TORCH OPERATION 08/11/1942

TORCH OPERATION

Operation Torch provided for an American landing in Morocco, Oran and Algiers on November 8, 1942. In Oran and Morocco, the Americans encountered serious resistance from the Vichy forces. The fight lasted three days with significant loss of life

In Algiers, the group called "Four hundred", led by José Aboulker, managed to control all communication centers and paralyze overnight the upper administration and the French command Vichy with arrest of General Juin and Admiral Darlan . It allowed the landing of the Anglo-American troops without combat around Algiers before the Germans had time to react.

 José Aboulker was a medical student, son of Professor Henri Aboulker. He became for his companion action of liberation at age 23.

Among the 400 conspirators there was a majority of Jews but also people of other sensibilities especially a monarchist officer named Henri d'Astier who played an important role.

 Several elements were essential in the success of this very risky operation: the secret, the effect of surprise, the audacity and perhaps also the unconsciousness of these very young people.

One of my uncles, who will later be Professor of Law, took part in this operation. He was instructed with another student to neutralize a police station. He was given a rifle of which he knew nothing of the handling and managed without violence to take possession of this police station. There were extremely few people in the know. My uncle had not informed his family; my grandparents were anxious not to see their son return at a late hour of the night. They only understood the next day when they heard on the radio that the Americans had disembarked.

 This coup de force was a ray of hope in a dark period when the forces of the axis dominated the world.

Of course it was not Stalingrad and Torch did not change the face of the story. The Americans would have landed in Algeria anyway after neutralizing the Vichy forces. There would probably have been a lot of casualties and the Germans might have had time to intervene.

This operation remains however very important and very symbolic. The antisemitic laws were applied in Algeria with more rigor than in metropolis and in 1942, whereas Jewish people was mass exterminated by the Nazis, reckless young Jews had the courage with little means to rise against the Vichy regime. The Jews of Algiers contributed greatly to the success of the operation; yet the Cremieux decree will not be reinstated until one year later on October 21, 1943.