)

[edit]
Main article: 19th Army Corps (France)
Division Regiments and others
Algiers Division [fr]

   Général de division Charles Mast

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

Guard:

Others:

  • 1st Annamite Sappers
Constantine Division [fr]

   Général de division Édouard Welvert [fr]

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

Guard:

  • 7th Guard Regiment
Oran Division

   Général de division Robert Boissau

Infantry:

Cavalry:

Artillery:

  • 411th Artillery Regiment of Africa

Notes

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  1. ^ CG, US 34th Infantry Division

Citations

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  1. ^ "Operation Torch: Invasion of North Africa". Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 1 February 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Operation Torch | World War II, Summary, Map, Significance, & Casualties | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  3. ^ Morison 1947, pp. 36–39.
  4. ^ a b c d Rohwer 2005, p. 209-210.
  5. ^ Morison 1947, p. 223.
  6. ^ Morison 1947, p. 190.

Bibliography

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  • Morison, Samuel Eliot (1947). Operations in North African Waters. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. II. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-7858-1303-9. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  • Rohwer, J. (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-119-8.
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