ABSTRACT
Major General Lloyd R. Fredendall was fifty-eight years old, though his unlined face made him look younger. Of medium height, he was solidly built, almost chunky. He moved vigorously, spoke loudly, and had a firm opinion on every subject. During the invasion Fredendall commanded the troops who landed at Oran. They performed superbly and seized their objectives in less than three days, the only Allied units to win a decision wholly by force of arms. Concerned solely with the military features of the operation, Fredendall was uninterested in political questions which he dismissed as irrelevant. The command post was cold, cheerless, even gloomy, despite what one visitor called “exceedingly military” behavior by the personnel. It is sheer nonsense to say that maintenance of the men’s morale is the job of the battalion commander alone. The legend that Fredendall tried to create would soon fall apart.
