Operation Torch

Summary

World War II with Tom Hanks – Episode 8: Operation Torch

Podcast: HISTORY Channel | Back Pocket Studios | Audacy
Date: June 16, 2026
Host/Narrator: Tom Hanks
Theme: The planning, execution, and consequences of Operation Torch—the Allied landings in North Africa and the first major engagement of American troops against Axis forces in World War II.

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Operation Torch, the daring and unprecedented Allied campaign to land forces in North Africa and open a Western front against Nazi Germany. Guided by Tom Hanks, the narrative explores the complicated political and military decisions that led to the invasion, the first combat experiences of American troops, and the evolution of leadership and strategy that would set the stage for eventual Allied victory. The episode blends vivid storytelling, personal insights on key figures (notably Eisenhower, Patton, and Rommel), and major turning points, illustrating how Operation Torch shaped the trajectory of the Second World War.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Strategic Dilemma: Where to Strike the Axis (01:00–02:56)

• After the U.S. enters the war, the need for a Western second front is urgent for the Soviets, but Allies disagree on where to launch it.
• U.S. military favored a direct invasion of France, but British reluctance (scarred by WWI losses) prevailed.
• Decision: To strike first in North Africa, using Operation Torch to "blood" inexperienced American troops while opening pressure on Axis southern defenses.

Quote:

"The Americans, inexperienced and untested, are about to battle the Wehrmacht for the very first time."
— Narrator (01:00)

Eisenhower’s Appointment & Burden of Command (02:56–05:17)

• Dwight D. Eisenhower, an unexpected choice, is tasked to lead the complex Allied operation—his first direct combat command.
• Emphasis on Eisenhower’s inexperience, humility, and diplomatic skills necessary to hold together the vital Allied partnership.

Quote:

"Eisenhower has never held a combat command. He was not actively involved in World War I, never seen the Somme, never seen Poschendaele, never seen a man die in their arms in combat. Who is this man? Eisenhower?"
— Tom Hanks (04:15)

• The scale: 100,000 troops, thousands of ships, three coordinated amphibious task forces (Casablanca, Oran, Algiers).

The North African Theater: Stakes and Challenges (05:17–08:55)

• North Africa chosen to provide American troops experience, against well-trained Axis veterans.
• The theater’s significance: protecting the Suez Canal (“the great artery of the British empire”) and supply lines to India and oil in the Middle East.
• Complication: Landings would occur on Vichy French territory—an unpredictable factor.

The Complexities of the French Position (08:32–13:13)

• Vichy France controls Morocco, Algeria, Tunis—uncertain if they’ll resist or cooperate.
• Eisenhower launches a risky diplomatic effort, sending messages to Vichy leadership.
• The moment of truth: the landings commence, facing resistance from French forces, especially at Casablanca.

Quote:

“It's the last thing in the world that an amphibious operation needs. Just a couple of heavy shells can destroy a landing.”
— Military Analyst (12:28)

The Darlan Deal (13:13–15:17)

• The Allies turn to Admiral François Darlan, the only Vichy figure able to command a ceasefire.
• The “dirty deal”: Eisenhower authorizes putting Darlan in charge of French North Africa in exchange for a truce—controversial but effective.

Quote:

"It's a dirty deal, it's an unpleasant one, it's a nasty one. It's one that American journalists were absolutely appalled by."
— Military Correspondent (14:33)

• Result: French guns fall silent; Vichy forces switch sides (Nov 11, 1942). The Allies can now focus on the Axis.

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Montgomery, El Alamein, and Rommel’s Retreat (17:10–23:23)

• The British, fighting in Egypt, under General Montgomery, defeat Rommel (Oct–Nov 1942) at El Alamein—turning the tide in North Africa.
• Montgomery’s methodical style, supply superiority, and the contribution of American equipment.
• Churchill’s morale restored; the victory signals the “end of the beginning.”

Quote:

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning."
— Winston Churchill (quoted, 22:00)

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Allied Advance, Hitler’s Reinforcements, and First Clashes with the Wehrmacht (23:23–26:24)

• Allied pincers close on Axis forces in Tunisia; Hitler sends reinforcements.
• Thanksgiving 1942: The first U.S.–German tank battles, revealing American inexperience and material weakness but also the ability to adapt.
• Allies quickly stall, signaling the difficulties ahead.

