October to December 1942

England and North Africa, 1942

In the fall of 1942 John Lauten was a first lieutenant in I Company, 3rd Battalion, 16th Infantry, training in Britain for an invasion he could not name. On Nov. 8 his battalion landed near Oran, Algeria. These are the letters he wrote to his wife, Ginny, from Britain and from the camps around Oran, where on Dec. 19 he became the battalion's intelligence officer.

The Big Picture

By fall 1942, America had been at war less than a year. The Soviet Union wanted a second front: a new Allied attack on Germany to take pressure off the Russians.

American generals wanted to invade France. The British said it was too soon. In July, President Roosevelt decided Americans would fight Germany in 1942, in French North Africa.

The plan was called Operation Torch. About 107,000 American and British troops would land in Morocco and Algeria. The target was kept secret.

On Nov. 8, 1942, Operation Torch landed about 107,000 American and British troops in Morocco and Algeria. These French colonies answered to the Vichy government, which had made peace with Germany. Some French troops fought back hard.

The fighting stopped on Nov. 10 and 11. On Nov. 22 the French commander, Admiral François Darlan, signed a deal with the Americans, and French forces in North Africa joined the Allies.

Next came a race for Tunisia. Germany began flying in troops on Nov. 11. British and American forces raced east to take Tunis first.

The Letters

36 letters · tap one to read and zoom