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 Rayon activities was mixed. A moderate increase in German activity on Crete was detected, and the operation succeeded in drawing attention away from a convoy bound for Malta. Many of the 'A' force personnel involved in Operation Rayon were employed in Operation Zeppelin, another operation intended to mislead the Wehrmacht into believing an Allied invasion of Greece would occur. Dummy landing craft (dubbed "Drybob" and "Wetbob") used in Operation "Rayon" were later used in Operation Bodyguard. Operation Rayon Operation "Rayon" was a Allied deception operation in the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II. The operation called for Allied forces to mislead