Battle of Port Lyautey

Last updated
Battle of Port Lyautey
Part of Operation Torch of World War II
Port Lyautey during ww2.jpg
Map of the American landing at Port Lyautey, French defensive and counter-attack positions in red
Date8–10 November 1942
Location
Port Lyautey, French Morocco, North Africa
Result American victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States Flag of France (1794-1958).svg  Vichy France
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Dwight D. Eisenhower
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg George S. Patton
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Lucian Truscott 		Flag of France (1794-1958).svg Charles Petit
Casualties and losses
79 killed [1] Heavy; over 400 casualties

The Battle of Port Lyautey began on 8 November 1942 for the city of Port Lyautey, today known as Kenitra, in French Morocco. The battle ended with its capture and occupation by American troops, overrunning French forces after more than two days of fierce fighting.

Contents

Objectives

The attack was a part of the objectives of the Western task force as part of Operation Torch, [2] a large Allied landing to seize control of North Africa from German control. Within the task force, Sub Task Force Goalpost was tasked with the objective of securing Port Lyautey. There were three objectives to the attack:

  1. Capture the beach village of Mehdiya
  2. Capture the fortress which secured the river mouth (the Kasbah Mahdiyya 34°15′51″N006°39′27″W / 34.26417°N 6.65750°W / 34.26417; -6.65750 )
  3. Secure the airfield
Kasbah.gif
Kasbah Mahdiyya main gate.
Jettiesfrmkasbah.jpg
View of invasion beaches from Kasbah
Port Lyautey Kasbah Images

Command structure

The operation was under the command of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the western task force was under the command of General George S. Patton. Sub Task Force Goalpost was under the command of General Lucian Truscott. [3]

Prelude

Planning

Prior to the landings in French Morocco, and after the fall of France in World War II, the U.S. State Department had maintained in French North Africa an unusually large number of very able consular officials. This group was under the leadership of Mr. Robert Murphey, later General Eisenhower's political adviser. From these sources and from the military attache in Tangiers, the U.S. Army obtained much detailed information concerning conditions in Morocco and were placed in contact with loyal Frenchmen who opposed the Vichy regime and were not friendly toward Axis forces. [4]

One Englishman and one Frenchman were smuggled into London, Karl Victor Clopet and René Malevergne. [4] Clopet had an intimate knowledge of the ports, beaches and coast defenses along the entire coast as a result of living in Casablanca for over 12 years and with tight connections to salvage operations there. [4] Malevergne was familiar with every turn and bar in the Sebou river channel, knew all of the shipping which was engaged in the coastal trade, and provided important information concerning pro-Nazi political sentiment which was stronger in the Port Lyautey area than in any other section of Morocco. [4]

Preparation for battle

Outline plans were drawn up in London for the assault on Port Lyautey by Gen. Truscott and his staff. Capturing and stocking the airfield at Port Lyautey was the primary mission. Infantry and armored combat teams were at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. This would primarily be the 9th Infantry Division, 60th Infantry Regiment "Go Devils". [4]

Personnel and Vehicles Assigned to Force "Z" (Goalpost), as of 22 October 1942: [5]

UnitPersonnelVehicles
9th ID 1st BLT, 60th Infantry1345118
9th ID 2nd BLT, 60th Infantry1268117
9th ID 3rd BLT, 60th Infantry1461118
Other 60th Infantry Troops1318224
66th Armored Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment919163
XII Air Support Command1936103
692nd-697th Coast Artillery (AA) Batteries4480
66th Topographic Engineer Company (Detachment)50
1st Armored Signal Battalion31
9th Signal Company6810
122nd Signal Company264
163rd Signal Company61
239th Signal Company354
56th Medical Battalion360
2nd Broadcasting Station Operation Detachment305
Counterintelligence Group160
Prisoner Interrogation Group210
Civil Government Personnel40
Force Headquarters4610
Submarine Markers300
Harbor Obstruction Experts400
Naval Personnel180
Total9079881

