Desperate Try DTO (id:#67011)

(ASL Journal #15 ID: J251)   [next]   [previous]

Saint-Lucien, Algeria 1942-11-09 (12 others)

Overview:

Following the TORCH landings, Vichy troops in the interior of Algeria began to move towards the coast to repel the invaders. South of the great seaport of Oran, 2ème and 9ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique, part of Brigade Légère Mécanique (Mechanized Light Brigade)-the only mobile Vichy unit in North Africa-set off from Sidi Bel Abbès, followed by Foreign Legion troops. The first objective of the counterattack was to retake the Tafaraoui airfield from the U.S. 1st Armored Division. Great hopes were put in the tank group of the 2nd RCA but the unit instead began to lose vehicles, first to mechanical problems, then, next morning, to American air strikes. Nevertheless, the Vichy armored and motorized forces took up positions at the northern edge of the small village of Saint-Lucien. Spotted by a recon unit of the 1st Armored Division, the Chasseurs were soon aggressively engaged by American armor.

Defender: Vichy French (4ème Escadron, 9ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique and 2ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique)  

Errata (source)