Opening of the Casablanca conference in Morocco

The first inter-allied conference of the Second World War was held in Casablanca two months after the British landing in North Africa.

The American President Roosevelt, the British Prime Minister Churchill, and the two rival French Generals de Gaulle and Giraud met at the Anfa Hotel to develop the allied strategy and settle the question of the government of North Africa and French West Africa.


Giraud, Roosevelt, de Gaulle and Churchill at the Casablanca Conference

Roosevelt signed the Anfa plan which provided for the creation of 8 motorized infantry divisions and 3 armoured divisions. Equipped with American materiel, the 1st and 5th Armoured Divisions formed part of the 1st French Army, commanded by General de Lattre de Tassigny, and the 2nd Armoured Division commanded by General Leclerc formed part of the 3rd American Army under the command of General Patton. These 3 major units played an active part in the French campaign and in the final victory.

FOR FURTHER…

Video : Reportage de l’époque sur la conférence : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0cojFJ5UYc

Book : Gérard Saint-Martin, L’arme blindée française, tome 2 (The armoured French forces. vol. 2), 1940-1945, dans le fracas des batailles (in the heat of battle), Economica, 2001.