Logistics and embarkation

It was realized early on that there were not sufficient berths in the port of embarkation to permit all of the Western Task Force to load and embark simultaneously. One Sub Task Force would have to load early, a full week before setting sail. The 60th Regiment and the 1st Battalion Combat Team of the 66th Armored Regiment were well organized and all were as well trained as could have been expected, to include some amphibious training. A commanders conference was held on 14 October in Washington, D.C., with Gen. Patton. It was noted that a counter sign for the attack had not been developed yet for identification purposes during operations. Someone suggested the words "George Patton" which met with unanimous approval. The challenger would call "George"; the challenged, if a friend, would answer "Patton". On the night of 15 October, troops and equipment were embarked. Some last minute loading was done on 16 October, and at 13:40 on that day, the sub task force sailed for Solomon's Island in Chesapeake Bay, where they had their rehearsal training. [4]

On the beaches at Solomon's Island, tests of naval gunfire or air support were not allowable, but tests of communications and procedures would be the primary focus. On 17 October, all rehearsal training seemed to be going according to plan. Transports were riding at anchor with landing craft swarming in the water about them. However, at some point, Colonel Demas T. Craw reported from one of the ships that the ship's captain had refused to hang any nets or lower any craft, giving the reason that his crew was not sufficiently trained to go on the expedition. [4] After Gen. Truscott visited with the ship's captain for a while, and informing him that the inadequate state of training and preparation was known, his refusal would have no effect on the overall operation. The captain relented, and training on that ship began. The next day, their voyage to North Africa began.

Lyautey airfield support

The Port Lyautey area, lying in a "U" bend of the Sebou River, contained an airfield with concrete runways and hangars on the low flats next to the river and approximately five miles from the landing beaches but nine miles up the shallow river with a maximum depth that even at the highest November tides limited access to ships drawing no more than 19 feet (5.8 m). [6] Early planning had envisioned aircraft from Gibraltar landing at the field after capture; later plans called for the aircraft to be launched from the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Chenango. [7]

Military planners addressed the question of supplying aviation gasoline and munitions directly to airfield by means of the Sebou River to docks at the airfield. [8] The search for a shallow draft ship settled on the Honduran registered SS Contessa, a Standard Fruit & Steamship Company refrigerated cargo and passenger vessel, built in 1930, that had operated between Caribbean ports and the United States. [8] [9] [10] The War Shipping Administration was empowered to take over all oceanic shipping. It took over Contessa for war service on 29 May 1942 with Standard Fruit as its operating agent. Contessa was chartered at the last minute for the operation. [10] [11]

According to a popular magazine article written a year later, a message was sent to the ship's commander—Capt. William H. John—to go to Newport News to undertake a secret war mission. [12] The ship's steward was a colorful man who spent his off hours trying to save the souls of the crew and the other half praying for the Contessa's welfare. [12] The boat was nearing the end of her rope, she was salt cracked, rust stained, and her degaussing equipment was gone. [12]

Contessa arrived at Norfolk as the convoy was preparing to sail. She was in a leaking condition with engine problems that required immediate dry docking that was expected to take several days. [13] By extraordinary effort the ship was repaired early, but in the meantime much of the crew had left town in expectation of a longer stay. [13] Three days late, with a crew filled out from seaman volunteers from a local Naval brig released from minor offenses, the ship got underway in the early hours of 27 October in an unescorted dash across the Atlantic to join the convoy. [11] [14] [15] Contessa, loaded with only 738 tons of gasoline and bombs, overtook the convoy on 7 November. [16] [17] [note 1]

Battle

7 November

The Northern Attack Group, Sub Task Force Goalpost, arrived off Mehdia, Morocco, just before midnight, 7–8 November 1942.