Quote:

"There's a U.S. army report from this era which says at present the Germans are making war better than we are."
— Military Analyst (26:24)

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Casablanca Conference & “Unconditional Surrender” (26:35–29:41)

• January 1943: Roosevelt and Churchill meet in Casablanca—Roosevelt’s hazardous secret trip.
• The Allies declare their aim: “Unconditional Surrender” of Axis powers—no armistice, no repeat of WWI.

Quote:

"There'll be no armistice. There'll be no soft surrender. There'll be no repetition of World War I. This is unconditional surrender."
— Tom Hanks (28:59)

• The Allies plan their final Tunisian offensive, confident in out-producing the Axis.

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Battle of Kasserine Pass: A Hard Lesson for Americans (30:53–34:57)

• February 1943: Rommel exploits a weak U.S. position at Kasserine Pass, inflicting a humiliating defeat.
• American troops lack experience, coordination; over 5,000 become casualties or POWs; others flee.
• Rommel's advance overextends his supply lines, allowing the Allies to regroup.

Quote:

"It is the punch in the face that the American doctrine isn't where it should be. We aren't fighting the way we should. We need better training, we need better leadership. Kasserine Pass condemns all of those weaknesses."
— Military Historian (34:30)

• Eisenhower overhauls staff and training; appoints Patton to command 2nd Corps; American resolve and professionalism start to coalesce.

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Patton Leads the Counteroffensive & Allied Redemption (35:18–40:41)

• Patton instills discipline and fighting spirit, inspiring troops ahead of the next confrontation.
• March–April 1943: At El Guetar, Patton uses combined arms tactics, defeats German counterattacks—Allies transition from defeat to momentum.
• By May, Allied advances from east and west meet; Axis resistance contracts around Tunis.

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The Fall of Tunis & End of the North African Campaign (40:55–42:41)

• May 7, 1943: Allied troops capture Tunis; Axis resistance collapses.
• Over 266,000 German and Italian troops surrender—a massive Allied victory.
• Symbolically, Churchill orders UK church bells rung for the first time in the war.

Quote:

“By tens, by hundreds, by thousands they came. And at the end, 15 full divisions...”
— Tom Hanks (41:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Eisenhower:
  "He's not an ego, he's pretty humble. He gets along with people, which is utterly important when you think about the center of gravity for the Allies in World War II is the alliance from day one."
  — Military Historian (04:28)

• On Patton’s leadership:
  "Patton's a swashbuckler and he's been waiting in the wings and now it's his moment. He's a man who is a strong leader and troops respond."
  — Tom Hanks (35:18)

• Roosevelt’s secret trans-Atlantic journey:
  "They can't send him by shooting across the Atlantic Ocean because of the presence of German U boats. So they send him on this insane trip by rail from Washington to Miami, then by a clipper flying boat from Miami to Trinidad, Trinidad to Brazil, Brazil to Gambia, Gambia to Casablanca. It's an incredibly arduous journey that Roosevelt believed he had to make."
  — Military Correspondent (27:07)

• Churchill’s frame of victory:
  “Churchill said, 'the only thing worse than fighting with allies is fighting without them.' Operation Torch demonstrates that General Eisenhower could command the multinational coalition of military forces necessary to topple the Third Reich."
  — Narrator (43:06)

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Key Timestamps

• Opening challenges in planning (01:00–03:46)
• Eisenhower & Operation Torch logistics (03:46–05:17)
• French dilemma: Vichy’s uncertain response (08:32–13:13)
• Darlan Deal and French ceasefire (13:13–15:17)
• Battle of El Alamein and Rommel’s retreat (17:10–22:23)
• First US vs. German tank clashes, Casablanca Conference (23:53–29:41)
• Kasserine Pass disaster and reform (30:53–35:18)
• Patton and the Allied resurgence at El Guetar (38:20–40:41)
• Surrender at Tunis, end of North African campaign (40:55–42:41)
• Broader significance & Churchill’s victory reflection (43:06–43:56)

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Conclusion

This episode presents a sweeping, deeply human account of Operation Torch, highlighting leadership challenges, international diplomacy, and the steep learning curve the American military faced in its first major WWII clashes. Through the blend of expert analysis and Tom Hanks’s evocative narration, listeners gain insight into how Operation Torch set the Allied coalition on a path toward victory—proving the necessity and difficulty of coalition warfare, and laying groundwork for campaigns in Europe and beyond.

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For further listening: Next episode will explore the shadowy world of Allied intelligence, hinting at the critical role of codebreakers and espionage in winning the war.

