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US and British troops landed in North Africa November 8, 1942, at three widely separated locations in Morocco and Algeria, in what was called Operation Torch. This was America's first entry into ground combat against the Germans and Italians. The original enemy faced at the landings were French troops, fighting for the Vichy French regime, installed by and collaborating with the Germans. The French surrendered and came over to the Allied side after about four days, and after this the Allies fought the German and Italian troops until the last of them surrendered in early May, 1943. The German troops in Africa were the "Afrika Korps" under legendary German general (later Field Marshal) Erwin Rommel. The inexperienced US troops suffered a severe defeat in February 1943 at Kasserine Pass. After this US General George S. Patton Jr. began to rise to prominence. The Germans and Italians had already been fighting British and Commonwealth troops, under General Bernard Montgomery in Egypt, before the Operation Torch landings at the other end of North Africa. Thus the Germans and Italians were caught between the British advancing from Egypt, and the Americans and other British coming from Algeria. Most of this fighting was in Tunisia, until the Axis troops had to surrender. Around a quarter-million were taken prisoner.

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