Order of Battle
Casablanca / North Africa Invasion
8 November 1942
Contributed by Brad Smith

AMERICAN FORCES

WESTERN NAVAL TASK FORCE, Task Force 34—RAdm H.K. Hewitt, commander, in USS Augusta
Embarking Western Task Force, US Army—MGen George S. Patton Jr., USA

TG 34.1 Covering Group—RAdm Robert C. Giffen
BB 59 Massachusetts—Capt F.E.M. Whiting
CA 45 Wichita—Capt F.S. Low
CA 37 Tuscaloosa—Capt N.C. Gillette
Screen, Desron 8—Capt D.P. Moon
DD 419 Wainwright—LCdr R.H. Gibbs
DD 402 Mayrant—LCdr E.K. Walker
DD 404 Rhind—Cdr H.T. Read
DD 447 Jenkins—LCdr H.F. Miller
AO 30 Chemung Capt. J.J. Twomey

TG 34.8 Northern Attack Group (Mehedia/Port Lyatuey)—RAdm Monroe Kelly
Embarking 60th Infantry RCT; 1st Btn, 66th Armored Rgt; 1st Btn, 540th Engineers—9099 men, 65 M-3 Stuart light tanks

Transports—Transdiv 5, Capt Augustine H. Gray
AP 30 Allen—Capt P.A. Stevens
AP 51 Penn—Capt Charles Allen
AP 57 Clymer—Capt A.T. Moen
AP 72 Anthony—Capt Henry Hartley
AP 70 Nightingale—Capt E.D. Graves
AP 76 Arundel—Capt L.Y. Mason
AK 21 Electra—Cdr J.J. Hughes
AK 25 Algorab—Cdr J.R. Lannom

Auxiliaries
AO 36 Kennebec—Cdr S.S. Reynolds
AVP 10 Barnegat—Cdr J.A. Briggs
AM 55 Raven—LCdr C.G. Rucker
AM 56 Osprey—LCdr C.L. Blackwell
S/S Contessa—Master William H. John

Auxiliaries Escort
DD 199 Dallas—LCdr R. Brodie (as APD)
DD 430 Eberle—LCdr K.F. Poehlmann

Transport Escort/Fire Support
BB 35 Texas—Capt Roy Pfaff
CL 42 Savannah—Capt L.S. Fiske
Screen, Desron 11—Cdr D.L.Madeira
DD 418 Roe—LCdr R.L. Nolan
DD 429 Livermore—Cdr Vernon Huber
DD 432 Kearny—Cdr A.H. Oswald
DD 440 Ericsson—LCdr C.M. Jensen
DD 604 Parker—LCdr J.W. Bays

Air Group
CVE 26 Sangamon—Capt C.W. Wieber
VGS-26—nine TBF, nine SBD
VGF-26—twelve F4F
CVE 28 Chenango—Capt Ben Wyatt
Carrying seventy-six USAAF P-40F as aircraft ferry
Screen, Desdiv 19—Capt Charles Wellborn
DD 455 Hambleton—Cdr Forrest Close
DD 458 Macomb—Cdr W.H. Duvall
 

TG 34.9 Center Attack Group (Casablanca)—Capt Robert Emmet in USS Wood
embarking 3rd Infantry Division (7th, 15th, 30th Infantry RCTs); 1st Btn, 67th Armored Regt—18,783 men, 79 M-3 Stuart light tanks—MGen J.W. Anderson, USA

Transports
Transdiv 3, Capt. R.G. Coman
AP 25 Wood—Cdr M. O'Neill, USCG
AP 60 Jefferson—Capt C. Gulbranson
AP 58 Carroll—Cdr H. Biesemeier
AP 26 Dickman—Cdr C.W. Harwood, USCG
AP 15 Biddle—Cdr P.E. Glutting
AP 50 Hewes—Capt R.M. Smith
AP 42 Bliss—Capt G.C. Schetky
AP 52 Rutledge—Capt M.W. Hutchinson
AP 43 Scott—Capt H.J. Wright

Transdiv 9—Capt W.M. Quigley
AP 66 Ancon—Capt P.L. Mather
AP 69 Stanton—Capt R.A. Dierdorff
AP 77 Thurston—Capt J.E. Hurff
AK 19 Procyon—Cdr L.P.Padgett
AK 56 Oberon—Cdr Ion Pursell
AK 18 Arcturus—Cdr J.R. McKinney

Transport screen
Desron 13—Capt John Heffernan
DD 453 Bristol—Cdr J.A. Glick
DD 437 Woolsey—Cdr B.L.Austin
DD 439 Edison—LCdr W.R. Headen
DD 641 Tillman—Cdr F.D. McCorkle
DD 600 Boyle—LCdr E.S. Karpe
DD 405 Rowan—LCdr R.S. Ford

Fire Support Group
CA 31 Augusta—Capt Gordon Hutchins
CL 40 Brooklyn—Capt F.C. Denebrink
Desdiv 26—Cdr E.R. Durgin
DD 441 Wilkes—LCdr J.B. McLean
DD 443 Swanson—Cdr LM Markham
DD 428 Ludlow—LCdr L.W. Creighton
DD 603 Murphy—LCdr L.W. Bailey

