Operation Terminal

{{Short description|1942 Allied military operation during the Second World War}} {{Warbox |conflict=Operation Terminal |partof=Operation Torch of World War II |image= |caption=Allied troops hit the beaches near Algiers, behind a large American flag (left). |date=8 November 1942 |place=Algiers, Algeria |result= Vichy French victory |combatant1={{flag|United States|1912}} {{flag|United Kingdom}} |combatant2={{flagicon|Vichy France}} Vichy France |commander1={{flagicon|United States|1912}} Col. E Swenson {{nowrap|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} Henry S.J. Fancourt}} |commander2={{nowrap|{{flagicon|Vichy France}} Jacques H. Moreau}} |strength1=2 destroyers 622 troops |strength2=5th company of 13ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais Coastal defense units Armored cars from 5th Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique |casualties1=1 destroyer sunk 22 killed, 55 wounded<ref>G. H. Howe, Northwest Africa: Seizing the initiative, CHM Pub, 1993 [https://web.archive.org/web/20120927070247/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/006/6-1-1/CMH_Pub_6-1-1.pdf]</ref> All landed infantry captured |casualties2=Unknown }} {{Campaignbox North Africa}} '''Operation Terminal''' was an Allied operation during World War II. Part of Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of French North Africa, 8 November 1942) it involved a direct landing of infantry into the Vichy French port of Algiers with the intention of capturing the port facilities before they could be destroyed.<ref>Roskill p325</ref>

==Background== The attacking forces were two Royal Navy destroyers, {{HMS|Malcolm|D19|6}} and {{HMS|Broke|D83|6}} (commanded by Henry Fancourt) carrying 600 troops of the 3d Battalion, 135th Infantry, (commanded by Colonel Edwin Swenson), part of the US 34th Infantry Division. The plan was to land the troops directly into the port. It was hoped that either complete surprise would be achieved or that the defenders would support the invasion to the extent at least of refusing to fire on the attackers. However the Vichy forces opened fire on the ships, damaging them heavily.

==Action== At 4.00 am on the morning of 8 November 1942 ''Malcolm'' and ''Broke'' approached Algiers Harbour. They were regarded as hostile by the defending Vichy troops, who opened fire at 4.06 am. ''Malcolm'' tried to break through the boom but was hit and severely damaged by a shell fired from the shore. Ten of her crew were dead, many more were injured and three of her four boilers were extinguished, cutting her speed to 4 knots. She was forced to retreat and played no further part in the operation. Initially, ''Broke'' had better luck. On her third attempt, she sliced through the boom and deposited her troops under fire on the ''Quai de Fécamp'', and then retreated. This was four hours after the operation had started. ''Broke'''s luck ran out as she withdrew; she was hit by shore batteries which compounded on earlier damage and after being taken in tow, she sank on 10 November.

The landed infantry were surrounded and forced to surrender seven hours later. However they succeeded in preventing the destruction of the port before the defenders in turn surrendered to the larger invading forces.

==Aftermath== A similar operation was carried out at Oran (Operation Reservist), but with even less success; however the Torch landings as a whole were successful, the ''Terminal'' and ''Reservist'' segments being the only setbacks in the entire operation.

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== *Stephen Roskill ''The War at Sea'' Vol II (1956)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terminal}} Category:Military history of Algeria during World War II Category:Military battles of Vichy France Category:Military history of Algiers Category:Military operations involving Algeria Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the United States Category:Naval battles of World War II involving France Category:Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom Category:Naval battles involving Algeria Category:Conflicts in 1942 Category:November 1942 in Africa Category:1940s in Algiers