Editing George S. Patton (section)

=== North African campaign ===
[[File:Major General Patton and Rear Admiral Hewitt on USS Augusta (CA-31), circa in November 1942 (80-G-30116).jpg|thumb|Patton (left) with [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Henry Kent Hewitt]] aboard {{USS|Augusta|CA-31|6}}, off the coast of [[North Africa]], November 1942]]
{{See also|Operation Torch|Tunisian campaign}}
[[File:Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and the Sultan of Morocco, Sidi Mohammed and guests at a dinner for the Sultan (cropped).jpg|thumb|220x220px|George S. Patton at the [[Casablanca Conference]]]]
Under [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], the [[Supreme Allied Commander]], Patton was assigned to help plan the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] invasion of [[Scramble for Africa#France|French North Africa]] as part of [[Operation Torch]] in the summer of 1942.{{sfn|Brighton|2009|pp=117–119}}{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=88–90}} Patton commanded the Western Task Force, consisting of 33,000 men in 100 ships, in landings centered on [[Casablanca]], Morocco. The landings, which took place on 8 November 1942, were opposed by [[Vichy France|Vichy French]] forces, but Patton's men quickly gained a [[beachhead]] and pushed through fierce resistance. Casablanca fell on 11 November and Patton negotiated an [[armistice]] with French General [[Charles Noguès]].{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=91–93}}{{sfn|Brighton|2009|pp=165–166}} The [[Mohammed V of Morocco|Sultan of Morocco]] was so impressed that he presented Patton with the [[Order of Ouissam Alaouite]], with the citation "''Les Lions dans leurs tanières tremblent en le voyant approcher''" (The lions in their dens tremble at his approach).{{sfn|Edey|1968|p=60}} Patton oversaw the conversion of Casablanca into a military port and hosted the [[Casablanca Conference]] in January 1943.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=94}}

On 6 March 1943, following the defeat of the [[II Corps (United States)|U.S. II Corps]] by the German [[Afrika Korps]], commanded by ''[[Generalfeldmarschall]]'' [[Erwin Rommel]], at the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]], Patton replaced Major General [[Lloyd Fredendall]] as Commanding General of the II Corps and was promoted to lieutenant general. Soon thereafter, he had Major General [[Omar Bradley]] reassigned to his corps as its deputy commander.{{sfn|Blumenson|1985|p=182}} With orders to take the battered and demoralized formation into action in 10 days' time, Patton immediately introduced sweeping changes, ordering all soldiers to wear clean, pressed and complete uniforms, establishing rigorous schedules, and requiring strict adherence to military protocol. He continuously moved throughout the command talking with men, seeking to shape them into effective soldiers. He pushed them hard, and sought to reward them well for their accomplishments.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=96–97}} His uncompromising leadership style is evidenced by his orders for an attack on a hill position near [[Gafsa]], in which he ended by reportedly saying, "I expect to see such casualties among officers, particularly staff officers, as will convince me that a serious effort has been made to capture this objective."{{sfn|Hunt|1990|p=169}}

[[File:US generals Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Terry Allen and George Patton.jpg|thumb|left|From left to right, Brigadier General [[Theodore Roosevelt Jr.]], Major General [[Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr.|Terry Allen]] and Lieutenant General George S. Patton, March 1943]]

Patton's training was effective, and on 17 March, the [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. 1st Infantry Division]] took Gafsa participating in the indecisive [[Battle of El Guettar]], and pushing a German and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italian]] armored force back twice. In the meantime, on 5 April, he removed Major General [[Orlando Ward]], commanding the [[1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Division]], after its lackluster performance at Maknassy against numerically inferior German forces. Advancing on [[Gabès]], Patton's corps pressured the [[Mareth Line]].{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=96–97}} During this time, he reported to British [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Sir Harold Alexander]], commander of the [[18th Army Group]], and came into conflict with [[Air Vice Marshal]] [[Arthur Coningham (RAF officer)|Sir Arthur Coningham]] about the lack of [[close air support]] being provided for his troops.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=98–99}} By the time his force reached Gabès, the Germans had abandoned it. He then relinquished command of II Corps to Bradley, and returned to the I Armored Corps in Casablanca to help plan Operation Husky, the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]]. Fearing U.S. troops would be sidelined, he convinced British commanders to allow them to continue fighting through to the end of the [[Tunisia Campaign]] before leaving on this new assignment.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=98–99}}{{sfn|Brighton|2009|p=188}}