The Churchill Factor: November 1942 to April 1943

Abstract

The year 1942 saw the collapse of the British Empire in the Far East, humiliating defeats in North Africa, and a disastrous raid on Dieppe, while the Battle of the Atlantic remained desperate. As we have seen, British leaders spent much of the year transfixed by the possibility of a Soviet defeat in the Caucasus, and a German-Japanese ‘junction’ in the Indian Ocean. It is essential to understand the anxiety and pessimism that characterised the British war effort for the first 9 months of 1942, in order to appreciate the rapid change of mood that occurred in October, November and December. An Anglo-American assault on north-west Africa — code-named ‘Torch’ — began on 8 November, and achieved complete surprise. The immediate success of the Allied landings was coupled with the parallel achievements of the British Eighth Army in Egypt and Libya (in an offensive which commenced on 23 October) and the stagnation of the German drive in the Caucasus. Together, they stood in stark contrast to the reverses which had characterised 1942 to that point. The British were euphoric, and foresaw the defeat of the Axis during 1943.