Following the entry of the United States into World War II,the first US-British joint operation was an amphibious invasion of French North Africa. This was designed to relieve pressure on their new Soviet allies, to eliminate the threat of the French Navy joining the Germans, and to shore up the vulnerability of British imperial possessions and trade routes through the Mediterranean. It was the largest and most complex amphibious invasion of its time with three simultaneous landings across the French North African coast. This detailed exploration of Operation Torch reveals this ambitious attempt to trap and annihilate the Axis' North African armies between the invading forces under Eisenhower and Montgomery's Eighth Army in Egypt using full colour artwork, maps and contemporary photographs.