FIRST BLOOD IN NORTH AFRICA by Diamond Dr. Jon

Author:Diamond, Dr. Jon
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493024117
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2017-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

WESTERN TASK FORCE

The Western Task Force’s assault on Safi by Maj. Gen. Ernest Harmon’s forces would be confronted by French batteries as well as a garrison of fewer than 1,000 men. There would not be any preparatory naval bombardment, as it was Eisenhower’s desire that if there were to be opposition from the Vichy French forces, they would have to fire first. As the naval force turned toward the assault beaches, the French commenced firing and the U.S. Navy immediately returned fire targeting the French batteries. In the early-morning hours, elements of the U.S. 47th Infantry Regiment landed, and by sunrise the port was captured with only sporadic sniper fire. Well before noon all Vichy batteries had been neutralized by U.S. naval gunfire.

Both high surf and darkness caused landing accidents that delayed the off-loading of vehicles and artillery. Despite not all of the assault troops disembarking from their transports by noon due to heavy seas, the local Vichy commander at Safi surrendered by midafternoon, although resistance continued from other localities. Keeping the French around Safi in their positions, Harmon began his armored trek north to surround Casablanca, which had more than 4,000 troops, from the rear.

At Port Lyautey, 220 miles up the Moroccan coast, French opposition was much stronger than at Safi, with aircraft capable of strafing the landing beaches as well as bomb transports. Also, there was a strong coast artillery concentration at the Mehdia fortress, which was to fire a heavy volume of shells at the transports offshore, and in turn this site was bombarded. The fortress’s garrison surrendered after Navy Scout Bomber Douglas (SBD) Dauntless dive-bombers made an initial attack. There were also Vichy French reinforcements from Rabat that would add to the fire on American assault troops. As at Safi, heavy seas slowed debarkation during the early-morning darkness of November 8 and contributed to many of the assault battalions landing miles away from their assigned beaches. By nightfall Truscott’s troops were still miles from the Port Lyautey airfield that was surrounded by the Sebou River. D-Day plus one provided some American gains against the Vichy defenders; however, the airfield was not surrounded until November 10 with the assistance of the U.S. Navy destroyer-transport Dallas, which ran a gauntlet of enemy artillery fire as it steamed up the Sebou River with assault troops. At 4 A.M. on November 11, a ceasefire commenced, with Truscott having controlled his objectives.

At Fedala, 70 miles to the south of Mehdia, the Vichy French garrison forces numbered 2,500 troops, with some coastal batteries possessing large-caliber artillery pieces. Individual battalion landing teams came ashore at four sites along 4 miles of coastline with the intent to seize Fedala as well as control all roads and rail lines leading to it from Casablanca, only 12 miles to the south. Rough seas and a strong current caused chaos in the landings at Fedala, scattering and drowning assault troops as well as destroying landing craft and vehicles. More than 50 percent of the initial assault wave’s

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