Reviewed by Doc Snafu on November 19, 2025.
Document Source: Academic Department of the Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. Advanced Infantry Officers Course. The Operations of the 3rd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, at Algiers (Algeria) North Africa. (The Algeria-French Morocco Campaign). Personal Experiences of a Rifle Platoon Leader, Major Leslie W. Bailey, US Army. (Type of Operation: Battalion Landing Operation on Hostile Shores)
Avant Propos
The 34th Infantry Division, federalized from the National Guard in 1940, ranks among the longest-serving and most continuously committed US Army divisions of the Second World War. Drawn primarily from the Midwest, especially Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota, the division brought together a body of soldiers seasoned by years of peacetime service yet untested in major combat when the international situation deteriorated sharply.
As the War Department accelerated the expansion and modernization of the US Army, the 34th Infantry Division was swept into the first wave of mobilization. Initially commanded by Gen Russell P. Hartle, and later by Gen Charles W. Ryder, the division was selected early to form a core element of the coming American presence in the European Theater. In January 1942, the 34th Infantry Division became the first US Army division to land in the British Isles, marking the beginning of an intensive period of training and Allied integration. This early deployment held strategic value on several fronts. It allowed the division to absorb British tactical experience, master amphibious techniques, and adjust to European logistical standards. Politically, it signaled to London, and to the governments-in-exile congregated there, that the United States was preparing to commit substantial forces to the defeat of Germany. During this period the division came under the operational control of II Corps (US), a relationship that would shape its first combat operations.
The division received its baptism of fire during Operation Torch in November 1942. Landing in North Africa, the 34th Infantry Division became embroiled in the demanding and often chaotic Tunisian Campaign. Engagements around Faid Pass, the Ousseltia Valley, and the approaches to Kasserine exposed shortcomings in American command and combined-arms coordination, but they also revealed the grit and adaptability of the division’s infantry regiments, particularly the 133-IR and the 168-IR. By the time Axis resistance in Tunisia collapsed in May 1943, the division had acquired hard-won battlefield experience, strengthening both its leadership and its internal cohesion.
From September 1943 onward, the 34th Infantry Division entered the grueling Italian Campaign under Gen Mark Wayne Clark Fifth Army (US). It participated in the seizure of Naples, fought across the Volturno River, and confronted the formidable German defensive complexes stretching across the Central Apennines. Its actions around Monte Pantano, San Pietro Infine, and other key positions along the route to the Gustav Line are particularly emblematic of the division’s fighting character. Harsh terrain, winter weather, and exceptionally well-prepared German defenses produced heavy casualties, but the division’s elements repeatedly demonstrated the ability to sustain prolonged, high-intensity combat under adverse conditions.
In 1944 and 1945, the division continued its advance through Italy during the operations that broke the Gustav Line, the fighting linked to the Anzio Beachhead, and the drive toward Rome. Following the liberation of the capital in June 1944, the division pushed into Northern Italy, participating in the long pressure campaign that ultimately fractured the German defensive system in the Po Valley. By the final weeks of the war in Europe, the 34th Infantry Division had evolved into a highly experienced, fully professional formation, capable of executing complex joint and coalition operations with consistency and precision.
From its mobilization in 1940, to the cessation of hostilities in May 1945, the 34th Infantry Division exemplified the broader transformation of the US Army, from a modest peacetime force into a modern expeditionary army. Its operational trajectory, stretching from early deployment in Britain to final victory in Northern Italy, provides military historians with a cohesive framework for understanding the doctrinal growth, command adaptation, and operational maturation of American ground forces in the European-Mediterranean Theater.
Introduction
This personal experience covers the operations of the 3rd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th US Infantry Division during the Allied Landings in the Algiers Area of the North African Theatre of Operations, from November 7 to November 10, 1942. In order that the reader may have a better understanding of what follows, it is essential to review briefly some of the pertinent, international politico-military and strategic considerations which dictated a landing operation in French North Africa at that time.
