Page:Charles Robert Anderson - Algeria-French Morocco - CMH Pub 72-11.pdf/20



General Anderson's troops resumed the advance on Casablanca at midnight, 9–10 November, with the 7th Group on the right along the coast, and the 15th Group inland. The two lead battalions of the 7th Group easily advanced over two miles until they ran into an artillery barrage near the village of Ain Sebaa. On the left, the 15th Group made no progress at all but not because of enemy fire. When reconnaissance troops reported a French position of unknown size near Tit Mellil, officers on the scene decided not to move against it in darkness. At daylight the delayed advance got off to an inauspicious start when the 10th Field Artillery Battalion somehow found itself ahead of the infantry and was fired on and pushed back 1,000 yards by counter-battery fire and infantry rushes. Then French warships found a gap in the naval gunfire support plan and bombarded 7th Group until driven back to port by the Augusta and four destroyers.

By midmorning it was clear that 10 November would be the bloodiest day for Troops of the 7th Group doggedly pushed on toward Casablanca, overran several machine-gun positions,