Transcript

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History Channel original Podcast. When the United States enters the war, it's understood that a second front is needed to defeat Nazi Germany. The Red army and Soviet people have taken the brunt of the Nazi onslaught for nearly a year. And now Soviet leader Joseph Stalin demands that the Western Allies do their part. The Allies disagree. Where to attack? American military leaders want to invade France, the most direct route to Berlin. But Churchill and his generals, still haunted by the horrible cost of World War I, are reluctant to invade Europe before they're ready. And so the decision is made to attack the Germans in North Africa in an invasion codenamed Operation Torch. The Americans, inexperienced and untested, are about to battle the Wehrmacht for the very first time.

[Tom Hanks]

This is World War II with Tom Hanks. Episode 8 Operation Torch.

[Narrator/Host]

The British base of Gibraltar has long guarded the opening to the Mediterranean.

[Historian/Commentator]

Steady as a rock for nearly 240 years, Gibraltar has stood sentinel above the harbor, watching over the Mediterranean fleet, the strongest fortress in the world.

[Narrator/Host]

On November 5, 1942, Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower lands at the military airstrip. He's arrived to take command of joint US British ground operation in North Africa. Codenamed Torch, this campaign will eventually open a second front against German and Italian forces already fighting in Africa.

[Military Analyst]

Operation Torch is an extremely complex landing.

[Narrator/Host]

In all, we're going to be depositing a force of around 100,000 troops. And in order to deliver that force, we've got to use 3, 300 merchantmen guarded by roughly 300 warships.

Three Allied task forces are involved in the complex maneuver. The east and center forces will land in Algiers and Oran. The west task force sailing from America will land on the beaches of Casablanca.

[Military Analyst]

They have to rendezvous at sea hundreds of miles away and then carry out simultaneous landings across nearly a thousand thousand miles of North African coast. Nothing remotely like it had ever been carried out before.

[Narrator/Host]

Eisenhower is handpicked by President Roosevelt to lead the alliance to the surprise of many American and British military commanders. He's been a high level staff officer for years, but this will be his first wartime operation.

Dwight Eisenhower a year ago had been a colonel and now he's been advanced to Lieutenant General. Eisenhower has never held a combat command. He was not actively involved in World

[Tom Hanks]

War I, never seen the Somme, never seen Poschendaele, never seen a man die in their arms in combat. Who is this man? Eisenhower?

[Military Historian]

Eisenhower is wickedly competitive and really intelligent. And the other thing is he's not an ego, he's pretty humble. He gets along with people, which is utterly important when you think about the center of gravity for the Allies in World War II is the alliance

[Military Analyst]

from day one. In Eisenhower's new role as supreme Commander, he has a pile of problems on his plate. He has to run this gigantic operation. Nothing on this scale has ever been done before. He has to keep it secret.

[Narrator/Host]

Eisenhower will need to coordinate the American and British commands and synchronize all elements of Torch. Ultimately, every aspect of the operation, including preparing unproven American soldiers for combat, is on his shoulders.

[Military Expert]

One of the reasons they've chosen North Africa as a theater for American troops is because it'll give them an opportunity of blooding them. Their inexperienced. Most of them hadn't even seen combat up to this point against an incredibly formidable foe.

[Military Analyst]

The German troops were battle hardened. They'd been in the field now for two full years. They'd conquered various kinds of climbs, various kinds of terrain, various kinds of enemies,

[Military Expert]

and they'd beaten them all by the summer of 1942. The Nazi Empire is huge. It goes all the way from the western coast of France to well inside the borders of the Soviet Union. So that's a whole of continental Europe effectively is controlled by the Nazis.

[Military Analyst]

The Germans control most of Europe, but that's not the sum total of Hitler's ambitions. Germany has to be a global empire, he says many times. And so now, now the focus turns outside of Europe to North Africa.

[Narrator/Host]

German and Italian forces are already fighting the British in North Africa, threatening the Suez Canal, the vital supply line between Britain and India.

[Historian/Political Analyst]

British Imperial strategists have always been obsessed with the Suez Canal. It is the great artistry of the British Empire. It joins Britain and its empire in the east, particularly India, the jewel of the British Empire.

[Military Expert]

The danger is, is that the Axis forces move from there to control of the oil fields in the Middle East. And if all of that happens, they're gonna sever the supply lines to the rest of the Empire.

[Narrator/Host]

Prime Minister Winston Churchill also wants to get the Americans in the fight against the Axis as soon as possible.

Roosevelt believed that American troops need to be in the field against the axis powers in 1942.

The people needed to feel that we were striking.

