Text 4976, 107 rader
Skriven 2007-07-28 12:00:36 av Roy Witt (1:397/22)
   Kommentar till text 4958 av Bob Ackley (1:2905/3)
Ärende: FidoNews 24:29 [02/06]: General Articles
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26 Jul 07 05:14, Bob Ackley wrote to Roy Witt:

 RN>>>> Weren't U.S. troops fired upon by the French when they tried to
 RN>>>> land in north Africa?

 BA>>> Yes.  But the Allied forces opened fire first - the Allies demanded
 BA>>> that Admiral Darlan surrender, he refused and our forces opened up.

 RW>> Note that the US fleet wasn't involved in that skirmish (although US
 RW>> Army General Mark Clark and eventually Eisenhower were) . The Vichy
 RW>> French fleet was destroyed by the British Royal Navy.

 BA> If you look hard enough, I think you'll find the USS Massachusetts
 BA> and some smaller US ships were involved.

Involved in certain skirmishes around Casablanca, but not in the total
destruction of the French fleet.

 BA> While the naval component of Operation Torch was commanded by the
 BA> British (VADM Cunningham IIRC) the fleet contained both US and
 BA> British ships.

At Casablanca, but not at Toulon.

The United States conducted an active, but secret, diplomatic effort to
recruit senior French naval and military personnel to join the North
African landing against Germany. To overcome anti-British sentiment, the
attacking forces had to be almost entirely American. The Americans hoped
the French garrisons would view the North African landings as a
liberation, not an invasion. This eventually happened, but three days of
hard fighting ensued before the French ceased opposing the Americans.
Admiral Darlan agreed to the cease-fire without consulting Petain.

Selection of Objectives
Harbors were of primary importance to a landing in North Africa. The three
best were Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. Casablanca was on the Atlantic
coast; Oran and Algiers were in the Mediterranean; and Algiers was 1200
miles from Casablanca. The Americans preferred a Mediterranean landing, as
it would put them closer to Tunisia and the German forces. But North
African roads and railroads were few and primitive: If the French forces
in North Africa chose to side with Germany, supply lines would be cut off.

The port question was overriding. Casablanca, Oran and Algiers were
selected as landing points. Casablanca was decided upon near the end of
September.

Battleship Massachusetts
Commissioned on May 12, 1942, the U.S.S. Massachusetts still required the
installation of sensitive military electronics (radar), loading of stores,
spare parts, and the like. The crew and the ship were new. The crew had to
learn their way around and become proficient in both operating the ship
and using her as a weapon. Nearly eight hundred of her builders joined the
Navy to serve on the Massachusetts, but building skills are different from
operating and fighting skills.

The third week in October, the Massachusetts and her covering destroyers
sortied from Casco Bay to join the invasion task force and Battleships New
York and Texas. On November 8, 1942, the Massachusetts was flagship of the
Covering Group off Casablanca, (Center Group landings at Fedhala).
Battleship Texas provided support fire for the landings at Mehedia (Port
Lyautey) to the north, while New York provided support fire for the
landings at Safi in the south. These three sites centered on Casablanca on
the Atlantic coast. Simultaneous landings were taking place around Oran
and Algiers on the Mediterranean coast.

At Casablanca, the immediate answer to the question of French resistance
was answered just before seven o'clock, when the French fired on American
landing craft. (Note that the first shot fired was by the French)

By 0704, under fire from the shore battery at El Hank and Battleship Jean
Bart, the Massachusetts fired the first American 16-inch gun salvos of
World War II in anger. In sixteen minutes she fired nine main battery
salvos, scoring five hits. Heavily damaged, the Jean Bart was silenced.
Four nearby freighters, a destroyer, and a floating dry-dock were also
sunk in the harbor during this exchange.

Battleship Massachusetts also returned fire on Battery El Hank. French
submarines, destroyers, and a light cruiser sortied from Casablanca to
engage the American forces. Loaded exclusively with armor-piercing main
battery ammunition, she was not well fitted to engage shore batteries and
smaller ships. However, between 1000 and 1030, the Massachusetts sank
Destroyer Boulonnais and shared the sinking of Destroyer Fougueux. The
Massachusetts was hit once forward by Battery El Hank and dodged four very
well-aimed torpedoes. The Massachusetts expended 786 rounds of
sixteen-inch ammunition during the Battle of Casablanca, about 60 percent
of her magazines.

The French fought gallantly and well. They sustained very substantial
losses to their Casablanca forces, four destroyers and eight submarines
sunk, with four other ships disabled.

Epilogue
Germany occupied the remainder of France on November 10. The French Fleet
at Toulon was scuttled on Admiral Darlan's orders on November 28. Admiral
Darlan was assassinated on December 24, 1942. Marshall Petain was arrested
at the end of the War as a Nazi collaborator. The Jean Bart finally went
into service in 1952 and served until 1968. From 1960 until 1968, she was
the world's only active modern battleship.

                R\%/itt


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