Word: morocco
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News accounts were unable to keep pace with the Anglo-American invasion that took French Morocco and Algeria in 76 hours-and moved into Tunisia in 76 more. An attack and quick counterattack near Bizerte was the first clash of arms...
...Prelude. The first blow at Tunisia was struck by twin-engined bombers soaring over "Death Alley" from Malta. On the same day that Eisenhower announced the capitulation of Morocco and Algeria the bombers destroyed 19 planes and damaged 19 others on the el-Aouina airfield outside Tunis. The Nazis, for once having to worry about too little and too late, poured additional planes into the French Protectorate from bases in Sardinia and Sicily. German paratroops captured and held the airfield after French scattered garrisons under the leadership of the ubiquitous General Henri Giraud fired on the Nazis and Italians. Drawing...
Rabat, on the Atlantic coast 475 miles from Oran, was an incidental objective in a general assault upon Morocco. Landings were made north of the city at coastal Mehdia, to the south on the narrow shore of Fedhala and Bouznika; then immediate marches upon Rabat's own airdrome, which was quickly evacuated by the Vichy -french, and on another at Salé, eight miles northeast of the capital...
Then the U.S. land and air strategy in Morocco became clear: to advance by land up an excellent highway toward Casablanca, at the same time to fan still farther inland toward the Moroccan army's chief base at Marrakech, 100 miles from the sea in the high Atlas Mountains. At Marrakech, if anywhere, army units loyal to Vichy would probably make their stand. But with Marrakech in hand, the U.S. troops would also have the southern terminus of Morocco's railway system and command of a rail route to Casablanca itself...
...their pockets this week U.S. soldiers carried written instructions on how to behave in Morocco, where women must never be spoken to, no matter how courteously, no matter what the pretext. Said the orders: "Regarding Moslem women, you must put aside all your own preconceived notions and ideas. You must remember, your conduct in this matter may decide the fate of the campaign." U.S. boys from Pleasant Valley, Spencerville and The Bronx were discovering that soldiering had a lot of complications to it that no one had ever told them about at home...