Operation Torch: The North Africa Landings, 70 Years On
Colin Smith recounts the Allied invasion of French North Africa, which commenced on November 8th, 1942.
Capitaine de frégate Paul Laurin, commander of the destroyer Epervier, was puzzled. He had heard the firing started by the heavy artillery at Fort Laumone, then the guns on their sister ship the Typhon join in but what on earth were they shooting at? To add to his confusion, lazy blobs of red tracer from the kind of heavy machine-guns used as anti-aircraft weapons were floating low across the night sky
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