Operation Flagpole (World War II)
| Operation Flagpole | |
|---|---|
| Part of AFHQ | |
| Objective | secure cooperation of Vichy France officers in French North Africa |
| Outcome | successful |
Operation Flagpole was part of the run-up to Operation Torch, the planned Allied invasion of North Africa during World War II. It involved arranging for and carrying out a top-secret high-level meeting between U.S. General Mark W. Clark, representing the Allies, and Général Charles E. Mast, the leader of a group of pro-Allied Vichy France officers in French North Africa, to secure their cooperation with the invasion.
Planning
On October 16, 1942, a meeting was held in Operation Torch's staff headquarters at Norfolk House in London. Among those present were:
- Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, United States Army, the Allied commander for Operation Torch
- Major General Mark W. Clark, United States Army, the recently appointed deputy commander for Torch
- Lyman L. Lemnitzer, U.S. Army, head of the allied force planning section for Torch
- Colonel Archelaus L. Hamblen, U.S. Army, the staff expert on shipping and supply
- Colonel Julius C. Holmes, U.S. Army, head of civil affairs branch for Torch
- Rear Admiral Bernard H. Bieri, United States Navy, senior U.S. naval representative
- Captain Jerauld Wright, U.S. Navy, liaison officer with the Royal Navy
Eisenhower informed the group that the
The objective of this secret mission, code-named "Operation Flagpole", was to reach an agreement through Mast and his colleagues to have Général
Clark would be Eisenhower's personal representative, with Lemnitzer as the top invasion planner, Hamblen as the invasion's logistics expert, and Holmes serving as translator. Wright would serve as the liaison with the French Navy, with the specific objective of convincing the French to have their fleet anchored in Toulon join the Allied cause.[1]
Execution
The group flew in two
Seraph transported Clark's party to the small fishing village of
On October 24, Clark's mission returned to Seraph after some inadvertent delays, and later met a seaplane that flew them back to Gibraltar, arriving back in London on October 25.[2][3]
Aftermath
Operation Flagpole was followed by Operation Kingpin, in which Général Giraud, code-named "Kingpin", was released from French "Zone libre" confinement and brought to Gibraltar.
See also
- US Naval Bases North Africa
- North African campaign timeline
- Operation Husky
- Atlantic Theater aircraft carrier operations during World War II#Allied Invasion of North Africa (1942)
References
- Notes
- ^ Murphy p.138-140
- ^ Murphy p.140-154
- ^ HMS "Seraph" Archived 2012-06-30 at archive.today on British Submarines of World War Two
- Bibliography
- Murphy, Robert. Diplomat Among Warriors. New York (NY): Doubleday, 1964.