The Eastern Task Force, British and U.S. Troops
Canadians Sprinkled Amongst Landing Craft Crews
A12649 American troops landing on the beach at Arzeu, near Oran, from
a landing craft assault (LCA 26), some of them are carrying boxes of
supplies. Photo by Lt. F.A. Hudson, Royal Navy Photographer (IWM)
The top photo, by Lt. Hudson, is of American troops, part of the Central Task Force (see map below) - disembarking from a (likely) British LCA (or landing craft, assault) at Beach Z just off the coast of Arzeu in North Africa. The LCA is manned by Canadians (RCNVR) in Combined Operations, including my father Doug Harrison. He is either at the end of his rope (far left, handling an anti-broaching line, keeping the LCA steady) or sitting - second from left - on the small craft.
It appears to be a peaceful day and it may be because, earlier in the day - or the day before this photo was taken - the U.S. troops cleared away a few stubborn enemy snipers.
In memoirs my father writes about his first few days in North Africa:
At around midnight over the sides went the LCMs, ours with a bulldozer and heavy mesh wire, and about 500 feet from shore we ran aground. When morning came we were still there, as big as life and all alone, while everyone else was working like bees.
There was little or no resistance, only snipers, and I kept behind the bulldozer blade when they opened up at us. We were towed off eventually and landed in another spot, and once the bulldozer was unloaded the shuttle service began. For ‘ship to shore’ service we were loaded with five gallon jerry cans of gasoline.
There was little or no resistance, only snipers, and I kept behind the bulldozer blade when they opened up at us. We were towed off eventually and landed in another spot, and once the bulldozer was unloaded the shuttle service began. For ‘ship to shore’ service we were loaded with five gallon jerry cans of gasoline.
A12671 D. Harrison (Navy, centre) watches as troops and ammunition
for light guns come ashore on LCAs at Arzeu, Algeria, during Operation
'Torch', November, 1942. Photo credit - Lt. F.A. Hudson IWM
Our Coxswain was L/S Jack Dean of Toronto and our officer was Lt. McDonald RNR. After the 92 hours my officer said, “Well done. An excellent job, Harrison. Go to Reina Del Pacifico and rest.” But first, the Americans brought in a half track (they found out snipers were in a train station) and shelled the building to the ground level. No more snipers.
Excerpt from "Dad, Well Done" page 25
THE OPERATION TORCH, NOVEMBER 1942
Wackett, Frederick (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
Same ship below (with same caption at IWM):
Stubbs (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
THE OPERATION TORCH, NOVEMBER 1942
Wilson, H. M. (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
THE ALLIED OCCUPATION OF FRENCH NORTH AFRICA, 1942-1945
Weber (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
THE OPERATION TORCH, NOVEMBER 1942
West, J. A. (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: OPERATION TORCH, NORTH AFRICA, NOVEMBER 1942
While Dad toiled at Arzeu with a several other Canadian sailors, one of his best mates, Buryl McIntyre (also from his hometown of Norwich, Ontario), a veteran of the Dieppe raid that had taken place just a few months earlier, worked aboard LCAs and/or LCMs farther east along the coast at Algiers and Surcouf. Many of the photos shared below come from photographers stationed or assigned to that section of the invasion zones.
Many photos re Operation Torch are found at the Imperial War Museum (IWM). A handful are shared below by various photographers and under various headings (live links to their work):
THE OPERATION TORCH, NOVEMBER 1942
Wackett, Frederick (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
NA 109 British troops and their equipment being disembarked from
troopship SS Duchess of Richmond in the docks of Allied-occupied
Algiers, 14 November 1942.
NA 110 British troops and their equipment being disembarked from
troopship SS Duchess of Richmond in the docks of Allied-occupied
Algiers, 14 November 1942.
NA 114 Arab workers helping unload cases of ammunition
and supplies in the docks of Allied-occupied Algiers,
14 November 1942.
NA 117 One of the Arab workers helping unload cases of ammunition
and supplies in the docks of Allied-occupied Algiers,
14 November 1942.
I encourage readers to use the links provided to reach IWM and explore each photographer's work more fully. Once you know your way around, there seems to be no end in sight! Happy hunting, I say.
