The Forgotten History of Operation Torch

In the summer of 1942, the British Eighth Army was losing the war in North Africa. Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps had smashed through the Gazala line, captured Tobruk, and sent the British reeling back toward Egypt. Among the soldiers scrambling to retreat in the desert heat were three American tanks with American crews — an improvised “detachment” that may have fired the first U.S. shots against German troops in World War II. Read Full Article »