[Military Historian]

We need to figure out how to fight a modern battle. And this is where the army is going to use as its proving ground. There are valuable lessons to be learned. North Africa might be a place to

[Narrator/Host]

do it, but there's an immediate challenge. The future landing spots on North Africa's coast are on Vichy French territory.

[Military Expert]

French Empire is the second largest in the world behind only that of Great Britain. With immense manpower and resources at its disposal, the French still control Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

[Narrator/Host]

After France surrenders to Germany in 1940, the country is split in two. The southern half of France is ruled by the Vichy government, which collaborates with Nazi Germany. It's led by World War I hero Marshal Philippe Petain. Eisenhower is anxious. Will the French in North Africa resist the American landing?

[Military Correspondent]

No one's clear exactly how many soldiers and how much military asset the French have in North Africa. What they do know is that the French have a lot of very modern warships there. They also have about 120,000 soldiers, although no one knows exactly how well trained they are, or most crucially, what their morale is, what they're inclined to do.

[Narrator/Host]

American diplomats in North Africa believe the French are unlikely to resist the invasion, but cannot guarantee it. Eisenhower has been sending messages to various Vichy governors in North Africa, hoping for cooperation. On November 7, over 600 ships gather at their meeting points. Out at sea, the warning order is flashed to the waiting ships. H hour is confirmed November 8th. The allies are ready to land. On November 7. More than 100,000 Allied troops are waiting off the coast of North Africa.

[Tom Hanks]

There's risk. Amphibious operations require detailed advance preparation. What are the tides? What's the footing going to be? How close can landing craft get? Are there mines? Are there underwater obstacles?

[Narrator/Host]

The first wave of landing craft from east and center task forces set off for the beaches at Algiers and Oran. Shortly after, fighter support takes off from Gibraltar.

[Military Expert]

Ike Eisenhower must have been Incredibly nervous and was nervous. We know from his naval aid who writes that Ike is like a cat on bricks.

[Narrator/Host]

Even though the weather was kind of bad the night before, when they actually start unloading their landing craft and moving those craft up to the beaches, the surf is low enough that they're able to able to get their initial landing forces onto the beaches successfully.

The first reports Eisenhower receives from the landing craft on the beaches are encouraging. But when large Allied warships enter the ports of Algiers and Iran, the French open fire. The Allies keep moving and overcome the French. A day later, on the Atlantic landing point at Casablanca Blanca, it's a different story. Eisenhower entrusts this force to his old friend, Major General George S. Patton Jr.

[Military Historian]

George Patton is an aggressive commander who believes in aggressive leadership. He is a fast talking disciplinarian, a character easily recognizable to the average soldier.

[Narrator/Host]

As the Western task force nears shore, Patton delivers a speech to his troops over each ship's public address system.

[Historian/Commentator]

Soldiers and sailors. It is not known whether the French African army will contest our landing, but all resistance by whomever offered must be destroyed.

[Narrator/Host]

In the early morning, Allied warships enter the harbor at Casablanca.

[Tom Hanks]

The French do as they've been instructed to do. They resist. This is an invading force. And the French open fire on the ships.

[Military Analyst]

It's the last thing in the world that an amphibious operation needs. Just a couple of heavy shells can destroy a landing.

[Narrator/Host]

Despite French resistance, Americans continue their attack from the air as well as by sea.

The result is actually the largest naval battle in the Atlantic during the.

Despite Eisenhower's diplomatic efforts, the troop landings face heavy French opposition.

[Military Correspondent]

Nobody in the American or British side, least of all Eisenhower, wants American forces fighting French forces and does not want that to go on for any extended period of time at all.

[Narrator/Host]

Eisenhower writes what he calls the worries of a commander. No Frenchman immediately available, no matter how friendly toward us, seems able to stop the fighting. Then, with Operation Torch in danger of failing, the Allies contact a senior French military officer with the power to provide a solution.

[Military Expert]

It just so happens that the commander in chief of French forces, Admiral Francois Darlan, is in North Africa at this time, visiting his son who's stricken with polio.

[Narrator/Host]

Although Darlan is a key Vichy collaborator, he's the only man with the authority to stop the French counterattack.

[Military Expert]

Darlan had been a deep collaborator with the Germans and the Nazi presence in Vichy France. And as distasteful as a figure he is, he holds the key to stopping Vichy French resistance in North Africa.

[Narrator/Host]

Eisenhower authorizes negotiations with Darlan. The Allies will put him in charge of French North Africa if he agrees to an armistice.

[Military Correspondent]

It's a dirty deal, it's an unpleasant one, it's a nasty one. It's one that American journalists were absolutely appalled by.