The battleship Texas and light cruiser Savannah took up station to the north and south of the landing beaches. The transport ships had lost formation in the last part of the approach to Morocco, and had not regained it. Some landing craft from five of the ships were first to carry troops from the other three, much confused searching causing a delay in forming waves for the actual landings. Gen. Truscott was ferried from transport to transport and agreed to postpone H-Hour from 04:00 to 04:30.

The messages of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Gen. Eisenhower were already broadcast from London much earlier, and in the Mediterranean, the landings were well advanced before those at Mehdia commenced. Surprise was lost. [18]

Defenses at Mehdia were lightly manned. Naval crews operated two 5 in (130 mm) guns in protected positions on the tableland above Mehdia village and in the vicinity of the Kasbah. Not more than 70 men occupied the fort when the attack started. Two 75 mm (2.95 in) guns were mounted on flat cars on the railroad running beside the river at the base of the bluff on which the Kasbah lay. A second battery of four 75 mm guns was brought forward after the attack began to a position on the high ground along the road from Mehdia to Port Lyautey. A battery of four 155 mm (6.1 in) guns (Grandes Pussances Filloux) was emplaced on a hill west of Port Lyautey and south west of the airport. The airport was defended by a single anti-aircraft battery. The infantry consisted of the 1st Regiment of Moroccan Infantry and the 8th Tabor (battalion) of native Goums. One group of nine 25 mm (0.98 in) guns had withdrawn from other infantry regiments and one battalion of engineers completed the defensive force. Reinforcements were sent to occupy the entrenchments and machine gun positions which covered approaches to the coastal guns and the fort and to occupy defensive positions on the ridges east of the lagoon. [18]

8 November

At first light on the 8th, Col. Demas T. Craw and Maj. Pierpont M. Hamilton went by jeep from an early beach landing, to Port Lyautey to consult the French commander (Col. Charles Petit). The emissaries were to give him a diplomatic letter in the hopes of preventing any hostilities from starting. They went ashore as the fire of coastal batteries and warships and strafing French airplanes began. French troops near the Kasbah directed them toward Port Lyautey, but as they neared the town under a flag of truce, a French machine gunner at a road fork outpost, stopped them with a burst of point-blank fire which killed Col. Craw. Major Hamilton was then conducted to the headquarters of Col. Petit, where his reception led to no conclusive reply. [18] The pervading atmosphere at the French headquarters in Port Lyautey was one of sympathy toward the Allied cause and distaste for the current fighting. What was lacking was an authorization from Col. Petit's superior to stop fighting. Pending receipt of such authorization, the French at Port Lyautey continued to fight [18] Units of the 60th Infantry Regiment began disembarking troops and supplies from their ships just off the Moroccan shore. [19] The first wave of landing boats began circling and grouping together in preparation for the coming invasion. Unfortunately, in the confusion of disembarkation, the first wave was delayed as they looked for guidance to the shoreline; hence the second wave pressed into the shore as planned, on time. As the second wave began their attack, the first wave started in toward their objectives. Confusion was prevalent in the landing operation. Once the first wave made it to shore, the French defenders began resisting with small arms fire as well as cannon fire from a fortress (Kasbah 34°15′51″N006°39′27″W / 34.26417°N 6.65750°W / 34.26417; -6.65750 ) overlooking the area. [20] For all of the first day, the 60th Regiment achieved their first objective of securing the beach, but had not secured their other objectives. The night of the 8th was stormy, men were trying to rest anywhere, and many scurried through the blackness to find their units. [2]

9 November

On the second day, further attacks began against the Kasbah fortress. [2] The ground around the fortress was taken and secured, but the fort itself was still successfully defending itself. At the end of the day, a number of attacks were repulsed by the French defenders, the American attackers had not met with success.

