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7
With the organization of Allied Force Headquarters, plans for
the invasion progressed. The cities of Oran and Algiers on the
Mediterranean coast and Casablanca on the Atlantic were the cen￾ters of political control of the French possessions in North Africa
and were the key points of the system of rail, highway, and air com￾munications (Map 1). Tunis and Bizerte were keys to the Sicilian
channel, and control of these cities would place the Allies in such a
position that, in conjunction with the British Eighth Army advanc￾ing through Libya, annihilation of Rommel’s army might be possible.
However, as we have seen, the political situation required all initial
landings to be made by American units, and lack of shipping and
trained troops would prohibit the immediate attainment of all these
objectives.
Initially two plans were developed and studied: first, major as￾saults on Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers and small-scale assaults on
Philippeville and Bone (this plan was modified during its evolution
by eliminating a landing at Casablanca and substituting a westward
overland thrust from Oran) ; second, assaults on Casablanca and
Oran only. On 20 September 1942 the so-called “Outline Plan,” an
adaptation of the above plans, was issued. This plan abandoned
the Philippeville and Bone landings because shipping and other re￾sources were not available to support so ambitious an undertaking
and because such landings would carry the Allies within range of
Axis planes based in Sicily.
Under the adopted plan the Western Task Force was to sail direct
from the United States and capture Casablanca. The Center Task
Force, also entirely American, was to sail from the United Kingdom
and capture Oran. The Eastern Task Force, American and British,
was to sail from the United Kingdom and capture Algiers and nearby
airfields. The Center and Eastern Task Forces would make their
assaults simultaneously, while the Western Task Force would land
as near the same time as weather conditions permitted. After at￾taining their initial objectives, the Western and Center Task Forces
were to establish and maintain communication between Casablanca
and Oran and build up an American army and an air striking force
ready to occupy Spanish Morocco and repel a German attack through
Spain if this should be necessary. The Eastern Task Force, after
taking its initial objectives, would become the British First Army,
under the command of General Anderson, and would thrust rapidly
eastward to capture the airfield at Djidjelli and the port of Bougie.
It would ultimately advance into Tunisia. The organization of the
task forces is given in Appendix 1.