In July, 1942, at a conference in Washington between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill, the two Allied leaders decided to make an amphibious invasion in North Africa instead of a direct attack across the English Channel. This attack against French North Africa was to transpire during the month of November 1942, in conjunction with a determined westward drive by the Eighth Army (UK) in Egypt whose mission was to clear the entire North African Area of Axis troops. At that time it seemed that the following seven important strategic advantages would accrue to the Allies if Operation Torch as the invasion plan was called, could be successfully accomplished in conjunction with the clearing of all Axis troops from North Africa: (1) Mediterranean Sea under the protection of land-based aircraft and could reach Egypt, Suez, and India without making the long 10.000 mile journey around the Cape of Good Hope; (2) the occupation of French North Africa would enable the Allies to complete their blockade of the Axis powers; (3) it would place the Allies in a position to hit directly at the ‘Soft underbelly of Europe’ by giving them advanced land and bomber bases from which an invasion could be launched with the mission of knocking Italy out of the war; (4) the occupation of North Africa would maice Suez and the Middle East safe from a possible invasion by Axis forces from the west through Spain; (5) Dakar would no longer be a threat to South America; (6) the French Army could be reanimated for later active operations in driving the Nazi invaders from France; (7) by forcing the Germans to send some of their combat divisions from the Russian Front to engage the Allies in North Africa, it would relieve pressure from the bitterly resisting Russian Forces then engaged in the heroic defense of Stalingrad (CCCP).
General Situation
At the time of the launching of Operation Torch, French North Africa was not an active combat theatre for American troops. For this reason the feelings of the local inhabitants were considered to be favorable to the people of the United States. Many French Naval Personnel were deeply embittered at the British because of the combat action which British Naval Forces had taken after the fall of France, against French Naval Units at Dakar and Oran. Although the action was taken to forestall the possibility of having the Nazis seize the French Fleet, it strained relations between the two former Allies almost to the breaking point. Because of the delicacy of these relations it was decided that the British Navy would furnish only Naval Vessels and Naval Personnel for implementing Operation Torch while the major part of the assault landing forces would be furnished by the United States. These combined British and American land, sea, and air units were organized into three separate task forces which were placed under the overall command of Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower, US Army. The three task forces were assigned missions of striking simultaneously at the French North African cities of Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers.
Operation Catapult (July 1940) and Operation Lila (November 1942) were two coordinated Allied efforts aimed at preventing the powerful French Fleet from falling into German hands after the armistice between France and Germany. Catapult, ordered by Churchill, involved the surprise seizure or neutralization of French Naval Units at British-controlled ports and culminated in the tragic attack on the French Squadron at Mers-el-Kébir and the confrontations at Alexandria, Dakar, and Plymouth. Two years later, Operation Lila was launched by German forces during the Allied landings in North Africa, as Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe units attempted to capture the remaining French fleet at Toulon. Acting on clear orders, French commanders scuttled their ships in the harbor on 27 November 1942, destroying over 70 vessels and denying the Axis any strategic or operational advantage. Together, these actions ensured that the French fleet never became an asset to Nazi Germany.
French Ships sunk: Battleships: Dunkerque, Provence, Strasbourg (flagship). Seaplane Tender: Commandant Teste. Sloops: Chamois, Curieuse, D’Iberville, Dédaigneuse, Épargne, Granit, Impétueuse, Yser. Destroyers: Aigle, Cassard, Gerfaut, Guépard, L’Indomptable, Kersaint, Lansquenet, Le Hardi, Lion, Lynx, Mogador, Panthère, Tartu, Tigre, Valmy, Vauban, Vauquelin, Vautour, Verdun. Heavy Cruisers. Algérie, Colbert, Dupleix, Foch. Torpedo-Boats: Bayonnaise, Bordelais, Casque, Fleuret, Le Flibustier, Le Mars, Mameluk, Palme, Poursuivante, Siroco, Trombe. Light Cruisers: Jean de Vienne, La Galissonnière, Marseillaise. Submarines: Achéron, Aurore, Caïman, Diamant, L’Espoir, Eurydice, Fresnel, Galatée, Henri Poincaré, Naïade, Pascal, Redoutable, Sirène, Thétis, Vénus, Vengeur.
