Page 601 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

TH!; V.$. IIRMY ANI) AMPHIBIOIJ$ WAilFIIRE S67
batten rold .King. lf che Navy allowed che Army ro carry our chese operations, Mounr-
banen conrinued, and ''che Army purs irself ashore, and in rhe long run you don'c
need a Navy" <4o>. The very nexc day King ocdeced Hewitc co London for orienta·
cion on amphibi.ous operations wich Mountbatten's Combined Operadons Head·
quarcers. Upon his rerurn, Hewin cook over training che amphibious corps and
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planning che Navy's pan in "Sledgehammer-Roundup" amphibious operations C >.
The Navy's change was also reflecred in lrs posirion on che command scruc-
rure for "Siedgehammer-Roundup". King and Marshall agreed in May l942 thar
A.merican land and sea forces would come under che Army in accordance wich uni-
ry of command provisions ofjoinl Artlon when che Army's European Thearer of
42
Operacions (ETOUSA or ETO) was esrablished < >. Lr. Genera! Dwight D. Eisen·
hower, che newly desigoaced Arnerican cheacer and Army commander, upon his
arrivai in London in late June affirmed a unifìed command for amphibious train-
4
ing and operacioo:s againsc che cominenr based on che King-MarshaU agreemencf 3>.
First esrablished as che Advanced Group of Hewirc's Amphibious Force, Adantic
Fleec, chis soon became che ETO's Maricime Command and in Ocrober che Am-
phibious Force, Europe, which remaioed in charge of American naval planning
4
for the aoss-Channel acrack even as allied naval forces prepared for "Torch" <4 >.
Wheo the aoss-Channel invasion ("Siedgehammer-Roundup") gave-way to
operacioo "Torch" agajo:sc Prench North Africa inJuly, cheArmy's encire amph.ibious
program was mrown imo quescion. From a shore·to-shore operacion in Army-manned
boars under Army commaod, che ampbibious emphasis in Europe shifced co ship-
w-shore operarions, which were che Navy's realm. Combined with Eisenhower's
cheal:fi policy based on che Kìng-Marshall agreemem andjoint Artion, chis meanc
chat che U.S. Navy in Europe now concroUed ali ship-to-shore and shore-ro-shore
operacioos and rbe Army ali shore operarioos. When che lsr Engineer Amphibian
Brigade arrived io rhe Unired Kingdom in August, it was assigned co che Navy's
Maritime Command. Wich che poscponemenc on che cross-Cbannel operarion. ch·e
bcigade was soon assigned co "Torch", suipped of its boar regime m, and limiced
w shore operacions (41>.
T he Army's focus now shifred abrupdy co che Amphibious Corps of che Ac-
lancic Fleec's Amphibious Force, its principal training force in che Uniced Scaces
for ship·to-shore amphibious operacions. With che 1st Marine Division's move co
che Pacifìc, cbis corps was ali Army- the 3rd and 9th Jnfamry and 2nd Armored
Oivisioos. The corps was soon designaced che Western Task Force, che Army com-
ponent of an American joint expedicionaty force for "Torch". under command of
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Major Generai George S. Paccon,Jr. t >. 1o rhe Unicc:d Kingdom, the lsc and 34th
lnfantry and Lsr Armored Divisions. che only Army divisions with amphibious train-
ing tben oucside che United Sraces, prepared for their Jandings operarions with che
lst Engineer Amphibian Brigade and che Royal Navy C4 >.
7
Operaring under guidance from theJCS, War Depanmeor, and Eisenhower's
newly escablished Allied Forces Headqu.arcers (AFHQ), Paccon would pian and com-