This is the first time that the United States has sent troops overseas. They attached great importance to this operation and formed the largest task force in history. The entire fleet consists of more than 100 ships, carrying 24,000 American troops, and their commander is the prestigious george patton.
But what happened when they met the French instead of the Germans?
This has to start with the surrender of France. 1940 On June 22nd, as the German army bypassed maginot line, which the French were proud of, in just 36 days, its striker pointed directly at Paris, and the French government, who was completely deceived, announced its surrender. But this time, the Germans did not occupy the whole territory as a symbol of victory, but supported a pro-German government.
This is the infamous Vichy French government during World War II. Of course, the Germans' intention to do so is still very long-term. First of all, France is too big for Germans to manage; Second, it is more efficient and simpler for the French to govern the country by themselves than for them.
More importantly, due to the establishment of the puppet government, its French colonies in Africa were under German control. You know, this is a large area of10.97 million square kilometers, which is equivalent to 1/3 in Africa, which is extremely beneficial to expanding Germany's influence in Africa and confronting the allies.
But unwilling to fail, after France surrendered, Britain not only became an enemy of Vichy government, but also fostered Charles de Gaulle to establish a free French government and led underground resistance organizations, constantly making trouble. What's more, they attacked their own fleet for their own safety, which is also the reason why they made bad friends and hated each other.
At present, Casablanca, Oran and Algiers, where the Anglo-American Coalition forces will land, are all French colonies with 200,000 troops, and their strength cannot be underestimated. Of course, most French generals stationed in Africa don't want to be "conquered people". They are not unified with the Germans, but they hate the "treacherous" British more.
They have always maintained a friendly attitude towards Americans. Not only maintained close contact, but also expressed willingness to negotiate many times. This is a good opportunity to fight without bloodshed, but the British in the Coalition forces have become the biggest obstacle to the negotiations. In other words, Americans can negotiate surrender in the future; If the British come, loyal opposition.
When the "Torch Operation" began, the first actual combat of the US military was not smooth.
165438+ year18, Barton's task force and the British Expeditionary Force arrived at the assembly area. Under the command of Eisenhower and under the cover of 1700 fighter jets, more than 600 ships attacked the three landing points of Casablanca, Oran and Algiers in three ways, and the "Torch Operation" officially began.
The landing was not smooth, although the top military officials of both sides were actively negotiating, and the resistance will of the defenders was greatly weakened; However, the U.S.-British Coalition forces were still stubbornly resisted by the defenders and suffered heavy losses. In particular, the landing of Patton's 3rd Division in Casablanca was even more violently blocked, and the American troops who participated in actual combat for the first time were panicked and at a loss.
If this chaotic situation does not stop immediately, you will be defeated by yourself before the arrival of the French army. At this time, it is time for an excellent commander to play a role. Barton immediately ordered the troops to land in other ports, and asked commanders at all levels to get in place quickly and organize the troops to act in accordance with the exercise procedures.
Soon, the American troops on the beachhead began to attack in an orderly way from the panic, and finally established a stable landing point, and a large number of materials and equipment landed in an orderly way. The first day of the battle didn't go well, and Barton was beaten with a sap. What worries him even more is that the defenders of the other two roads have surrendered to the US military, but he has been here for a long time and cannot capture it.
Just as he stayed up late that night to make plans, adjust his troops, coordinate naval artillery fire, and prepare to win Casablanca in one go the next day, two French officers surrendered on behalf of the defenders with white flags. Although the American army ended in victory, it also exposed many problems, especially the lack of actual combat experience, which was once chaotic.
However, the significance of the first battle is still enormous. First, it provided good practical experience for amphibious landing operations, and the US military solved many problems through this campaign; Second, it was a good "warm-up match", which exercised the troops; More importantly, the successful landing made the United States rapidly rise to the peak in the world and become the true leader of the allied forces.
The first contest between the American and German armies.
Rommel's African legion kept retreating, even ignoring Hitler's orders. 1943 10, he finally retreated to Tunisia. At this time, he had mixed feelings, and endless glory and shame were left in this desert. Domestic accusations made him fidgety, and some people who had been jealous of him began to hit people when they were down.
Soon, he was removed from the post of commander-in-chief, which made him even more depressed and depressed. But as a professional soldier, he always insisted on getting up from the upside down, and he didn't want to leave Africa like this. At present, American and British troops are attacking Tunisia from two directions, and the situation is not optimistic.
Tunisia's strategic position finally attracted the attention of Hitler and Mussolini, who sent three armored divisions and six Italian divisions from the eastern front to reinforce Tunisia, with a force of 250,000. This made Rommel laugh and cry. If there were 250 thousand people, he would have driven the British out of Africa. How did this happen?
At this time, the 2nd Army of the US Army landed in Tunisia according to Eisenhower's orders. In the 1 and 2-day battle with the French army, they won easily, which made the American soldiers full of confidence and lack of discipline. Many people, such as those who travel to Africa, are not fully prepared for the danger.
More importantly, they are faced with long supply lines and difficulties in supplying materials and ammunition. These situations were captured by Rommel, who realized that this was the best opportunity to brake the prestige of the American army. He wants to show the world that even after retreating 3,200 kilometers, the Germans still maintain high morale and strong combat effectiveness.
Rommel launched a surprise attack just as the American troops were stationed or continued to attack. He ran around the front line to direct the battle, and the inspired German officers and men lived up to expectations and quickly interspersed. Despite Eisenhower's emergency reinforcements, it was still unable to stop the impact of the Germans, and the American army was scattered across the board.
Just as Rommel was leading his commandos forward, the Italians held him back again. The three Italian divisions originally planned to meet in Kasserine did not arrive on time, and even an Italian division was deployed to cooperate with the action. Finally, I saw that the US military consolidated its defense line and lost the best opportunity to attack.
However, in any case, more than 30,000 people of the US Second Army were disarmed, including more than 3,000 casualties, more than 4,000 captured, and nearly 300 US tanks were captured and destroyed. It can be said that Rommel basically paralyzed an opponent's army with less than 20 thousand troops, which became an unforgettable pain for the United States.
Rommel once again proved his military talent, and even Eisenhower bluntly admitted: "The arrogant Americans were humiliated today, which is one of the worst failures in our history." American troops began to readjust, useless people packed their bags and returned home, and george patton took over as commander of the Second Army.
This is the best arena for two tacticians. But unfortunately, Rommel has returned to China at this time and never returned to the desert. This is the regret of military fans. Who do you think is the better conductor among them? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.
References: World War II and the whole history of World War II.
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