Stubbs (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
NA 70 Troops of the British 78th and US 34th Infantry Divisions
on board one of the troopships on the way to Algiers,
9 November 1942. Note their inflated life jackets.
NA 72 Landing craft with troops of the British 78th
Infantry Division set off for shore in Algiers,
9 November 1942.
NA 73 Troops of the British 78th Infantry Division getting into
landing craft from a troopship by means of scrambling nets to
set off for shore in Algiers, 9 November 1942.
NA 74 Troops of the British 78th Infantry Division getting into landing
craft from a troopship by means of scrambling nets to set off
for shore in Algiers, 9 November 1942.
NA 76 Royal and US Navy troopships in Algiers Harbour,
9 November 1942.
NA 78 A view of Algiers taken from one of the Royal Navy
troopships as it entered the harbour, 9 November 1942.
NA 80A A French soldier making friends with British (78th Division)
and American (34th Division) troops outside the hotel in Algiers
where Italian personnel was under guard, 12-13 November 1942.
NA 80B - more details re the above photo i.e., NA 80A
NA 85 Soldiers of the British 78th Infantry Division and paratroops
waiting to disembark from a troopship on quayside in Allied-occupied
Algiers, 12-13 November 1942.
NA 86 British paratroops disembarking from a troopship on
quayside in Allied-occupied Algiers, 12-13 November 1942.
NA 87 British paratroops after disembarking from a troopship on
quayside in Allied-occupied Algiers, 12-13 November 1942.
NA 97 German prisoners being escorted to a ship by American troops
in the docks in Allied-occupied Algiers, 12-13 November 1942.
NA 99 Amid jeers of the local population 300 Italian prisoners were
taken in lorries for embarkation in the docks in Allied-occupied Algiers,
12-13 Nov. 1942. US soldiers of the 34th Infantry Div. acted as guards.
NA 113 A British Valentine tank (probably of the 25th Tank Brigade)
being unloaded in the docks in Allied-occupied Algiers,
12-13 November 1942.
Wilson, H. M. (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
NA 131 British trucks being unloaded from an US Navy ship in the
docks in Allied-occupied Algiers, 16 November 1942. It was one
of the first ships to be built by the Kaiser Shipyards and is said
to have been completed in 28 days.
NA 135 An Allied convoy en route to Algiers on the rough
Mediterranean Sea, 16 November 1942.
NA 137 Troops of the RAF Regiment practising the use of scrambling
nets from disembarkation into landing craft, 16 November 1942. Photo
probably taken on board the Dutch transport ship SS Dempo en route
to Allied-occupied Algiers.
Weber (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
NA 175 A fierce barrage of anti-aircraft and tracer bullet fire during the
enemy air raid at Maison Blanche Aerodrome near Allied-occupied
Algiers, 21 November 1942.
West, J. A. (Sergeant) (Photographer) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit
NA 15 Local workers and British troops unloading supplies on the
quayside after the capture of Algiers, 9 November 1942.
NA 16 An American soldier of the 34th Infantry Division relishes
a drink of real Italian Vermouth (Cinzano) on the quayside after
the capture of Algiers, 9 November 1942. In the background
is a dump of cork, one of the main exports from Algieria.
Pelman, L. (Lt.) Royal Navy official photographer
More information and photographs related to Operation Torch can be found at -
Questions or comments can be addressed to Editor at gordh7700@gmail.com
Please click here to view Photographs: Operation TORCH, North Africa, Nov. 1942 (IWM 1)
Unattributed Photos GH
A 12707 Troops making their way inland off the beach
after landing at Algiers. November 9, 1942
THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: OPERATION TORCH, NORTH AFRICA, NOVEMBER 1942
Russell, J. E. (Lt.) Royal Navy official photographer
Russell, J. E. (Lt.) Royal Navy official photographer
A 12633 In the distance a destroyer is laying a smoke screen around one
of the transports off Oran. Two landing craft assault and one landing craft
personnel (ramped) can be seen in the foreground they are LCA 85,
LCA 394 and LCP (R) 838. November 9, 1942
More information and photographs related to Operation Torch can be found at -
Questions or comments can be addressed to Editor at gordh7700@gmail.com
Please click here to view Photographs: Operation TORCH, North Africa, Nov. 1942 (IWM 1)
Unattributed Photos GH
