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Occasional you stumble across something while looking for something else. When I found this - I forgot what was looking for in the first place after hours of reading pieces of history that have details was not aware of. Excellent site for looking at the whole early war in the MED and North Africa in WWII!! Be forewarned - this site rates OUTSTANDING!
The Crusader Project
Posted from rommelsriposte.com
Military History
WWII World War Two
Allies
Operations
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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Eisenhower wanted to land in Europe and beat the Germans, but cooler heads prevailed and opined entering Europe near Germany would be a suicide. The allied leaders stated it would be very dangerous and perhaps foolish. So, Eisenhower started to plan Operation Torch which became the US campaign in N Africa. The US will ultimately enter N Africa from a handful of entry points.
I must confess I am not intimately familiar with all the battles. I believe in Rommel had his way with the Brits. The US got its ass kicked all over the place. Patton took over command in N Africa. In a week he provided leadership and fire. At the end of the week he fought a large battle against 50 German tanks and other mechanized vehicles.
He defended a pass at the Battle of El Guettar in Tunisia. The German tanks made good progress until they hit a minefield. They became stationary targets. Patton had placed tank destroyers on the high ground on both flanks of the German army. That is how the US won its first battle in N Africa. That battle was the start of Patton’s brilliant story of his genius in WWII.
Now let’s go into the strategic aspects of Operation Torch. The US and English navies commanded the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually the Germans would try to fly in supplies, but tanks and mechanized vehicles require a lot of fuel.
The coup de grace was a huge and well planned artillery barrage by the English that bracketed the German tanks which destroyed all the remaining German tanks. They had no tanks nor fuel. They had no choice but to surrender the whole army.
Stalingrad was the same. The Germans flew in supplies but it was not enough.
I must confess I am not intimately familiar with all the battles. I believe in Rommel had his way with the Brits. The US got its ass kicked all over the place. Patton took over command in N Africa. In a week he provided leadership and fire. At the end of the week he fought a large battle against 50 German tanks and other mechanized vehicles.
He defended a pass at the Battle of El Guettar in Tunisia. The German tanks made good progress until they hit a minefield. They became stationary targets. Patton had placed tank destroyers on the high ground on both flanks of the German army. That is how the US won its first battle in N Africa. That battle was the start of Patton’s brilliant story of his genius in WWII.
Now let’s go into the strategic aspects of Operation Torch. The US and English navies commanded the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually the Germans would try to fly in supplies, but tanks and mechanized vehicles require a lot of fuel.
The coup de grace was a huge and well planned artillery barrage by the English that bracketed the German tanks which destroyed all the remaining German tanks. They had no tanks nor fuel. They had no choice but to surrender the whole army.
Stalingrad was the same. The Germans flew in supplies but it was not enough.
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LTC Eric Udouj
Side note - if you go to the Joint Officer Course - you will get plenty of the Torch experience Ken from the strategic perspectives. Outstanding course in Norfolk if you get a chance to get a slot.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
LTC Eric Udouj - It is not a matter of not studying Torch. I have studied it. I can't remember all the details.
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LTC Eric Udouj
MAJ Ken Landgren - You remembered the key one --- it was a massive defeat strategically for the Axis past even Stalingrad. But make sure you saw what I said about getting a slot to get Joint qual'd - if you have not done so already. Worth the effort to do that one.
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Ever since I took c g s o c oh, I have been more interested in the North Africa campaign. Remember we had to do a discussion and was given a crude operations Order of Operation Torch?
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LTC Eric Udouj
Yes - it was my real first learning of Torch as well. I read an Army at Dawn and grasped alot of what I had missed out in history back in CGSC when was in the Joint Course. Had that book just been written a few years before! And yet all my studies really looked at the tactical - operational level.... it never looked at the MED as a whole as Operational Level... which the Axis did. If you focus on our Theater operations - like I did - you fail to gain the bigger picture of how it was all tied in. Today that would be like any operation that falls on a fault line between two GCCs - you may have a full CENTCOM view.... but you miss out how AFRICOM ended up being the place the fight is in now.
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