and Y lay west of Oran, Beach Z east. Once ashore the troops would take roads, villages, and two airfields in the area, converge ten miles inland of Oran, and move on the city from three sides. All naval and air support would come from a British task force of 61 escort vessels, including I battleship, 3 aircraft carriers, 3 cruisers, and 13 destroyers, as well as 43 transports. A city of 200,000, Oran had formidable defenses including 13 coast artillery batteries, 16,700 troops, about 100 planes, and several destroyers in the harbor. The battle for Oran could develop into a costlier campaign than that for Casablanca.
H-hour for Center Task Force was 0100, 8 November 1942, but a variety of problems delayed most units. At Beach X, twenty-eight miles west of Oran, the schedule was set back when five cargo ships unknowingly entered the landing zone. British escorts boarded one surprised intruder, then confined the others so close to shore that they ran aground. As in the Western Task Force experience, upon lowering boats transport crews found that an unexpected current had pushed them farther out to sea than planned. During the lengthened run to the beach one boat engine caught fire, ending the chance for surprise. Despite these problems, all assault troops reached shore, though late and at varying distances from assigned beaches. Similar problems continued after assault troops hit the beaches. Deep-draft tank lighters became hung up on a sandbar 360 feet offshore. Engineer troops worked three hours laying a ponton bridge which failed to reach shore. Unloaded boats had to be pushed off the beach by bulldozers, a chore which damaged propellers and rudders and put ten of thirteen lighters out of service. Fortunately no French gunners took advantage of these mishaps.
Once ashore the troops quickly assembled a column of twenty tanks with support vehicles and started toward the village of Lourmel, ten miles inland. One armored car blocked the road, but a few shots won the cooperation of its crew. By noon Lourmel was in American hands, and Beach X had served its purpose of receiving a sizable armored force.
At Beach Y, fifteen miles west of Oran, Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt's 26th Regimental Combat Team experienced similar problems and found a new one. Ladder rungs on one of the British transports were two feet apart, slowing the troops' descent into landing boats. Approaching the beach, landing craft crews discovered a sandbar, but when a way around it was found, the 26th Team was spared a ponton bridge-building delay. With most of the troops ashore, the French warship La Surprise appeared about 0645, trying to live up to its name, but was promptly sunk. At 0800 advancing troops met and destroyed three French armored cars. An hour later a coastal battery
22
