What was Operation Torch? Why did this idea upset the Soviets?
1 Answer
Operation Torch was the Allied Invasion of Vichy-French North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) in November 1942.
Explanation:
The Second World War was at its height in 1942 -- Japan overran much of the Pacific and Asia, Germany seemed to be winning the USSR and looked to be able to capture the Suez Canal. The U-Boats were sinking hundreds of ships. Britain's strength was tapped, the Soviets were losing millions of people and the US was only starting to mobilize.
In July and August, the balance started to shift. Turning points included Guadalcanal and New Guinea in the Pacific, the El-Alamein campaign in Egypt and the Battle of Stalingrad. The USSR was screaming for the Allies to launch a 'Second Front' and invade Western Europe, to take some of the pressure off them.
Instead, the British and Americans worked for a more achievable goal. While Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika was being held and chewed up in Egypt by the British, Operation Torch, a joint US-British invasion of Vichy French North Africa would remove a pro-German ally, overwhelm the Germans and Italians in Africa from behind and eliminate one front in the war.
The German defeat in early November at El-Alamein sent them reeling away from Egypt, and the landings in Morocco and Algeria meant the Germans and Italians had to scramble to put troops into Tunisia. Four months later, the situation was looking better for the Allies. The Japanese were beaten in Guadalcanal, and the Soviets had won a tremendous victory at Stalingrad. The Axis forces in Tunisia were outmatched and the end was inevitable.
By May 1943, the only Axis soldiers in Africa were prisoners. The elimination of this Front also freed up tremendous amounts of shipping (Allied supplies for the war efforts in India/Burma and Egypt no longer had to sail around Africa but could go through the Suez Canal), and a new 'Second Front' could be opened in Europe. The balance in the War had definitively turned in the Allies favour, although years of grueling combat still awaited.
