Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II King George VI in early 1942. In late 1942 Operation Torch, the first large Allied combined operation, was launched. The British and Americans landed in force invading French North Africa, but far enough west that the Germans were able to invade Tunisia (owned by France) and make it their base of operations. Torch was followed by Operation Husky the invasion of Sicily, and Operation Avalanche, the invasion of southern Italy. Again the naval forces escorted the invasion fleet and heavy cover was provided against Italian interference. In the aftermath of Avalanche, the Italian surrender was announced and the British naval
Operation Attila (World War II) Operation Attila (World War II) During World War II, Operation Attila was a plan for the Nazi occupation of Vichy France. This plan was drawn up in 1940 in case the French rejoined the Allies or in case of an Allied threat to the south of France. An important aspect was the capture of the French Navy. The original plan was never executed, but a version ("Case Anton") which included Italian forces was executed on 11 November 1942 in response to the Torch landings in North Africa. The attempt to capture the French fleet (Operation "Lila") failed. Most of the