Operation Reservist was an
Allied military operation during the
Second World War
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
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
), it was an attempted landing of troops directly into the harbour 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 ...
in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
.
Background
The purpose of Operation Reservist was to capture the valuable facilities and ships at the
Vichy French port of Oran before they could be destroyed. The landing of troops directly from ships was extremely risky; however it was hoped that either the French defenders would be taken entirely by surprise, or that they would actually co-operate with the landing forces. Two
sloops, and were used to land the troops.
The operation
The landing ships came under sustained fire from the defenders once they were inside the harbour boom, including four shore batteries (from east to west – Mole Ravin Blanc, Mole Miller and, Mole J. Giraud and Mole Centre). There were 31 French ships in the port which did considerable damage to the Allied vessels. Casualties during Operation Reservist exceeded 90 percent of the Allied force. Of the 393 American infantrymen of the 3rd Battalion,
6th Armored Infantry Regiment, 189 were killed and 157 wounded. The
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 ...
suffered 113 dead and 86 wounded and a small
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
team assigned as anti-sabotage five killed and seven wounded.
[Atkinson, p.76] ''Walney'' made it alongside the jetty and succeeded in landing a small number of men. The survivors were captured.
The defenders surrendered two days after the invasion, but the harbour facilities had been destroyed.
Landings were carried out at the same time to invest Oran at three different beaches. A similar operation took place at
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 ...
, codenamed
Operation Terminal and included another
coup de main
A ''coup de main'' (, : , ) is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow.
Definition
The United States Department of Defense defines it as
"An offensive operation that capitalizes on surprise ...
in its harbor and an airborne operation to seize nearby airfields.
See also
*
Frederick Thornton Peters
*
HMS Walney (Y04)
*
HMS Hartland
References
Bibliography
* Rick Atkinson, ''An Army at Dawn''. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2002 ()
*
Stephen Roskill ''The War at Sea'' Vol II (1956) ISBN (none)
External links
Leonard Saunders-a personal history
Battles and operations of World War II
Military history of Algeria during World War II
Military battles of Vichy France
Naval battles of World War II involving France
Naval battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Naval battles of World War II involving the United States
Military history of Oran
Naval battles involving Algeria
Military operations involving Algeria
20th century in Oran
{{WWII-stub