10 November

Finally, on the third day, 10 November, the fortress was overrun and captured, leading to the final success of capturing the local airfield. [2] At 1620 the Contessa entered the Sebou River to deliver the aviation gasoline and munitions for the seventy-six Army P-40 aircraft launched in the morning by Chenango but ran aground when passing the Kasba and had to await a higher tide the morning of 11 November. [17]

These victories led to a truce being established on 11 November. [2]

Aftermath

After the battle, most units involved remained in the area. In January, President Roosevelt visited the area, as a surprise to the troops. He toured the Kasba, and saw the area where the troops had come ashore. In a small cemetery of American dead, he placed a wreath to commemorate their sacrifice. Col. Fredrick de Rohan gave the president an overview briefing of the battle itself.

In the tent city erected near the kasba, Pvt. Karl C. Warner of New York had been elected governor of tent city.

After the battle, Gen. George Patton proclaimed the Battle of Port Lyautey as very serious. [21] Beach conditions were bad, many boats were lost in the landing, and it took more than two days to capture the fort. [21] The French put up a gallant fight. [21]

After the battle, a cemetery was created in the immediate vicinity of the kasbah fortress. Here, the men who died in the battle of Port Lyautey were interred. In January 1943 General Mark Clark laid a wreath at the flagpole in the cemetery.

Laying wreath at American cemetery, near Kasbah Mehdia, Port Lyautey, Morocco, 1943 (27657266311) Laying wreath at American cemetery, near Kasbah Mehdia, Port Lyautey, Morocco, 1943 (27657266311).jpg
Laying wreath at American cemetery, near Kasbah Mehdia, Port Lyautey, Morocco, 1943 (27657266311)

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Contessa, later under bareboat charter by the Army for service in the Southwest Pacific Area, normally had a draft of 30 feet 6 inches (9.3 m), according to the 1942—43 Lloyd's Register. It is possible the light load was intended to lighten the ship in order to pass the Sebou River entrance bar.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Chapter VIII Mehdia to Port-Lyautey". HyperWar: US Army In WWII. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mittleman, Joseph (1948). Eight Stars to Victory. F.J. Heer Printing Company.
  3. ↑ Howe 1993, p. 42.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Truscott Jr., L.K. (1954). Command Missions, A Personal Story. E.P. Dutton.
  5. ↑ Howe 1993, p. 151.
  6. ↑ Howe 1993, p. 147.
  7. ↑ Howe 1993, pp. 44, 147, 150, 167–168.
  8. 1 2 Howe 1993, p. 44.
  9. ↑ Leighton & Coakley 1955–68, p. 444, v.1.
  10. 1 2 Maritime Administration.
  11. 1 2 Bykofsky & Larson 1990, p. 148.
  12. 1 2 3 Fowler, Bertram B. (August 28, 1943). "12 Desperate Miles, A Wartime Saga of the S.S. Contessa". The Saturday Evening Post .
  13. 1 2 Howe 1993, p. 68.
  14. ↑ Bykofsky & Larson 1990, p. 148, fn #32.
  15. ↑ Leighton & Coakley 1955–68, pp. 444–445, v.1.
  16. ↑ Leighton & Coakley 1955–68, p. 445, v.1.
  17. 1 2 Howe 1993, pp. 150, 169.
  18. 1 2 3 4
    • Morison, Samuel Eliot. (1947). "Operations in North African Waters, October 1942-June 1943", Castle Books.
  19. ↑
    • Eisenhower, John S.D. (1982). "Allies", Da Capo Press
  20. ↑ Jones, V (1972). Operation Torch Anglo-American Invasion of North Africa. Ballantine.
  21. 1 2 3 Cunningham, C.R. (November 18, 1942). "Surprise Won In Morocco Attack". Oakland Tribune.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Torch</span> Allied landing operations in French North Africa during World War II

Operation Torch was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale. It was the first mass involvement of US troops in the European–North African Theatre and saw the first big airborne assault carried out by the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucian Truscott</span> United States Army general (1895–1965)

