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war and social upheaval: World War II Operation Torch
Operation Anton: German Occupation of Vichy (November 1942)
Figure 1.--The Germans had prepared a plan to occupy Vichy very early in the occuopation of France (December 1940). As a result Field Marchall Von Rundstedt had a plan in place and activated Operation Anton only 2 days after the Torch landings (Novemnber 10, 1942). This was a day brfore the French surrender. The German 1st Army moved from the Atlantic coast, using roads parallel to the Spanish border. The 7th Army advanced from central France towards Vichy and Toulon, under the command of General Johannes Blaskowitz. The Italians posrticipated in the Operstion from the west. The Italian 4th Army seized the French Riviera. An Italian division landed on Corsica. All thus was unopposed.
German Führer Adolf Hitler threatened Vichy leader Henri-Philippe Pétain that he would order the Wehrmacht into the un-occupied area of France if the Vichy forces in North Africa did not oppose the Allied landings. He ordered the Wehrmacht to prepare to occupy Vichy and seize the French fleet. Hitler was disatisfied with French resistance in Niorth Africa. Vichy was officially neutral according to the 1940 Armistice. Vichy Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Darlan, at the time in Algiers surrendered and defected to join De Gaulle and the Free French (November 11). They were gaining increasing support from both servicemen and civilians. His replacement, Admiral Auphan, guessed correctly that the Germans were aiming to seize the large fleet at Toulon, and issued orders for scuttling these vessels. The Germans had prepared a plan to occupy Vichy very early in the occuopation of France (December 1940). As a result Field Marchall Von Rundstedt had a plan in place and executed Operation Anton only 2 days after the Torch landings (Novemnber 10, 1942). The 1st Army moved from the Atlantic coast, using roads parallel to the Spanish border. The 7th Army advanced from central France towards Vichy and Toulon, under the command of General Johannes Blaskowitz. The Italians posrticipated in the Operstion from the west. The Italian 4th Army seized the French Riviera. An Italian division landed on Corsica. All thus was unopposed. German Panzers as a reached the Mediterranean coast (evening November 11). Operation Anton inckluded Operation Lila with the objective of capturing the substantial French fleet ships at Toulon. It was carried out by the 7th Panzer Division reinforced with units from other divisions. Four combat groups including two armoured groups and a motorcycle battalion from 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich formed a spearhead to rush tioward Toulon. Marinedetachment Gumprich was assigned specifically to get on board the major shios and prevent scuttling oprrations. This all went perfectly, however, French naval commanders managed to keep their ships out of German hands in fact, denying the Germans a major prise. The Germans launched a heavy assault. The fleet was in Toulon on the Mediterranean coast, but the Germans reached the coast (November 11). Amazingly naval crews used deception tactics to delay the enemy. Somehow the French naval commabnders managed to delay the Germans for 2 weeks. The French scuttled their vessels (November 27). could be carried out. The Germans managed to seize only 39 small ships, while the French destroyed 77 vessels including all the larger ships (November 27). Three battleships, seven cruisers, 28 destroyers, and 20 submarines were scuttled under the noses of the Germans. A few submarines managed to escape to North Africa now in Free French and Allied hands. It marked the end of Vichy France as a credible power. Admiral Raeder in particular had hoped to seize French vessels for his surface fleet. Vichy was officially neutral, but complinyt with Germsn demands. Occupying Vivchy gained them little. The only real prize was the fleet nbd they failed to seize it.
The collapse of the Frebch Army and fall of France came as a shock to the French people (June 1940). Most had assumed that the war ould unfold as it did in World War I, with a inpassabler front line forming in the north. There was psnic that the Grermns wold commit terible atroctities. The formation of the Vichy Government pursuing colabiorationst policies was seem as preventing thise atrivuties. And it was widely assumed that the Germans had won the war bnd that resistrbce was futile. Fortuntely for the French people, the British decided to fight.and Htler's incasion of the Soviet Union did not suceed in destoying the Soviet Red Army (1941). While achiebing major victorties, the Red Amy winter countet-offensive (winter 1941-42). .Losses in the Ostkrieg forced the Germans to increase demands on the occupied countries. Hitler had expected to run his war weiyh loot from yhe Ostktrieg. In fact, the occupied territyories in the East fed the Ostheer, but hardlyh suoported the the German war econnomy. This had to come from the occupied West. bd to ccomplidh this the gemns not only increased requisitions, but began drafting workers to supply the labor needed by Germam wr industries. This had theimpavt of showing ythat Vivhy vwas inacpable of potecting France. And at the sametime showing that the Germans had not yet won the war, especially when Ameican nteed the war.
