British planners paired the main beach landings with two nighttime coups de main intended to seize docks at Algiers and Oran. At Algiers, American troops would ride destroyers into the harbor and secure facilities along the waterfront. The city and its approaches were protected by 13 fortified coastal batteries, about 7,000 troops in Algiers, another 8,000 nearby, and fighter and bomber forces at Maison Blanche. Operation Terminal was scheduled three hours after the main landings, with commandos expected to silence coastal batteries while fighting on the beaches drew defenders away from the port. The maps make the relationship between defenses, timing, diversion, and amphibious objectives immediately visible.
Notable Point · 14:23-16:43
Operation Torch's harbor coups de main
The Operation Torch guide maps Algiers' fortified approaches and the risky destroyer coups de main planned for the ports at Algiers and Oran.