General Lucian King Truscott Jr. was a highly decorated senior United States Army officer, who saw distinguished active service during World War II. Between 1943–1945, he successively commanded the 3rd Infantry Division, VI Corps, Fifteenth Army and Fifth Army, serving mainly in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) during his wartime service. He and Alexander Patch were the only U.S. Army officers to command a division, a corps, and a field army in combat during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Dragoon</span> 1944 Allied invasion of Southern France

Operation Dragoon was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence on 15 August 1944. Although initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in Normandy, a lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the second landing. By July 1944 the landing was reconsidered, as the clogged-up ports in Normandy did not have the capacity to adequately supply the Allied forces. Concurrently, the High Command of the French Liberation Army pushed for a revival of the operation that would include large numbers of French troops. As a result, the operation was finally approved in July to be executed in August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied invasion of Sicily</span> 1943 military campaign of World War II on the island of Sicily, Italy

The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers. It began with a large amphibious and airborne operation, followed by a six-week land campaign, and initiated the Italian campaign.

From 1939 to 1940, the French Third Republic was at war with Nazi Germany. In 1940, the German forces defeated the French in the Battle of France. The Germans occupied the north and west of French territory and a collaborationist régime under Philippe Pétain established itself in Vichy. General Charles de Gaulle established a government in exile in London and competed with Vichy France to position himself as the legitimate French government, for control of the French overseas empire and receiving help from French allies. He eventually managed to enlist the support of some French African colonies and later succeeded in bringing together the disparate maquis, colonial regiments, legionnaires, expatriate fighters, and Communist snipers under the Free French Forces in the Allied chain of command. In 1944, after the Allies had landed in Normandy and the southern front moved from North Africa across the Mediterranean into Italy and Provence, these forces routed the German Army, and Vichy officials fled into Germany.

USS <i>Susan B. Anthony</i> Troop ship of WW2 sunk off Normandy

USS Susan B. Anthony (AP-72) was a turbo-electric ocean liner, Santa Clara, of the Grace Steamship Company that was built in 1930. Santa Clara was turned over to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 28 February 1942 and operated by Grace Lines as agent for WSA as a troop ship making voyages to the South Pacific. The ship was chartered to the Navy on 7 August 1942 for operation as a United States Navy transport ship. The ship was sunk 7 June 1944 off Normandy by a mine while cruising through a swept channel with all 2,689 people aboard being saved.

USS <i>Savannah</i> (CL-42) Brooklyn-class light cruiser

USS Savannah (CL-42) was a light cruiser of the Brooklyn-class that served in World War II in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theatres of operation. Savannah conducted Neutrality Patrols (1941) and wartime patrols in the Atlantic and Caribbean (1942), and supported the invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch. She sought German-supporting blockade runners off the east coast of South America (1943), and supported the Allied landings on Sicily and at Salerno (1943). Off Salerno on 11 September 1943, a German radio-controlled Fritz X glide-bomb caused extensive casualties aboard and serious damage to Savannah, requiring emergency repairs in Malta and permanent repairs at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. After repairs and upgrades, she served in the task force that carried President Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in early 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenitra</span> City in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco

Kenitra is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 431,282 as of 2014. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra Province. During the Cold War, the US Naval Air Station Port Lyautey served as a stopping point in North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunisian campaign</span> Series of battles in Tunisia during the Second World War

The Tunisian campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including a Greek contingent, with American and French corps. The battle opened with initial success by the German and Italian forces but the massive supply interdiction efforts led to the decisive defeat of the Axis. Over 260,000 German and Italian troops were taken as prisoners of war, including most of the Afrika Korps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Fredendall</span> American general during World War II

Lieutenant General Lloyd Ralston Fredendall was a general officer of the United States Army who served during World War II. He is best known for his leadership failure during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, leading to one of America's worst defeats of World War II, for which he was relieved of his command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military career of Dwight D. Eisenhower</span> Overview of the US Army officers work

