largest tank battle in ww2 operation torch

The British military brass was led by Chief of the Imperial General Staff General Sir Alan Brooke, a tough Ulsterman from a family with a long tradition of army service. But the genial social atmosphere could not hide deep divisions between the two Allies. ‘Bright sunshine, oranges, eggs and razor blades,’ wrote Churchill’s private secretary, describing items in abundance in Casablanca, in contrast to wartime Britain. The warm weather, along with news of progress on the various fronts, helped generate a positive atmosphere. US Marines provided a tight security ring around the conference. In January, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt met with their chiefs of staff just outside newly liberated Casablanca in a set of villas and hotels on the coast. It was time to take stock and plan ahead. Winston Churchill addresses British troops in the old Roman amphitheatre at Carthage, Tunisia, on 1 June 1943. The myth of German invincibility was utterly crushed.

Not only was it a military turning point, but film of the troops surrendering, some wrapped in blankets and rags, provided a stunning propaganda triumph for the Soviets. Only 6,000 ever made it back to Germany, many years after the war. About 130,000 Germans went into captivity. But this did not stop Paulus from accepting the inevitable, and within hours he was signing the surrender document.

On 30 January, he promoted General Friedrich Paulus, commander of VIth Army, to Field Marshal, knowing that no Field Marshal in German history had ever surrendered. Hitler ordered that no withdrawal was permitted and his army must stand and fight. Goering’s promised airlift to relieve the beleaguered German forces never materialised.

Codenamed Husky, the operation was the largest amphibious landing on enemy territory of the war before D-Day. Image: Alamyīy January 1943, the once mighty VIth Army was completely surrounded on the banks of the Volga, its troops frozen, starving, and almost totally out of ammunition and medicine. Eighth Army soldiers amid the ruins of Catania on 5 August 1943, during the invasion of Sicily.

Largest tank battle in ww2 operation torch