The Western Task Force, comprising 34.000 troops under the command of Gen George S. Patton, was to sail from the United States and seize the vital naval base of Casablanca on the northwest coast of French Morocco. The Central Task Force, under the command of Gen Lloyd Fredendall and comprising 30.000 US troops, was to depart from the British Isles and capture the port of Oran and adjacent airfields along the Mediterranean Coast of Western Algeria. The Eastern Task Force, comprising 42.000 American and British troops was to sail from the British Isles, primarily from the Clyde Ports in Scotland, under the command of Gen Kenneth Anderson of the British Army, with the assault elements placed under the direct command of Gen Charles W. Ryder (second in command), was assigned the capture of the capital city of Algiers.
The Eastern Assault Force consisted of the 39th Regimental Combat Team from the 9th Infantry Division, the 168th Regimental Combat Team from the 34th Infantry Division, one Battalion of American Rangers, and some British Commando troops. Each of these units was to take part in the assault landing on Algiers at approximately 0100 hours, November 8, 1942. The 39-RCT was to land 15 miles east of Algiers at Ain Taya and seize the airfield at Maison Blanche. The 168-RCT was to land on beaches near Sidi Ferruch, about fifteen miles west of Algiers, make an overland march to the west and south of the city and capture the high hills which dominated the city from the rear. The Ranger Battalion was to seize Fort Sidi Ferruch, west of Algiers. The British Commandos were to seize several important coastal batteries which dominated Algiers Harbor, and prevent the French Naval personnel who manned them from using them against our landing forces.
Battalion Situation
Although the original invasion plan of the Eastern Assault Force had not called for their employment, nor had they received any specialized amphibious training for such a mission, it was suddenly decided during the last few days before sailing from the British Isles, to use the 3rd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division to make a frontal assault landing on the port installations of the harbor at Algiers. To accomplish this mission the 3rd Battalion was to be loaded aboard the two British destroyers, HMS Malcolm and HMS Broke, which were then to steam to Algiers and debark the troops directly on the city docks. In order to prepare for its mission the 3rd Battalion, which was at that time stationed in Northern Ireland, moved on October 18, 1942, to Sunnylands Camp near Belfast. As a counterintelligence measure, word was spread among the other two battalions of the 135th Infantry Regiment that the 3rd Battalion had departed on routine maneuvers in the Sperrin Mountains near Lough Neagh. The 3rd Battalion was commanded by Col Edwin T. Swenson, a dynamic, aggressive officer from Stillwater (Minnesota). Due to the limited space for personnel aboard the two British destroyers provided to transport his men, Col Swenson had only a skeleton staff, consisting of Capt Vilhelm Johnson (Surgeon), Capt William T. Snellman (EXO), and Capt Emory J. Traywick (Communications). No chaplain was provided.
During the last few days prior to its embarkation the 3rd Battalion engaged in an intensive training program which stressed physical conditioning, individual combat proficiency, and specialized assault techniques. To assist them in their training a small party of approximately forty British Naval Troops were attached to the battalion and furnished with US Army uniforms to deceive the French later as to their true identity. Several joint British-American boarding parties were organized to seize or neutralize any French naval vessels lying in Algiers harbor which might threaten the success of our mission. As part of the training program each day, the entire battalion was loaded on trucks and hauled to the Belfast Dock Area. This action was taken both for the purposes of training the men and preventing the local people from 
knowing the day of our departure. As a climax to the training at Sunnylands Camp, a practice operation was made during the hours of darkness in the Belfast Harbor, at which time the troops were loaded on and unloaded from the two destroyers, HMS Malcolm and HMS Broke.