[Narrator/Host]

That evening, Darlon orders a general ceasefire and tells all French forces to join the Allies. And so, on November 11, in the port city of Casablanca, French guns fall silent.

[Historian/Commentator]

Algeria and French Morocco have joined hands with the Allies against Germany and Italy. And this fact has immensely eased the difficulties that face our United nations commanders in French North Africa.

[Military Correspondent]

Eisenhower thought it would save lives on both sides and it will allow them to get onto the military mission at hand.

[Narrator/Host]

The Allies have landed in North Africa and have convinced the French to fight alongside them. Now, as they push east, they will face tough, battle hardened Axis forces.

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[Narrator/Host]

After the Allied landings, General Eisenhower moves his combined force across the North African desert. The Allied plan is not simply to approach from the west, their strategy is more ambitious.

[Military Historian]

The ultimate goal, if Torch works, is the United States and the British that land in the western part of Africa will drive to the east. The British that are in the east, in Egypt, will drive to the west and they will capture a German Italian army. In between those two pincers,

[Narrator/Host]

the British fighting in the east, the 8th army has been battling the Afrika Korps,

[Historian/Commentator]

Led

[Narrator/Host]

by the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel.

[Tom Hanks]

He had a mystique about him. He had a World War I reputation, he was a feared leader. He had the fingertip feel of the battle.

[Narrator/Host]

For months, Rommel has pursued the British through Libya into Egypt, capturing vital supplies and threatening the Suez Canal. The Africa Corps success has left Prime Minister Winston Churchill depressed and politically vulnerable.

[Historian/Political Analyst]

Churchill looks like he's lost his touch. He faces two no confidence motions in Parliament, both of which he wins. But as one Labour MP says, well, you keep winning the debates, but you lose the battles. Winston Churchill is in need of victories.

[Narrator/Host]

For Churchill and for Operation Torch, one battle in North Africa will be critical. Just weeks before the Allied landings, the British 8th army, led by General Bernard Montgomery, prepares his troops at a little known railway junction called El Alamein. From here, Montgomery plans to launch a massive counteroffensive against the Afrika Korps.

[Military Analyst]

El Alamein shouldn't be viewed in isolation. It's part of a broader allied plan. Montgomery's 8th army attacking Rommel from the east. And meanwhile, a vast amphibious landing in the western half of North Africa. Operation Torch. Converging on Rommel from two directions and eventually presenting him with an insoluble operational dilemma. Trying to maintain himself against not just one, but two, two superior enemies, Montgomery

[Narrator/Host]

is reinforced with American Sherman and Grant tanks, plus troops from India, New Zealand, South Africa and the rest of the British Commonwealth. At last, Montgomery, who has been fighting the Wehrmacht since the invasion of France, has the opportunity to go on the offensive against Rommel. On the night of October 23, 1942, Montgomery opens the battle with a massive barrage.

[Tom Hanks]

Montgomery knows he's got to proceed step by step, thousand yards by thousand yards. Get the infantry in. Clear the minefield, open the way for the tanks. Hold the ground.

[Narrator/Host]

Rommel fights back, but he's hampered by lack of fuel. After days of fighting, the 8th army prevails.

[Military Analyst]

By the 11th day of the fighting, Montgomery's superior numbers and materiel finally begin to take effect.

[Military Expert]

The British infantry and New Zealand infantry finally break their way through the German lines and open things up for the armor.

[Military Analyst]

Tens of thousands of men Thousands of tanks, hundreds of heavy artillery, heavy losses on both sides. Inevitably, the better supplied and armed force win out. And that's Montgomery's 8th Army.

[Historian/Political Analyst]

Winston Churchill is absolutely thrilled. This is years of planning and preparation. He bounced in for lunch with the King and Queen and he says, I bring you victory. And they think he's gone mad. They haven't heard of any victories for years.

[Narrator/Host]

In London, at the Lord Mayor's luncheon, Winston Churchill frames the victory at El Alamein and puts it into context.

[Historian/Commentator]

This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.

[Narrator/Host]

Montgomery's win here is one of the most significant British victories of the entire war.

[Military Analyst]

Montgomery has beaten Rommel at El Alamein, and Rommel is retreating as fast as he can.

[Narrator/Host]

The critical pincer plan, the ultimate goal of torch, is underway.

[Military Analyst]

Montgomery certainly undertakes an epic pursuit from El Alamein, over the wire, the Egyptian Libyan border, and now heading towards Tripoli.

