UNITED STATES AVAILABLE FORCES 7. United States .Forces, as originally planned for Super-Gymnast, will be available, bu their participation will be limited by the withdrawal of shipping for the troop mdvements in the Pacific. Combat loaded ships for one Div ision (12,000) are being held in readiness. This shipping will permit the employment of that division. It can be supported by one carrier group of naval aircraft or equivalent, disembarked from an aircraft carrier. All antiaircraft troops would have to be found by the British, also base troops, until additional United States shipping could be made available, either from Pacif ic or from shipping now employed on other tasks. This latter shipping is more fully discussed in Paragraph 11 below. RATE OF MOVEMENT 8. The rate at which the British force could be received would not be limited be as in the Super-Gymnast plan, :by the capacity of Casablanca Port. It would depend upon the provision of shipping and naval escorts. The following table is based upon the assumption that the British could not afford to rob the Middle andfar East reinforcements of more than 25,000 men from one reinforcement convoy. The United States program is based upon the repeated use of the combat loaded ships and the use of no other troop transports until the return to the Atlantic Coast of the Far East cargo convoy, about 15 - 25 May. For movements after the first one, 8 additional cargo vessels will be required. Possible acceleration of the movement will be governed by the priority needs stated in Paragraph 11 below. 9. The table below shows the earliest dates on which British and United States forces can arrive at Casablanca if D-1 falls on March lst: CASABLANCA ALGIERS March 1 D-1 BRITISH U .S. BRITISH Mar. 28 D-28 5,000 12,000 7,000 D-43 6,000 * 16,000 D-73 22,00 D-8 8 12,000 D- 103 22,00 D- 118 22,000 July 21 D-133 12,000 * D- 148 12,000 D-163 22,000 Sept. 19 D-193 12,000 Totals 67,000 92,000 23,000 * See Paragraph 10. -- 3 -- |