November 8, 1942. Operation Torch commences.

 Operation Torch commenced, that being the Anglo American invasion of French North Africa.

The landings were a compromise between British and American concerns, designed to knock the Axis out of North Africa by opening up the territory of theoretically neutral French North Africa. While it tends to be obliquely noted, it was an active of aggression against a party that had resisted going into war fully and which was not a declared belligerent.

The Western Task and Center Tasks Forces were made up of all American troops, while the Eastern Task Force included some British troops as well as Americans. The naval contingent was Anglo-American.  French loyalty to Vichy was already wavering and Admiral Duran, in Algiers, quickly convinced the Vichy authorities not to oppose the landings.  Duran was in Algiers at the time, visiting his son, which worked out freakishly well given that it was soon clear that Giraud did not have sufficient command over Vichy forces to influence them.  Casualties would be overall low for the operation, which lasted a little over a week.

Vichy France broke off diplomatic relations with the United States on this day, but as a practical matter this was the beginning of the end for Vichy, which had been fighting the British nearly continually in Africa for most of the year, and had been beaten by Japan in the Pacific.  It was reduced to a rump state after this, with the Free French increasingly being the legitimate French authority.

Sarah Sundin noted the day on her blog, of course, and included the naval Battle of Casablanca:

Today in World War II History—November 8, 1942: Operation Torch: 400,000 American and British troops land in Morocco and Algeria. In Naval Battle of Casablanca, US ships sink nine Vichy French warships.

The operation proved to be a masterful strategic and logistical success.  In very short order, it became clear that the tide that was already turning was rapidly rising.  And at that, it's worth noting that rolling back the Axis in Europe really started with British successes in North Africa, followed by Operation Torch, prior to the Red Army commencing to advance in any meaningful manner.  Having said that, simply holding the line by the fall of 1942 was a major Soviet success.

Torch, by the way, pitted 107,000 Allied troops against 125,000 mostly Vichy troops.  It was, therefore, spread out over a long axis and while the landing forces were concentrated, they were actually outnumbered in terms of overall numbers.  Armor landing in support of Torch was, moreover, weak.

Hitler, in a speech in Munich, declared Stalingrad to be in German hands.  The speech was his annual one to his "old fighters".

The Germans eliminated the Piaski ghetto, spreading their genocide further.

1942  Two United States Army Air Corp fighters conducted a demonstration over Lusk, with one of them being flown by a resident of Lusk, now in the USAAC.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.