Reel 3 of Tunisian Victory (1944) covers the intense battles fought during the invasion of French North Africa as part of Operation Torch on November 8, 1942. The reel features Major-General George Patton’s Western Task Force landing at Casablanca, including dramatic footage of LCVP landing craft (Higgins Boats) approaching the beachhead. The Naval Battle of Casablanca is highlighted, with scenes of Vichy French shore batteries, the battleship Jean Bart, and French warships engaging U.S. forces before being silenced by American naval and air bombardment.
Following the beach landings, Allied troops engaged in fierce street battles to secure Casablanca. The reel also depicts the departure of the German Armament Commission under U.S. guard, as crowds cheer their exit. Meanwhile, General Kenneth Anderson, General Henri Giraud, and General Dwight Eisenhower meet in Oran, Algeria, marking the growing Allied cooperation.
As the battle for North Africa intensified, German forces were rapidly transported from Sicily and Sardinia into Tunisia, reinforcing Axis positions in Tunis and Bizerte. Animated maps illustrate the Allied advance from Algiers toward Tunisia, with scenes of American tanks and artillery moving by road, French troops using mules for mountain transport, and British airborne forces capturing key airfields. On November 11, 1942, the British 36th Infantry Brigade landed in Bougie, Algeria, while German Luftwaffe planes bombed forward Allied airfields near Bone, Algeria.
The reel culminates in the first major tank battle on November 25, 1942, as Allied forces destroyed 15 German tanks at Medjez el Bab before the Axis withdrew. However, despite reaching the hills overlooking Tunis, ferocious German tank, artillery, and air attacks forced the Allies to retreat, suffering heavy casualties without sufficient air support. The battle for Tunisia had only just begun.
Tunisian Victory (1944) - WWII North Africa Campaign Documentary