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Why did the Allies expect resistance from Vichy French forces during Operation Torch?

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Map showing the British and Axis military campaigns in North Africa during World War II, with labeled troop movements, key battles, and shifting front lines from Egypt across Libya to Tunisia along the Mediterranean coast. The map includes arrows and dates marking advances and retreats by both sides, and highlights major turning points and defensive lines. — North Africa campaigns Military drives, defensive lines, and key battles during the North Africa campaigns of World War II, 1940–43.

The Allies expected resistance from Vichy French forces during Operation Torch primarily because the French colonial territories in North Africa remained officially loyal to the Vichy government of Marshal Philippe Pétain.1

Because these territories were under the command of officers subordinate to the Vichy regime—such as General Alphonse Juin in Algeria and General Charles-Auguste Noguès in Morocco—Allied planners recognized a significant risk that these troops would defend their positions against the invasion. Although U.S. diplomats attempted to secure the cooperation of French officers to avoid conflict, the lack of a clear, unified French leadership willing to break with Vichy meant that the Allies had to prepare for the possibility of armed opposition.12

Ultimately, while some French units did resist the landings, the situation shifted as the campaign progressed, leading to an armistice and the eventual alignment of North African forces with the Allies.31