The military career of Dwight D. Eisenhower began in June 1911, when Eisenhower took the oath as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in June 1915, as part of "the class the stars fell on". He rose through the ranks over the next thirty years and became one of the most important Allied generals of World War II, being promoted to General of the Army in 1944. Eisenhower retired from the military after winning the 1952 presidential election, though his rank as General of the Army was restored by an act of Congress in March 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierpont M. Hamilton</span> United States Army Medal of Honor recipient and general

Pierpont Morgan Hamilton was a military officer in the United States Air Force, and the scion of two illustrious families in American history: the Hamilton family, which traces its lineage to founding father Alexander Hamilton, and the Morgan family, which traces its lineage to the financier and banker J. P. Morgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demas T. Craw</span> United States Army Air Forces officer

Demas Thurlow "Nick" Craw was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. Craw and Maj. Pierpont M. Hamilton were the first Army Air Forces recipients of the Medal in the European-Mediterranean theater of World War II and the only AAF members to be awarded that decoration for valor not involving air combat.

Kenitra Air Base is a military airport in Kenitra, a city in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in Morocco. It is also known as the Third Royal Air Force Base, operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Station Port Lyautey</span> Former Naval Air Station in Morocco

Naval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-northwest of Kenitra and about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last of US military personnel departed the base in 1977. The airport was later reopened as Kenitra Airport after it was closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Battle of Casablanca</span> Naval engagements in WWII (Nov 1942)

The Naval Battle of Casablanca was a series of naval engagements fought between American ships covering the invasion of North Africa and Vichy French ships defending the neutrality of French Morocco in accordance with the Second Armistice at Compiègne during World War II.

SS <i>Contessa</i>

Contessa was a refrigerated cargo and passenger ship of 5,512 GRT built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Glasgow for Vaccaro Brothers & Company launched 18 February 1930. The ship, along with sister ship Cefalu, served ports in the United States, Cuba, and Central America specifically La Ceiba, Honduras which is still a port for the fruit trade. The ship became part of the Standard Fruit Company, a company established by Vaccaro Brothers, and operated as a cargo passenger vessel until taken over at New Orleans by the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 29 May 1942 with Standard Fruit Company remaining as the WSA operating agent. The ship was later bareboat sub chartered to the United States War Department 14 July 1943 and operated in the Army's Southwest Pacific Area local fleet under the local fleet number X-96 from 18 September 1943 into 1945 as a troop ship. The ship was returned to WSA with Standard Fruit again its agent on 28 May 1946 in Brooklyn until returned to the company for commercial operation at New Orleans on 20 August 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasbah Mahdiyya</span>

Kasbah Mahdiyya, or Kasbah of Kenitra, is a kasbah located in Kenitra, Morocco. It is situated at the mouth of the Sebou River on the Atlantic Ocean, 8 km (4.9 mi) west of the city's train station. The kasbah was built during the era of the Berber Almohad sultan Abd al-Mu'min, and restored during the Alaouite period in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Saint-Malo</span> World War II battle

The Battle of Saint-Malo was fought between Allied and German forces to control the French coastal town of Saint-Malo during World War II. The battle formed part of the Allied breakout across France and took place between 4 August and 2 September 1944. United States Army units, with the support of Free French and British forces, successfully assaulted the town and defeated its German defenders. The German garrison on a nearby island continued to resist until 2 September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Naval Bases North Africa</span> World War II US Naval bases in North Africa

US Naval Bases in North Africa were sea ports and air base used in North Africa during World War II by the United States Navy. The ports and air bases supplied the troops of the Allies armies in the flight against German and Italian forces in the North African campaign and Western Desert campaign. Later the bases supported the invasion of Italy. The ports and airfields were used after their surrender in Operation Torch. Amphibious Training Bases (ATB) were built in Algeria and Tunisia to prepare for the upcoming invasions. Seabees, United States Naval Construction Battalions, did most of the repair work, new construction, and maintaining work at the bases.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.