The attempted landings outside Dakar

The Allies explored a small port east of Dakar, although the sources disagree over whether the first troops sent there were French Marines or Foreign Legionnaires. Shallow water prevented the landing of heavy equipment. When a Vichy destroyer sortied, HMAS Australia, Fury, and Greyhound moved to engage it. A later Free French landing at Rufisque met four-inch battery fire and machine guns from Senegalese troops and had to be withdrawn. Vichy cruisers also moved toward the threatened area, retaining operational freedom despite the Allied fleet offshore. Reaching land was of little use when the landing point could not receive heavy equipment or withstand a counterattack.