Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Kent Hewitt met with President Roosevelt and General George Patton in October 1942 to discuss preparation for operation Torch. His motto was, "You do everything you can, then you hope for the best." Hewitt's contingent of Torch, designated Task Force 34, was to occupy French Morocco and Algeria. Hewitt, Roosevelt, and Patton discussed final plans. In total, over 100,000 troops were to be landed in North Africa. The ultimate plan was to quickly take Tunisia before the Axis troops could gain reinforcements. The initial cities to be taken were Casablanca, Algiers, and Oran.

After sailing from Hampton Roads, Virginia, more than 33,000 American soldiers and 100 ships were to be involved in the operation. The British were not to be involved in the initial operation due to British/French animosity. There was quite a bit of discussion concerning the choices for exact landing points, with some...