American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill decided that the Allies needed to open a Second Front to take pressure off the hard-pressed Red Army reeling under the German summer offensive driving toward Stalingrad and the oil-rich Caucauses (July 1942). Joseph Stalin demanded an invasion of Europe. Wisely Roosevelt and Churchill targetted French North Africa. American General George Marshall, in many ways the architect of the American victory, was opposed to Totch, considering it a diversion. Roosevelt insisted. While Montgomery's victory at El Alemain often receives more attentiin, it was the Torch landings that were the decisive action. The Amercan and British landings in North Africa sealed the fate of the Axis desert campaign. Even if Rommel had broken through to Suez, he would have been forced to turn west to deal with the Allied landings in French North Africa. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed Allied commander to oversee the Torch Landings. The Allies driving east from their Moroccan and Algerian beachheads linked up with the Brish advancing west (November 1942). Although Hitler rushed reinforcements to Tunisia, the end result was the first major defeat of a German Army by the Western Allies.
NAZI Warnings
German intelligence completely failed to pick upon Allied Torch planning. The Germnsa noted Allied shipping at Gibrltar, but concluded it was nother supply run to Malta. The failure to detect such a suvstabtial build up tells a great deal about the state of NAZI intelligence. Unrelated to the ctu; lndings, German Führer Adolf Hitler threatened Vichy leader Henri-Philippe Pétain that he would order the Wehrmacht into the un-occupied area of France if the Vichy forces in North Africa did not oppose the Allied landings. He ordered the Wehrmacht to prepare to occupy Vichy. The real prize in doing so would be the oppotrtunity to seize the the French fleet. Asit was the Nattle of the Atlantic was at a crutical point as was the battle for North Africa. The possession of the frevh fleet could hve made a critical difference in boyth cases.
Vichy Resistance to the Landings (November 8-11)
The Germns did not have combat troops in French North Africa, including Tunisia. All the fighting in the Westen Desert had been conducted from Italian Libya meaning that Rommel had no where to retreat to as Montgomery's Eighth Army pursued the retreating Afrika Korps from, Alamein. French North Africa was defended solely by Vichy forces. Vichy had about 60,000 troops in Morocco and 50,000 in Algeria. Thery were poorly armed with little air support. Many were native troops commanded by French officers. The French commnders were not pro-German, but they had enormous respect for Pétin and felt honor bound to resist the llied lsanding. They were not at first fully aware of the scope of the Allied landings. Some were more than willing to go over to the Allies, recalling their World War I partnership and the nature of Axis aggression and occupation. The native formations were for the most part unpoliticized professional soldiers who were prepared to obey their French officers.
To the total surprise of the French, Italians and Germans, an Allied landing force of some 70,000 men arrived off Vichy-occupied North Africa in the early morning hours -- Operation Torch (November 8, 1942). Phone lines between Rome and Berlin were soon abuzz. This was only a week after the disaster at El Alanein and a week before the Soviet encuirclement at Stalingrad. The Anglo-Ameica soldiers went ashore at three separt sites (Casablnca, Oran, and Algiers). The naval landing forces of over 500 ships had carried and guarded the assault force and was in posutiin in all three landing sites right on time -- an impessive chievements given that 102 of the sjips made an Atlabtic crissing. The larger force came from Britain, two convoys – one fast and one slow. .
They all arrived at their destinations within a few hours of each other. The actual lndings, howeve, did not go as smoothly.
The Americn Western Task force landed on the Atlbtic coast of Morocco, bracketing Casablanca with landings at Safi to the south and Fedala and Port Lyautey north of the city. The landing at Safi got a tank battalion ashore quickly. Thy were Stuart tanks, not the new M-3 Shermans which had been delivered to Montgomey's Eighth Army, but they moved toward Casablnca. The main landing at Fedala fid not go well anf there were losses, but most of the force got ashore. At Port Lyautey the American assault seized the sall imprtnt airfield after sdome heavy fighting to get inlnd. The Fedala and Safi forces converged on Casablanca which was encircled (November 11). Vivy naval vessels sortied out from Casablnca to attack the Fedala landing force. Thery were intercepted by U.S. carrier aircraft who were soon attcked by Americn naval vessels lsrgely destroyed. German U-Boats engsged the northern lnfing forces and sank four supply ships.