Minecraft/Auxiliaries
Minron 7—Cdr A.G. Cook
DMS 5 Palmer—LCdr J.W. Cooper
DMS 6 Hogan—LCdr U.S.G. Sharp
DMS 8 Stansbury—LCdr J.B. Maher
CM 5 Terror—Cdr H.W. Fitch
CM 10 Miantonomah—LCdr R.D. Edwards
AM 57 Auk—LCdr W.D. Ryan, USNR
AO 38 Winooski—Cdr J.E. Murphy

Air Group—RAdm Ernest McWhorter in Ranger
CV 4 Ranger—Capt C.T. Durgin
VF-9—twenty-seven F4F-4
VF-41—twenty-seven F4F-4
VS-41—eighteen SBD-3, one TBF
CVE 27 Suwanee—Capt J.J. Clark
VGF-27/28/30—twenty-nine F4F-4
VGS 27—nine TBF
Air Group Screen
CL 35 Cleveland—Capt E.W. Burrough
Desdiv 10—Capt J.L. Holloway
DD 454 Ellyson—Cdr J.B. Rooney
DD 461 Forrest—LCdr M. Van Metre
DD 462 Fitch—LCdr Henry Crommelin
DD 463 Corry—LCdr E.C. Burchett
DD 464 Hobson—LCdr R.N. McFarlane

TG 34.10 Southern Atttack Group (Safi)—RAdm Lyal Davidson in Philadelphia
Embarking 47th Infantry RCT; 2nd and 3rd Btns, 67th Armored Rgt - 6,423 men, 54 M-4 Sherman medium and 54 M-3 Stuart light tanks - MGen Ernest Harmon, USA

Transports—Capt Wallace B. Phillips
AP 8 Harris—Capt O.M. Forster
AP 65 Calvert—Capt J.W. Whitfield
AP 67 Dix—Cdr L.B. Schulten
AP 71 Lyon—Capt M.J. Gillan
AP 49 Lakehurst—Cdr H.J. McNulty (carrying medium tanks)
AK 55 Titania—Cdr V.C. Barringer
DD 155 Cole—LCdr G.G. Palmer (acting as APD)
DD 153 Bernadou—LCdr R.E. Braddy (acting as APD)

Transport Screen
Desdiv 30—Cdr H.C. Robison
DD 632 Cowie—LCdr J.C. Whiting
DD 490 Quick—LCdr R.B. Nickerson
DD 634 Doran—LCdr H.W. Gordon

Minecraft/Auxiliaries
CM 9 Monadnock—Cdr F.O. Goldsmith
DMS 7 Howard—LCdr C.J. Zondorak
DMS 18 Hamilton—LCdr R.R. Sampson
AO 35 Housatonic—Cdr A.R. Boileau
AO 37 Merrimack—Capt W.E. Hilbert
AT 66 Cherokee—Lt J.H. Lawson

Fire Support Group/Escort
BB 34 New York—Capt Scott Umsted
CL 41 Philadelphia—Capt Paul Hendren
Desron 15—Capt C.C. Hartman
DD 489 Mervine—LCdr S.D. Willingham
DD 633 Knight—LCdr R.B. Levin
DD 640 Beatty—LCdr F.C. Stelter

Air Group
CVE 29 Santee—Capt W.D. Sample
VGF-29 14 F4F-4
VGS-29 8 TBF, 9SBD
Screen
DD 456 Rodman—Capt W.G. Michelet
DD 457 Emmons—LCdr H.M. Heming

Submarine Force
SS 235 Shad—LCdr E.J. MacGregor (off Port Lyatuey)
SS 253 Gunnel—LCdr J.S. McCain Jr. (off Casablanca)
SS 233 Herring—LCdr R.W. Johnson (off Casablanca)
SS 220 Barb—LCdr J.R. Waterman (off Safi)


FRENCH NAVAL AND COAST ARTILLERY FORCES
VAdm Michelier, C-in-C (ashore)

Mehedia Area
Kasba Battery—six 5.5 inch guns (18,000 yards range)

Fedhala Area
Point Blondin Battery—four 5.5 inch guns (18,000 yards range)

Casablanca Area
BB Jean Bart—four 15 inch (moored) (approx 30,000 yards range)
El Hank Battery—four 7.9 inch guns (approx. 22,000 yards range); four 5.5 inch guns (18,000 yards range)

Safi Area
Railleuse Battery—six 5 inch guns (approx 14,000 yards range)
Mobile Battery—four 6 inch guns (approx 18,000 yards range)

Surface Squadron - RAdm Lafond in Milan
CL Primauguet*
DL Milan*—Cdr Costet
DL Albatros*—Cdr Peries
DD L’Alcyon—LCdr Bragelongue
DD Brestois*—Cdr Mariani
DD Boulonnais*—LCdr Preneuf
DD Fougueux*—LCdr Sticca
DD Frondeur*—Cdr Begouen-Demeaux
DD Tempête
DD Simoun

Submarine Squadron
SS Amphitrite*
SS Oréade*
SS La Psyché*
SS Méduse*
SS Amazone
SS Orphée
SS Le Tonnant
SS Antiope
SS Sidi Ferruch*
SS Le Conquérant*
SS La Sybille

Patrol/Escort Squadron
Sloop—Grandiere
AM—Gracieuse, Delage
PC—Victoria, W-43

*sunk or beached during this operation

Primary Source: History of US Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. II: Operations in North African Waters, Samuel Eliot Morison