Operation Torch as coalition rehearsal

A later American entry could change which coalition operations take place. British, Commonwealth, Polish and Free French forces might finish the North African campaign as Allied material supplies increase and Axis logistics weaken. That would remove the historical setting for Operation Torch. Torch provided an opportunity to work out shared command before an invasion of Italy or France, although it remained a serious campaign in which people died. Southeast Asia might offer some combined experience, but geographically divided commands and smaller contingents within a dominant national force would make it different. Torch brought partners closer to parity in what they contributed and required them to reconcile their command arrangements. That experience supplied a model for Operation Husky, the invasion of Italy and Operation Overlord.