- The Anglo-American Landings In North Africa - 8th November 1942 Operation Torch And The End Of The Desert War.
The objectives of Operation Torch were to secure French North Africa and then strike Eastwards and take Rommel`s German Italian Panzer Army in the rear.1 With 65,000 Allied troops and around 650 Warships under the overall command of Commander In Chief Eisenhower it was to strike in French Morocco and Algeria and later link up with Montgomery's Eighth Army.
The landings initially went well, achieving complete strategic
surprise and with the resistance that was given by the French
Forces only being short lived. Oran, Cassablanca and Algiers were
the main landing points whilst the ports Bougie and Bone were
soon occupied by Paratroopers. The Axis forces knowing the
seriousness of the situation poured over 17,000 Axis troops into
Tunisia via Air and Sea and reorganised them under the command of
General Arnim and formed the 5th Panzer Army with the 10th
Panzer Division as its main striking force. Arnim and Rommel
held out against the Allied attacks and after launching the
offensive Eilbote and Rommel`s attack at The Kasserine
Pass the Axis forces were in a position to inflict a horrendous
blow upon the Allies, but this opportunity was missed due to the
Italian High Command (Commando Supremo) blocking Rommel`s plans to
attack at the Allies weak point and secure strategically
important high ground. Instead Rommel was ordered to attack
nearer the coast, where Allied rein
forcements were coming through
and it was not long before the offensive was abandoned. 
The Commander In Chief General Eisenhower (left) and US troops landing in North Africa during operation Torch (right).
It was at this point that the Allies realised that a reorganisation was needed as divisions were acting on their own initiative without an overall master plan. National sectors were introduced and French divisions were re-equipped. The initiative was with the Allies once again and with the blockade of the Tunisian ports strangling the Axis forces of supplies and new equipment (See Supplies) the outcome of the campaign was slowly but surely coming to an end.
1. The Oxford Companion To The Second World War, Oxford University Press 1995 (page 814)
High Command Disputes And Interference
Concluding thoughts on the North African Campaign