The Central and Eastermn landings were along the Mediterranean coast of Algeria all conducted beyond the reach of Axis air cover.
The Central Task Foirce landed at Oran and encountered more resistance than the Wersten Task Firce. A cutter-borne effort to ssize the imoportant port failed. Amphibious landings on the beaches to the east and west of got ashore. The main ptroblem was unanticopated aandbars. The 2nd Battalion 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment flew 1,100 miles from Britain to assault airfields at La Seina and Tafaraoui. This was the longest paratroop drop of the War. Even though mist missed their drop zones they disrracted the defending forces sand the airfields were secured nevertheless-vitl for the uccess of Torch. The Vichy naval foce attempted a sortie, but could not match the fire power of the Allied force. There was resistnce ashore, especially at St. Cloud, but only brief. Oran surrendered (November 9). .
The Eastern Task Force was Britsh and landed at At Algiers. Aa French Resistance coup assisted the Btitish and temporarily seized key facilities, disabled shore batteries, isolated senior Vichy leaders, and sowed confusion. As a result, the landings on beaches to the east and west of Algiers were larfgeky unopposed. In some places they were were warmly welcomed. Agin seizing the port facilities ptoved difficult. Destroyerstrying omland toops onto the docks, suffered heavy losses. Even so, Algiers thankd to the Resistance was in British hands by the end of the day (November 8).
As all this transpited, Hitler already smarting from nthe Alamein defeat, was less than impressed with the uninspired Vichyh resistance to the ASllied lndings. Vichy was officially neutral according to the 1940 Armistice. Vichy Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Darlan, at the time in Algiers who had been a mjor collbirationist, surrendered and defected to join De Gaulle and the Free French (November 11).
French Admiralty
Darlan's replcement was Admiral Auphan. He guessed correctly that the Germans were aiming to seize the large fleet at Toulon. There must hve been one in place to scuttled the fleet. He issued orders for scuttling these vessels.
The Germans had prepared a plan to occupy Vichy very early in the occuopation of France (December 1940). As a result Field Marchall Von Rundstedt had a plan in place and activated Operation Anton only 2 days after the Torch landings (Novemnber 10, 1942). This was a day brfore the French surrender. The German 1st Army moved from the Atlantic coast, using roads parallel to the Spanish border. The 7th Army advanced from central France towards Vichy and Toulon, under the command of General Johannes Blaskowitz. The Italians posrticipated in the Operstion from the west. The Italian 4th Army seized the French Riviera. An Italian division landed on Corsica. All thus was unopposed. German Panzers reached the Mediterranean coast (evening November 11). he Vichy forces were disarmed.
Operation Anton included Operation Lila with the objective of capturing the substantial French fleet ships at Toulon. It was carried out by the 7th Panzer Division reinforced with units from other divisions. Four combat groups including two armoured groups and a motorcycle battalion from 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich formed a spearhead to rush tioward Toulon. Marine detachment Gumprich was assigned specifically to get on board the major ships and prevent scuttling oprrations. French naval commanders somehow managed to keep their ships out of German hands in fact, denying the Germans a major prise. The Germans launched a heavy assault. The fleet was in Toulon on the Mediterranean coast, but the Germans reached the coast (November 11). Amazingly naval crews used deception tactics to delay the enemy. Somehow the French naval commanders managed to delay the Germans for 2 weeks. We re not sure how they managed this given tht the fleet was potentially a major military prize at a time that the War was going so badly badly against the Germans. The French scuttled their vessels (November 27). This ws before the Germnd finally arrived. The Germans managed to seize only 39 small ships, while the French destroyed 77 vessels including all the larger ships (November 27). Three battleships, seven cruisers, 28 destroyers, and 20 submarines were scuttled under the noses of the Germans. A few submarines managed to escape to North Africa now in Free French and Allied hands.
Vichy Creditability
Operation Anbton marked the end of Vichy as a credible French government. Admiral Raeder in particular had hoped to seize French vessels for his surface fleet. Vichy was officially neutral, but compliant with German demands. Occupying Vivchy gained the Germans little The only real prize was the fleet and they failed to seize it.