On the morning of October 26, 1942, 21 officers and 613 enlisted men of 3/135-IR boarded the HMS Sheffield, in Belfast Harbor. These numbers when added to the 2 officers and 50 enlisted men of Mike Company who had already embarked on the HMS Malcolm and the HMS Broke brought the total strength of the battalion to 636 officers and men. During the afternoon of October 26, the Sheffield set sail on a voyage which was most pleasant, and singularly uneventful all the way. In sharp contrast to the cold, dreary climate of Northern Ireland, the weather for the entire voyage was clear and mild. Moreover, no enemy aircraft or submarines were sighted at any time. These pleasant conditions contributed greatly to the high morale and enthusiasm of the troops. On the second night after our departure from Belfast we joined a large convoy of aircraft carriers and troop transports heavily loaded with troops and landing craft of varied sizes, which we accompanied as part of their escort.
The Battalion Plan of Attack
Not until October 29, during the third day of the voyage, did we receive the slightest inkling as to our destination or our mission. This secrecy was necessary because the itinerary of the HMS Sheffield included a one-day stop at the port of Gibraltar. The first briefing for our mission took place in the wardroom of the HMS Sheffield with all British and American officers present. To each of us was issued a large scale map which showed in great detail the harbor and port installations of a certain French City, but from which all marks of identification had been carefully clipped out. Amid an atmosphere of hushed expectancy, Capt Henry Lockhart St John Fancourt of the Royal Navy then told us that, under his command, we were soon to participate in a decisive action expressly planned, ‘to open the Mediterranean Sea to Allied ships; to chase the German Army out of Africa; to knock Italy out of the war; and to shorten the ultimate length of the war in Europe by at least two years’.
Capt Fancourt then told us that the 3rd Battalion, 135th Infantry, and its attached British Naval Personnel, had been designated as ‘Terminal Force’, and that we would remain on board the Sheffield until after we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar. Then, the Sheffield would increase her speed, push out ahead of the convoy, and rendezvous with the destroyers HMS Malcolm and HMS Broke somewhere east of the Strait of Gibraltar. At the rendezvous area, King Company and the first two platoons of Item Company would go aboard the Malcolm, while the remainder of Item Company and all of Love Company would go aboard the Broke. The attached Medical personnel and the Heavy Weapons personnel from Mike Company would be split equally between the two destroyers.
Col Swenson then gave us the general plan for the attack of the 3rd Battalion, as follows: the battalion, acting under the designation of ‘Terminal Force’, would conduct a direct assault landing against the port facilities of Algiers, with the primary objective of securing the harbor installations before the Vichy Forces could organize a coordinated resistance. The operation required complete surprise, strict radio silence, and precise coordination between the assault echelons embarked on the two destroyers. Upon completion of the transfer, both destroyers would proceed independently toward the assigned approach lanes leading directly into the harbor, arriving just before dawn to exploit darkness and confusion among the defenders. The assault elements were to land directly onto the quays, neutralize the immediate shore defenses, seize the key cranes, fuel depots, and signal stations, and establish a foothold deep enough to allow follow-on forces to enter the port without undergoing hostile fire.
As told earlier, upon completion of this transfer, the Terminal Force was to proceed at top speed to the city of Algiers but we had not yet been told its name, for the purpose of having the two destroyers ram a hole through the heavy steel boom stretched across the entrance to its harbor, and land their troops on the dooks to prevent sabotage to the port installations. In approaching and ramming the boom, the Broke was to precede the Malcolm by a time interval of 15 minutes. From our maps, it was evident that the city of Algiers is situated on ground fairly level at the seashore, but which rises sharply to the west into a series of rounded hills and steep ridges with heights in excess of 200 meters above the level of the Mediterranean Sea. The harbor is shaped like a large crescent with the open side facing to the east. Our maps showed it to be protected from the waves of the open sea by artificially constructed breakwaters or jetees which jutted out to sea for distances of 2000 to 3000 yards. According to our intelligence sources these jetees were concrete walls with an average height above the water of from five to ten feet. Several large piers which the French called Moles jutted from the shore into the harbor. From north to south these moles were in the order, Mole Lyvois, Mole de Peche, Mole al de Djefna, Mole des Passegeurs, Mole al Mouchez, Mole aux Minerals, Grand Mole, and Mole Louis Billiard.
