Editing Operation Torch (section)

===Eastern task force===
{{For|other battles in the same place|Battle of Algiers (disambiguation){{!}}Battle of Algiers}}

In the early hours of 8 November, [[French Resistance]] fighters staged a coup in the city of Algiers. They seized control of the city, but when no American troops appeared in the morning, they quickly lost control to Vichy French forces. Meanwhile, the American consul Robert Murphy attempted to persuade General [[Alphonse Juin]], the senior French Army officer in North Africa, to side with the Allies and place himself under the command of General Giraud. Murphy was treated to a surprise: Admiral [[François Darlan]], the commander of all French forces, was also in Algiers on a private visit, and Juin insisted on contacting Darlan at once. Murphy was unable to persuade them to side with the Allies right away, and Darlan contacted Pétain, who instructed him to resist.{{Sfn|MacCloskey|1971|pp=105-106}}

The invasion commenced with landings on three beaches, two west of Algiers and one east. The landing forces were under the overall command of Major-General Charles W. Ryder, commanding general of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division. The [[11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East|11th Brigade Group]] from the British 78th Infantry Division landed on the right-hand beach; the US [[168th Infantry Regiment (United States)|168th Regimental Combat Team]], from the 34th Infantry Division, supported by 6 Commando and most of 1 Commando, landed on the middle beach; and the US [[39th Infantry Regiment (United States)|39th Regimental Combat Team]], from the US 9th Infantry Division, supported by the remaining 5 troops from 1 Commando, landed on the left-hand beach. The [[36th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|36th Brigade Group]] from the British 78th Infantry Division stood by in floating reserve.{{sfn|Playfair|Molony|Flynn|Gleave|2004|pp=126, 140–41, map 18}} Though some landings went to the wrong beaches, this was immaterial because of the lack of French opposition. Only at [[Bordj El Bahri|Cape Matifou]] a coastal battery opened fire, and in the forenoon some resistance was offered at the fortresses of Cape Matifou, Duperre and L'Empereur. At 06:00 the airfield at [[Houari Boumediene Airport|Maison Blanche]] was captured and at 10:00 [[Hawker Hurricane]] and [[Supermarine Spitfire]] aircraft from [[Gibraltar]] started to flow in at the airfield. A second airfield at [[Blida Airport|Blida]] surrendered the same day to a British plane landing on the airfield.{{Sfn|Pack|1978|pp=63-80}}[[File:Near Algiers, "Torch" troops hit the beaches behind a large American flag "Left" hoping for the French Army not fire... - NARA - 195516.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|American soldiers land near [[Algiers]]. The soldier at the dune line is carrying a flag because it was hoped the French would be less likely to fire on Americans.]]The only fierce fighting took place in the port of Algiers, where in [[Operation Terminal]], the British destroyers {{HMS|Malcolm|D19|6}} and {{HMS|Broke|D83|6}} attempted to land a party of US [[United States Army Rangers|Army Rangers]] directly onto the dock, to prevent the French destroying the port facilities and scuttling their ships. Heavy artillery fire hit ''Malcolm'' and forced her to abandon the operation, but ''Broke'' was able to disembark {{nowrap|250 Rangers}} which secured the power station and oil installations. At 9:15 however she too had to recall the Rangers and abandon the operation due to the heavy artillery fire. As a result of the damage received, ''Broke'' foundered the next day in bad weather.{{Sfn|Rohwer|2005|pp=209-210}}{{Sfn|Pack|1978|pp=63-80}}

By 16:00 the US troops had surrounded Algiers and held the coastal batteries defending the harbour. At 18:40 Juin made an agreement with Ryder to stop the fighting. The next day on 9 November a local cease-fire was negotiated and Darlan authorized the Eastern Task Force to use the harbor of Algiers, but in Oran and Morocco the fighting continued. Giraud arrived the same day in Algiers and at noon on 10 November after negotiations with General Clark, Darlan ordered all hostilities to end and to observe neutrality. On secret orders from Pétain, on 11 November he ordered the forces in Tunisia to resist a German invasion.{{Sfn|MacCloskey|1971|pp=106-107}}