sourced story
8-16 November 1942Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

A hundred and seven thousand Allied troops land in North Africa, and Vichy France surrenders in three days

On the timeline · around 8-16 November 1942 · The Tide TurnsThe Tide TurnsA hundred and seven thousand Allied troops land in North Africa, and Vichy France surrenders in three days1943

What happened

On 8 November 1942, an Allied invasion force of roughly 107,000 troops landed at multiple points along the coasts of French Morocco and Algeria, then controlled by the Vichy French regime. General Dwight Eisenhower held supreme command. General George Patton led the Western Task Force, an all-American force of about 24,500 troops, in landings near Casablanca, with the naval side commanded by Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt. Oran fell to Allied forces on 9 November, and Algiers surrendered that same evening after a pro-Allied coup inside the city. Vichy French forces in North Africa, numbering roughly 125,000, signed an armistice with the Allies on 11 November, just three days after the first landings. Tunis, the logical next target, did not fall quickly afterward, and Axis forces reinforced Tunisia instead, extending the North African campaign for months.

Why it matters

Hitler's response to the Vichy surrender was to occupy the previously unoccupied southern zone of France immediately, ending the fiction of an independent Vichy state and putting German troops on the Mediterranean coast of France for the first time. That occupation decision reshaped the rest of the war in France, including how the French resistance organized and how the Allies would eventually need to plan the 1944 invasion of southern France.

How we know

The Naval History and Heritage Command, the US Navy's official historical office, documents the task force composition, commanders, and troop numbers. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum's encyclopedia confirms the Vichy troop strength, the Oran and Algiers surrender dates, and Hitler's occupation of Vichy France in response.

Sources

See something wrong? . Corrections with a source get fixed fastest.

Part of a timelineWorld War II59 events · From a staged skirmish at a bridge outside Beijing to a charter signed in San Francisco, the deadliest conflict in history, every event sourced.View all →