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(Sunday, November 8, 1942, during Operation Torch, part of the North African Campaign of World War II) — Operation Torch, an amphibious military invasion of French North Africa, in particular the French-held territories of Algeria and Morocco, began today as more than 400,000 U.S. and British forces went ashore in French North Africa.

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Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to engage in the fight against Nazi Germany on a limited scale.

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It was the first mass involvement of U.S. troops in the European–North African Theatre and saw the first major airborne assault carried out by the United States.

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While the French colonies were formally aligned with Germany via Vichy France, the population’s loyalties were mixed. Reports indicated that they might support the Allies.

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American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, planned a three-pronged attack on Casablanca (Western), Oran (Center) and Algiers (Eastern), then a rapid move on Tunis to catch Axis forces (Afrika Korps) in North Africa from the west in conjunction with Allied advance from Egypt.

Operation Torch’s Western Task Force encountered unexpected resistance and bad weather, but Casablanca, the principal French Atlantic naval base, was captured after a short siege.

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The Center Task Force suffered some damage to its ships when trying to land in shallow water but the French ships were sunk or driven off; Oran surrendered after bombardment by British battleships.

The French Resistance had successfully attempted a coup in Algiers and, even through the late alert raised in the Vichy forces, the Eastern Task Force met less opposition and was able to push inland and compel surrender on the first day.

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The success of Torch caused Admiral François Darlan, commander of the Vichy French forces, who was in Algiers, to order cooperation with the Allies, in return for being installed as High Commissioner, with many other Vichy officials keeping their jobs.

Darlan was assassinated soon afterward, and the Free French gradually came to dominate the government.