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WWII On This Day: November 10

What happened on November 10 during World War II? This date brings together 3 events from 1941, 1942 and 1944, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1941
Men of the King’s Own Regiment man a Vickers gun at Tobruk, 10 November 1941.
Men of the King’s Own Regiment man a Vickers gun at Tobruk, 10 November 1941. Captain Geoffrey Keating / Imperial War Museums E 6442 · UK Government public domain Source
Tobruk and Operation Crusader

The new garrison prepares for the next offensive

A British official photograph of 10 November shows a Vickers machine-gun team of the King’s Own Regiment in a Tobruk defensive post. The British 70th Division now commanded much of the garrison after the evacuation and replacement of Australian units. The defenders prepared artillery and tank support for a breakout coordinated with the Eighth Army. The operation could not start from Tobruk alone; an external force would need to break the besieging front around Ed Duda and Sidi Rezegh.

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1942
American infantry aboard a landing craft approaching Oran, Algeria, in November 1942 during Operation Torch.
Lt F. A. Hudson / Royal Navy / Imperial War Museums A 12661 · UK Government public domain
Operation Torch and the Tunisian Campaign

Casablanca falls and a French ceasefire broadens

French military resistance around Casablanca ended as American forces prepared to attack the city on 10 November. French commanders accepted the local ceasefire after the naval fighting and inland advances. Darlan and Juin issued wider instructions for French troops to stop resisting during 10–11 November. The political arrangement opened French ports and forces to Allied use, while leaving unresolved disputes over Darlan’s authority.

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1944
Men of the 101st Airborne Division moving toward Bastogne on 19 December 1944 as Allied reserves enter the Ardennes battle.
101st Airborne Division on the road between Bastogne and Houffalize, 19 December 1944 · US Army Signal Corps SC 329953 · NARA · Public domain · Source
The Battle of the Bulge

Wacht am Rhein

The 10 November directive formalised the concentration for Wacht am Rhein and imposed strict secrecy. The codename itself suggested a defensive posture on the Rhine rather than an offensive aimed far into Belgium. Orders moved by courier and landline where possible, radio traffic was restricted and units moved toward assembly areas at night. German commanders also tried to conceal the arrival of armour and bridging equipment beneath normal defensive activity in the Eifel. The security measures were effective enough to reduce the value of Allied signals intelligence. They did not…

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