remained of the French military was in French North Africa. The opinions of the indigenous populations of French North Africa were given little consideration by either the Allies or the Germans. Rather, the interest was in the position of the Vichy Government and of the likely reaction of the French military forces in North Africa.
The Vichy Government was opposed to any Allied action against French North Africa. The French military remained incensed over what the French perceived as a British desertion at Dunkirk, and many, perhaps, most members of the French military in North Africa were hostile to any proposed Allied efforts in the region. Although American military intelligence attempt to stage a coup simultaneously with the Operation Torch landing, the efforts failed for a number of reasons, and the Allied landing forces did meet armed limited resistance from the French military in North Africa.
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