200: The North African Campaign: Desert Rats, the Desert Fox, & Operation Torch

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.” This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa. Long under the colonial thumb of the belligerent European nations—namely, France, Italy, and Britain—North Africa becomes the sandy stage for months of ugly tank battles featuring characters like the Desert Rats (Britain’s 7th Armoured Division), and the Desert Fox (Field Marshall Erwin Rommel). By the time American reinforcements arrive in Vichy French–held African ports for Operation Torch, the Brits and the Axis powers have been chasing each other across the Saharan desert for quite a while, the latest development being a heartening Allied victory at El Alamein, Egypt. The newly arrived G.I.s must quickly learn brutal lessons about tank warfare, but they soon come into their own after battles like Kasserine Pass and El Guettar, while simultaneously being whipped into shape by none other than "Old Blood and Guts" General George S. Patton. As U.S. forces move east into Tunisia and Bernard “Monty” Montgomery’s men continue moving west from Libya, we’ll see if this continent-wide pincer maneuver will break Rommel’s two-war winning streak, or if the Allies will finally score a hit against the thus-far (almost) unstoppable Germany. ____ Connect with us on ⁠⁠⁠HTDSpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ and go deep into ⁠⁠⁠episode bibliographies⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠book recommendations⁠⁠⁠ join discussions in our ⁠⁠⁠Facebook community⁠⁠⁠ get news and discounts from ⁠⁠⁠The HTDS Gazette⁠⁠⁠ come ⁠⁠⁠see a live show⁠⁠⁠ get ⁠⁠⁠HTDS merch⁠⁠⁠ or become an ⁠⁠⁠HTDS premium⁠⁠⁠ member for bonus episodes and other perks. HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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200: The North African Campaign: Desert Rats, the Desert Fox, & Operation Torch is an episode from History That Doesn't Suck by ProfGregJackson.

This episode is 65:00 long.

This episode was published on Mar 2, 2026.

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