British Response To Operation Torch

The allied invasion of North Africa caused tension between the allies before it was even carried out and without the intervention of Roosevelt wouldn’t have been launched at all. After the United States entered the war it’s top generals including Marshall supported an invasion of Northern France in 1942/3 with operation Roundup or operation Sledgehammer. The British response was that “no responsible British general, admiral, or air marshal [was] prepared to recommend Sledgehammer as a practicable operation in 1942.” They felt “that [Operation Torch was] by far the best chance for effective relief to the Russian front in 1942.” As the talks went on the British refused to change their minds and after the intervention of Roosevelt the American generals reluctantly agreed to Operation
British general Alexander described the Americans as “soft, green, and quite untrained.” To make matters worse he tried to keep the American troops in reserve to avoid having to rely on them too much which infuriated American generals who didn’t want their troops to be sidelined. Fortunately the plan was revised so that the Americans would play a vital role in the Northern sector. The combined efforts of the British, American, and French soldiers eventually bore fruit when the Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered. Naturally the victory found its way into newspapers in both Britain and America. However an article by the Daily Mirror newspaper in Britain describes a great victory and gives credit to “the Eighth Army and French Forces.” Strangely enough the one thing that is never mentioned is the American contribution to the campaign. In fact the article in the newspaper doesn’t mention them once. While there was initially disagreement on whether to launch Torch, once the operation was agreed upon the two sides worked very well together. Despite outbursts from several generals and unfair articles in newspapers, a sufficient amount of cooperation was maintained throughout the