Operations in North African Waters

by Morison, Samuel Eliot

• ISBN13: 9780785813033
• ISBN10: 0785813039
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Book Sales

Summary

One of America's most distinguished historians, Samuel Eliot Morison, was commissioned in the Naval Reserve early in 1942 with the sole duty of preparing the history of which this book is the second volume chronologically. The work, as a whole, is a "shooting history," written from the inside out, in effect simultaneously with the events it records. Captain Morison spent more than half his time at sea during the war, seeing active duty on eleven different ships and emerging with seven battle stars on his service ribbons. Either he or one of three officers on his staff covered personally every major operation after 1942. His is the story of naval combat, surface actions, submarine and anti-submarine warfare as conducted from carriers and naval bases ashore, and amphibious warfare.

Author Biography

Samuel Eliot Morison, Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard, retired from the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral and died in 1976 in his 89th year.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Abbreviations Used in Text	2	(1)
PART I THE EXPEDITION AGAINST FRENCH MOROCCO
Preliminaries, July 1940--October 1942	3	(40)
The Diplomatic Contest over North Africa	3	(8)
The Decision, 25 July 1942	11	(8)
Africa--Thank God!
The Concept
The Western Naval Task Force	19	(24)
Amphibious Force Atlantic Fleet
Joint Planning and Training
The Plan
Composition
The Crossing, 20 October--7 November 1942	43	(12)
Landing at Fedhala, 8 November 1942	55	(33)
Initial Landings	55	(10)
The French Side of the Fence	65	(7)
The Battle for the Beaches	72	(16)
Silencing Shore Batteries
The Landings Analyzed
Varied Adventures
The Naval Battle of Casablanca, 8 November 1942	88	(27)
The Carrier-based Planes	88	(3)
The Opening Bombardment	91	(7)
The Morning Naval Battle	98	(10)
The Afternoon Engagement	108	(7)
The Northern Attack, 7--11 November 1942	115	(20)
Conditions and Objectives	115	(3)
The Landings at Mehedia	118	(6)
Difficulties Ashore	124	(5)
Dallas Wins Through	129	(6)
The Southern Attack, 7--11 November 1942	135	(22)
The Problem	135	(3)
The Assault	138	(10)
Fire Support and Air Support	148	(5)
Unloading and Fueling	153	(4)
Morocco Secured, 9 November--1 December 1942	157	(24)
Events at Fedhala	157	(4)
Unloading Progress
Shift of Command
Unloading Troubles
French Hostilities Concluded	161	(6)
The Axis Takes a Hand	167	(7)
The Move to Casablanca	174	(7)
PART II THE EXPEDITIONS AGAINST ALGERIA AND TUNISIA
Preparations, October--November 1942	181	(8)
Plans and Targets	181	(3)
La Haute Politique	184	(5)
The Winning of Algiers, 8--15 November 1942	189	(33)
The Eastern Naval Task Force	189	(9)
Organization
The Passage
The Landings	198	(11)
Group ``Charlie'' Lands East of Algiers
Groups ``Apples'' and ``Beer'' Land West of Algiers
H.M.S. Broke and Malcolm Attempt a Frontal Attack
Diplomacy Ashore
The Thomas Stone Flotilla	209	(3)
Air Raids, 8--15 November	212	(2)
Politics Again	214	(6)
Bougie and Bone Secured	220	(2)
The Capture of Oran, 8--11 November 1942	222	(17)
Plans and Forces	222	(3)
Hartland and Walney	225	(6)
The Landings	231	(8)
Arzeu
West of Oran
The Navy in the Tunisian Campaign, November 1942--May 1943	239	(36)
The Race for Tunisia	239	(5)
The United Nations Build-up	244	(14)
Morocco
Algeria
North Africa Cleared of the Axis	258	(3)
Motor Torpedo Boat Operations	261	(5)
PT Background
Operations of Squadron 15
Arrival of the New Landing Ships	266	(9)
LST, LCT and LCI
``Spitkit'' Convoys
Pantelleria	275	(8)
The Anchored Carrier	275	(5)
The Pelagies	280	(3)
Appendix I Allied Ships Sunk in Operation ``Torch,'' 7--16 November 1942	283	(2)
Appendix II Western Naval Task Force: Expenditure of Ammunition, 8--11 November 1942	285	(1)
Appendix III Summary of Beginning Action, 8 November 1942	286	(1)
Index	287