[Narrator/Host]

In the west, Eisenhower's troops have moved hundreds of miles. Three weeks after landing, they're only 12 miles outside Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. When he learns this. Adolf Hitler is determined to stop the Allies.

[Military Expert]

The war is not going the way he thought it was going to go.

[Narrator/Host]

And now all of a sudden you've got these allies messing around in North Africa.

[Military Expert]

This isn't supposed to happen.

[Narrator/Host]

Hitler sends reinforcements, including an entire Panzer division, to the ports and air bases around Tunis. Combined with Rommel's Afrika Korps, there are now 100,000 German and Italian troops on the continent.

[Military Analyst]

No one in either camp had ever envisioned a gigantic continental battle being fought for Tunisia. But that's where the fortunes of war have brought the two adversaries.

[Narrator/Host]

Thanksgiving, 1942. Near Tunis, American tanks clash with German panzers for the first time.

[Military Historian]

The tank is the modern manifestation of land warfare. The idea that tank American tanks are fighting German tanks. This is what FDR said was going to happen. We're now pushing back against Germany.

[Historian/Commentator]

This is the actual battlefield. Germans on the left, Americans on the right. P38s move ahead of the advancing forces. These scenes were photographed from a hill overlooking the battlefield.

[Military Expert]

All logic would tell you this is going to get badly for the Americans. They have no experience of warfare at this stage. The Germans are hardened combat veterans. A lot of them have fought in Western Europe in all those victorious battles.

[Historian/Commentator]

These are German Mark 4 tanks.

[Military Expert]

These are Panzer fours with 75 millimeter guns. Very effective. And up against them you've got relatively light American tanks. They've only got 37 millimeter guns and the skin of the armor isn't very effective.

[Narrator/Host]

The skirmish begins badly for the Americans who are supported by British troops.

[Historian/Commentator]

A British ammunition lorry is hit at

[Military Expert]

the start of it. They get knocked back. A whole troop of tanks gets wiped out.

[Narrator/Host]

But the Allies have a second company of tanks in reserve.

[Military Expert]

They're able to fire into the position of the German armor that is very weak, which is really around the back belt and also at the back of the tank. And they knock out in the space of a few minutes, eight German panzers

[Historian/Commentator]

watch the tank in the center of the picture. Blast on the left of the screen has struck the center tank. It spins around, disabled. There it goes.

[Narrator/Host]

The panzers now withdraw. In this very first tank to tank skirmish, the Americans beat back the Germans.

[Historian/Commentator]

Black smoke indicates the end.

[Narrator/Host]

But the offensive stalls. Reinforcements sent by Hitler pummel them from land and air while the winter rains impede movement. Just before Christmas, General Eisenhower visits the front to consult with his troops and commanders. He concludes that there's no chance of reaching Tunis in the current conditions and calls off the advance.

[Military Analyst]

There's a U.S. army report from this era which says at present the Germans are making war better than we are.

[Narrator/Host]

In the new Year, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill meet in Casablanca. President Roosevelt flies in the very first President to fly while in office.

[Military Expert]

The code name of Roosevelt's secret meeting with Churchill in Casablanca is Don Quixote. This is the first time that an American President has left the United States during wartime.

[Military Correspondent]

Moving a President of the United States and his entourage is always a difficult thing. In this case, they can't send him by shooting across the Atlantic Ocean because of the presence of German U boats. So they send him on this insane trip by rail from Washington to Miami, then by a clipper flying boat from Miami to Trinidad, Trinidad to Brazil, Brazil to Gambia, Gambia to Casablanca. It's an incredibly arduous journey that Roosevelt believed he had to make.

[Narrator/Host]

Roosevelt and Churchill will meet numerous times throughout the war and derive great benefit from face to face meetings.

[Historian/Political Analyst]

Churchill can now play the part of the great imperial warlord that so far he's been only through his speeches. Now he can do it on the ground and he does what he does best, which is he rolls out the maps and talks about grand strategy with the US President.

[Narrator/Host]

Over 10 days, the two leaders and their staffs discuss the progress of Operation Torch and plan the Allies next steps.

[Tom Hanks]

It's really the high water mark of

[Narrator/Host]

the Roosevelt Churchill relationship. They're statesmen moving chess pieces around on

a board Just before they leave, they talk to reporters from around the world.

[Historian/Commentator]

The North African Conference is the fourth occasion on which the two great men have met since the beginning of the war.

[Narrator/Host]

To the surprise of many, including Churchill, Roosevelt announces a new war aim.

[Historian/Commentator]

A new phrase was born. Unconditional surrender.

