raharris1973
Well-known member
What if, rather than opening up a fresh invasion front, the first US ground operations outside the Pacific of any scale were direct reinforcement of the British 8th Army in the existing Egypt-Libya front and escalating support to combined operations there?
At what point could the first combat-ready US Division or Divisions be sent and supported around the Cape to Egypt to help that fight? By the time of OTL's Operation Torch (8 November, 1942), earlier than that, or only later? Could smaller component units, Brigades, be readied and deployed there for combat on any faster schedule than that?
To meet the political demands of Americans being seen "doing something" against Germany on land in 1942, I imagine that the US would want to eventually have at least a full Division engaged and send plenty of war correspondents.
Supposing this were the case, what would be the extra cost to the Allied freight fleet? What could the Allies do with the landing craft not needed in North Africa or its vicinity (at least not yet)?
How would the timetable of the final stoppage of Rommel at 2nd El Alamein (Oct '42 in OTL) and retreat through Libya to Tripoli, and finally over to the Mareth line in Tunisia (Jan '42 in OTL) be altered by all the Anglo-American effort hitting him from his east, and no Anglo-American landings in French Northwest Africa during Nov, Dec '42 and Jan '43?
Do Axis forces make a last stand in Tripoli and points west in Libya? Or do they retreat to Tunisia and internment? After the victorious Allied forces have all of Libya and forces on the land border of Tunisia and Algeria, do those Vichy governments remain staunch Vichy collaborationist/formal neutrals? Or are they quite ripe for a pro-Free French coup and realignment, opening up their territories bloodlessly to the Allies? Anticipating this possibility, do the German's and Italians do a preemptive occupation of Tunisia before Rommel and Axis final defeat in Africa?
If the timetable for Axis loss of Libya is the same as OTL, it would be lost by Jan. 1943. Assuming no Axis interference or landings in Vichy North Africa, what do the Allies plan for their next move in 1943? What is the impact for that campaigns that year and beyond? Where do the Allies have the Casablanca Summit if FNA remains Vichy and neutral? How much do Allied plans change if FNA proclaims itself Free French and opens its arms to the Allies?
If FNA's neutrality holds, perhaps the Axis forces in Africa hold out longer than January (OTL they could retreat to an Axis-occupied Tunisia). But perhaps the Axis forces surrender, intern themselves, or do a bug-out by boat, or an odd combination of all three by May 1943?
In that case, what are the Allies planned next steps for 1943 and beyond, and the impact?
At what point could the first combat-ready US Division or Divisions be sent and supported around the Cape to Egypt to help that fight? By the time of OTL's Operation Torch (8 November, 1942), earlier than that, or only later? Could smaller component units, Brigades, be readied and deployed there for combat on any faster schedule than that?
To meet the political demands of Americans being seen "doing something" against Germany on land in 1942, I imagine that the US would want to eventually have at least a full Division engaged and send plenty of war correspondents.
Supposing this were the case, what would be the extra cost to the Allied freight fleet? What could the Allies do with the landing craft not needed in North Africa or its vicinity (at least not yet)?
How would the timetable of the final stoppage of Rommel at 2nd El Alamein (Oct '42 in OTL) and retreat through Libya to Tripoli, and finally over to the Mareth line in Tunisia (Jan '42 in OTL) be altered by all the Anglo-American effort hitting him from his east, and no Anglo-American landings in French Northwest Africa during Nov, Dec '42 and Jan '43?
Do Axis forces make a last stand in Tripoli and points west in Libya? Or do they retreat to Tunisia and internment? After the victorious Allied forces have all of Libya and forces on the land border of Tunisia and Algeria, do those Vichy governments remain staunch Vichy collaborationist/formal neutrals? Or are they quite ripe for a pro-Free French coup and realignment, opening up their territories bloodlessly to the Allies? Anticipating this possibility, do the German's and Italians do a preemptive occupation of Tunisia before Rommel and Axis final defeat in Africa?
If the timetable for Axis loss of Libya is the same as OTL, it would be lost by Jan. 1943. Assuming no Axis interference or landings in Vichy North Africa, what do the Allies plan for their next move in 1943? What is the impact for that campaigns that year and beyond? Where do the Allies have the Casablanca Summit if FNA remains Vichy and neutral? How much do Allied plans change if FNA proclaims itself Free French and opens its arms to the Allies?
If FNA's neutrality holds, perhaps the Axis forces in Africa hold out longer than January (OTL they could retreat to an Axis-occupied Tunisia). But perhaps the Axis forces surrender, intern themselves, or do a bug-out by boat, or an odd combination of all three by May 1943?
In that case, what are the Allies planned next steps for 1943 and beyond, and the impact?