Operation Terminal was an Allied operation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Part of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

(the Allied invasion of

French North Africa French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...

, 8 November 1942) it involved a direct landing of infantry into the Vichy French port of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

with the intention of capturing the port facilities before they could be destroyed.Roskill p325

Background

The attacking forces were two

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s, and (commanded by Henry Fancourt) carrying 600 troops of the 3d Battalion, 135th Infantry, (commanded by Colonel Edwin Swenson), part of the US 34th Infantry Division. The plan was to land the troops directly into the port. It was hoped that either complete surprise would be achieved or that the defenders would support the invasion to the extent at least of refusing to fire on the attackers. However the Vichy forces opened fire on the ships, damaging them heavily.

Action

At 4.00 am on the morning of 8 November 1942 ''Malcolm'' and ''Broke'' approached Algiers Harbour. They were regarded as hostile by the defending Vichy troops, who opened fire at 4.06 am. ''Malcolm'' tried to break through the boom but was hit and severely damaged by a shell fired from the shore. Ten of her crew were dead, many more were injured and three of her four boilers were extinguished, cutting her speed to 4 knots. She was forced to retreat and played no further part in the operation. Initially, ''Broke'' had better luck. On her third attempt, she sliced through the boom and deposited her troops under fire on the ''Quai de Fécamp'', and then retreated. This was four hours after the operation had started. ''Brokes luck ran out as she withdrew; she was hit by shore batteries which compounded on earlier damage and after being taken in tow, she sank on 10 November. The landed infantry were surrounded and forced to surrender seven hours later. However they succeeded in preventing the destruction of the port before the defenders in turn surrendered to the larger invading forces.

Aftermath

A similar operation was carried out at

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

(

Operation Reservist Operation Reservist was an Allied military operation during the Second World War. Part of Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of North Africa), it was an attempted landing of troops directly into the harbour at Oran in Algeria. Background The ...

), but with even less success; however the

Torch A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end which can be used as a light source or to set something on fire. Torches have been used throughout history and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggl ...

landings as a whole were successful, the ''Terminal'' and ''Reservist'' segments being the only setbacks in the entire operation.

Notes

References

* Stephen Roskill ''The War at Sea'' Vol II (1956) {{DEFAULTSORT:Terminal Military history of Algeria during World War II Military battles of Vichy France Military history of Algiers Military operations involving Algeria Naval battles of World War II involving the United States Naval battles of World War II involving France Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom Naval battles involving Algeria Conflicts in 1942 November 1942 1940s in Algiers

Background

Action

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References