[Narrator/Host]

For the Axis, unconditional surrender meant that Nazi Germany would have to fall. That did not mean that Germany had to be destroyed, but Nazi power had to be smashed.

We would now call this regime change.

[Tom Hanks]

There'll be no armistice. There'll be no soft surrender. There'll be no repetition of World War I. This is unconditional surrender.

[Military Analyst]

It's quite something. We're in early 1943, and it is not at all clear that the Allies are even winning the war. They're having trouble taking Tunis, which is a very long way from Berlin. Yet Roosevelt and Churchill know that they can't and produce more than their adversaries. And if production goes as they think it will, they will be able to swamp the armies that the Axis puts in the field against them.

[Narrator/Host]

As the conference ends, Allied intelligence reveals Rommel's army, pursued by Montgomery, has joined with Hitler's reinforcements. But the Americans and the British now have them surrounded. By the end of January 1943, the Allies are finally gaining ground against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. In the Pacific, the Americans have secured Guadalcanal. The Allies successfully landed in the west, and Montgomery's 8th army has pressed Rommel's Africa Corps across a wide front. The Allies now surround the Axis army deep inside Tunisia. But before they can get far, Rommel plots a counteroffensive. He's identified a weak point in the Allied line at Kasserine Pass.

Kasserine is this very narrow pass. It's only about two miles wide, and it leads into the dorsal mountains. They call them the mountain range in the center of Tunisia. You've got heights on either side of it.

[Military Expert]

If Rommel can drive deep enough through Kasserine and into the rear areas of the Allied army, he can possibly turn the whole thing round.

[Military Analyst]

From there, he'll have all sorts of choices about what to do next. Overrun Allied supply dumps, perhaps drive straight north to the sea and cut off the entire Allied force in Tunisia.

[Narrator/Host]

There are 30,000 allied troops in the region, but the narrow pass itself is guarded by just 2,000 men spread thinly across the terrain.

[Military Analyst]

The Allied troops in the Kasserine pass are the US 2nd Corps, infantry, infantry, engineers, artillery, men who by and large are completely inexperienced.

[Tom Hanks]

The Allied forces are distributed and dispersed Lacking mutual support, air support is not dominant at this point.

[Narrator/Host]

On February 19th, Rommel launches his attack. Until now, the Americans have had skirmishes with the Germans, but haven't faced a full scale panzer assault.

[Tom Hanks]

This attack comes in with heavy artillery, rapid movement of German armor, and effective use of motorized infantry to clear positions. The American forces are caught off guard.

[Narrator/Host]

Not only is this their first major fight, but their commander is far behind the lines and doesn't communicate with the front. The results are devastating.

[Military Expert]

These troops slowly but surely are being outgunned, outmaneuvered, out fought. What starts out as the defeat becomes a bit of a rout.

[Narrator/Host]

The axis now begins streaming up this path pass. It's just a steamroller.

By the Evening of the second day, US defenses in the pass have collapsed. Around 2,500 soldiers are wounded, another 2,500 taken prisoner. Others abandon their vehicles and flee over the hills. Rommel's plan is working, but then he pushes too far. He sends his troops forward, seeking a way through the mountains and allowing his supply lines to get dangerously long.

[Military Analyst]

Rommel might have thought he had the US army on the run, but the momentum that he had established from that opening is now beginning to wear down. His losses are mounting. His supplies are running out, especially tank, ammunition and fuel.

[Narrator/Host]

As Rommel weakens, the US army steadies itself and regroups, blocking Rommel's breakout with a wall of U.S. artillery and air support, Which ultimately forces Rommel to retreat.

The Americans lose casualties and POW is taken. This is a real black eye for them.

[Military Historian]

It is the punch in the face that the American doctrine isn't where it should be. We aren't fighting the way we should. We need better training, we need better leadership. Kass Ring Pass condemns all of those weaknesses.

[Narrator/Host]

The result of this is going to be that Americans become much more serious about making sure their forces remain concentrated, particularly armor forces, that we're not going to allow them to be doled out in little bits and pieces.

General Eisenhower takes responsibility for the initial breakdown at Kasserine Pass and makes changes to address logistical and operational issues. He also reorganizes the Allied force in North Africa. His first move is to give General George Patton command of the US 2nd Corps.

[Tom Hanks]

Patton's a swashbuckler and he's been waiting in the wings and now it's his moment. He's a man who is a strong leader and troops were spawned.

[Narrator/Host]

The strong leaders, his subordinate commanders all know that he will be up there on the battlefield looking over their shoulders. And if they are not performing up to expectations.

