DID THE US CONDUCT A SURPRISE ATTACK ON FRENCH COLONIES DURING WWII?

 I thank Google AI for this answer.  

"Yes, the United States, along with Great Britain, conducted a massive surprise amphibious invasion against Vichy French colonies in North Africa during World War II.

Codenamed Operation Torch, the offensive began on November 8, 1942, targeting Vichy-controlled French Morocco and Algeria. Because the United States maintained formal diplomatic relations with the officially neutral Vichy French government at the time, the assault was launched without a declaration of war or formal advance warning, functioning logistically as a sneak attack to ensure the element of surprise. [1, 2, 3]

Strategic Objectives

The operation, commanded by Allied General Dwight D. Eisenhower, aimed to achieve several critical goals: [1]

Open a Second Front: Relieve intense military pressure on the Soviet Union by forcing the Axis powers to divide their forces. [1, 2]
Pincer Movement: Encircle the Axis forces (specifically Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps) by landing behind them while British forces pushed westward from Egypt. [1, 2]
Secure the Mediterranean: Reclaim control of vital maritime shipping lanes. [1]

Secret Diplomacy vs. Tactical Surprise

While the Vichy government in France received no warning, American diplomats and intelligence officials did attempt to minimize bloodshed through clandestine channels:

The Secret Mission: U.S. General Mark Clark secretly sneaked into North Africa via submarine weeks prior to meet with pro-Allied French military officers. [1]
The Algiers Coup: On the night of the invasion, local pro-Allied French Resistance fighters staged a successful coup in Algiers, neutralizing the Vichy military leadership and allowing Allied forces to secure the city with minimal resistance. [1, 2]

The Outcome

Despite hopes that the French would not shoot at American troops, fierce fighting broke out at the landing sites in Oran and Casablanca. Vichy naval forces and shore batteries heavily resisted the assault, resulting in several thousand casualties on both sides. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The fighting ended abruptly on November 11, 1942, after Allied officials struck a deal with Vichy Admiral François Darlan, who ordered a total ceasefire. In retaliation for the deal, Nazi Germany immediately broke its armistice with France and occupied the rest of France."

My comment- Those who watched the French tv program, The Line of Demarcation, about a French village under Marshall Petain's government, there was almost no mention of this, or of Churchill's destruction of French ships in 1941, when France surrendered to the Germans.  France lost nearly 1,000 sailors, at Churchill's command, and many French then demanded their nation declare war or their ally of the previous week who launched a sneak attack killing so many seamen.

There is a video on You Tube about events when Hitler attacked the USSR in summer 1940.  What would America do?  All awaited Pres. Roosevelt's decision.  Meanwhile, what the video calls American isolationists, opposed any help for the Soviets.  But the film's depiction was less of Republican Sen. Taft, and more on all the Roman Catholic prelates, pleading, give no assistance to the atheistic, communist government of the USSR.  Let it face Hitler alone.  Amon The church leaders was Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (today, seemingly on the path to become a saint.)  Unmentioned, Jewish-Americans had learnt already that where Nazis conquered, Jews were in danger, a danger more deadly than they knew.  Many became more sympathetic to the Stalinist cause.

     The video shows FDR choosing to support Stalin, but only in words at first.  He send Harry Hopkins as his personal envoy, and Hopkins, 1 interpreter, and Stalin met for several hours.  Stalin conceded, his side would be losing till year's end, but it would survive and continued to fight with new strength the following year.  Meanwhile, it needed all kinds of supplies,  It would not collapse.  Hopkins took the paper re the Soviet military back to FDR, who decided, the Soviets would not collapse; if the US sent help, it would not be a waste.  And we begab ti send supplies to the Soviets as quickly as possible, and vast sums of all kinds of military and foods to the wounded red nation.

     I recognized the name of Harry Hopkins, as during the McCarthy era, he was often called a Communist.  I have no idea on that topic.  Surely, many Catholics in Europe would have felt safer with Hitler than with Stalin.  A Hitler victory would  have anniolated almost all Jews, and at a slower pace, many Poles and other Slavs, and other Untermenchen.  Often in real life, there are no easy answers; each choice is painful, no really good ones.  Just the best of the bad options.  HUGH MURRAY