[Military Analyst]

They're gone, he tells his troops famously. You're not all going to be killed, only about 4% of you, he reassures them. You're probably going to survive this, but death is going to be your companion going forward, and I'm not going to to spare you. We're going to hit the Germans face to face and toe to toe.

[Narrator/Host]

Eisenhower's troops are now prepared and in position to deal a final blow to the Axis powers in North Africa.

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Military Analyst]

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[Narrator/Host]

After five months of combat, the combined Allied troops have become an effective fighting force. General Eisenhower now marshals these troops for what he hopes will be a final confrontation with Rommel and the Axis.

[Military Analyst]

The Allied plan is to bleed Rommel's strength off anytime he faces the British. Theoretically, he can have the Americans advancing into his Rear. And every time he turns against the Americans, he can have Montgomery advancing into his rear rear.

[Narrator/Host]

On March 20, the allies are ready to attack in a place called El Guetar. Patton tells his men, we must be eager to kill. If we fight viciously enough, we will live to return to our family as conquering heroes.

The Germans become aware of that position and say to themselves, we think we can eject the Americans fairly easily. We did it before at Kasserine.

Right as German panzers burst onto the plains at El Guetar with Stukas plunging down, Patton deploys U.S. field artillery and tank destroyers.

Patton is very aware of how to use armor, infantry and artillery altogether. And when the Germans put in that attack, the Americans greet them with a true example of combined arms. And they absolutely shellack them.

[Military Historian]

Having come right after Kasserine passed, it has gone from failure to success.

[Narrator/Host]

Over the next month, the Allies squeeze the Axis armies. And by early April, Eisenhower's forces and Montgomery's 8th army finally join. Eisenhower rejoices. We are last operating on a single battle line. Now the Allies set their sights on Tunis. German resistance is ferocious. Every hill and pass is a struggle. But gradually, with concentrated firepower from two sides, the Allies continue to move forward.

[Military Analyst]

Almost inch by inch, the Axis position in Tunisia shrinks till it's little more than an arc around the city of Tunis itself.

[Narrator/Host]

On May 7, Allied troops in enter Tunis and the Axis forces surrender.

[Military Analyst]

After the capture of Tunis, North Africa is finally free of the Nazis and their fascist Italian allies. The North African campaign is over.

[Tom Hanks]

By tens, by hundreds, by thousands they came. And at the end, 15 full divisions,

[Historian/Commentator]

266,000 of their battle best men laid down their arms.

[Narrator/Host]

Over a quarter of a million Germans and Italians are captured prisoners as far

[Military Analyst]

as the eye can see. This is a great moment for the Allied cause. There had been one disastrous encounter with the Germans after the other since this war began. And now I think everyone on the Allied side, especially Roosevelt, would say the home folks can see that something was going right in this war.

[Narrator/Host]

Many high ranking Axis commanders are captured, but not Rommel, who has been recalled to Germany by Adolf Hitler. The success of Operation Torch combined with British victory at El Alamein pushed the Nazis out of North Africa. It is the first step toward Allied victory over the Third Reich.

[Military Expert]

To give you a sense of the scale of the victory in Tunisia, Churchill orders the church bells to be rung. They haven't been rung during the course of the whole war. It's an unbelievable victory for the Allies.

[Historian/Political Analyst]

The tide of the war is turning, but it's unclear what's next.

[Historian/Commentator]

This great victory is a mighty to the perfection of cooperation among the fighting services of several nations. I know you would be proud of the way our own boys, your husbands, brothers, sons and sweethearts have delivered here for you.

[Narrator/Host]

Winston Churchill said, the only thing worse than fighting with allies is fighting without them. Operation Torch demonstrates that General Eisenhower could command the multinational coalition of military forces necessary to topple the Third Reich. There are many fronts in modern war. Because of its very nature, the role of gathering intelligence is often obscure and misunderstood. But when it's successful, it can be decisive. That's why a small English hamlet, purposefully located between Cambridge and Oxford becomes a crucial front in World War II.

[Tom Hanks]

World War 2 with Tom Hanks is produced by Neutopia Ltd. A E Factual Studios, Playtone Productions and Back Pocket Studios in association with Motion Entertainment for the History Channel. This episode was narrated by Tom Hanks and mixed by John Lloyd. Additional voicing provided by me, Jeremy Reagan from the History Channel. Our executive producers are Eli Lehrer and Liv Fiddler for Playtone. Executive producers are Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Back Pocket Studios. Our executive producer is Ben Dickstein.