Destination Casablanca Exile, espionage, and the battle for North Africa in World War II

Casablanca, Morocco's main seaport, serves as historian Hindley's stage set for her narrative of WWII political intrigues and military battles for control of the then-French colony. Revolving around the activities of French officials, her account tracks their posture toward the Vichy government that nominally ruled Morocco in the wake of France's defeat by Germany in 1940. The supreme authority was Resident-General Charles Noguès, whose gyrations indicate both why a postwar French court convicted him of collaborating with the Nazis and why Hindley offers a fresh perspective on his political predicament. An influx of thousands of refugees fleeing German conquests further complicated matters, providing Hindley with such arresting cases as those of entertainer Josephine Baker and novelist Arthur Koestler and supplying Hollywood with characters for the famous movie Casablanca. Alluding to the classic film, Hindley notes its simplifications of the real-life Casablanca, which, teeming with stateless exiles and spies, became a war zone with the American landings of November 1942 and then a conference location for FDR, Churchill, and Charles de Gaulle. A fine and faithful work of historical reconstruction.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2017 Booklist

The Moroccan city of Casablanca became a setting for danger and courage after the German conquest of France during World War II. Here, historian Hindley brings the political, military, and human stories of the area to life. In the early years of the conflict, refugees sought safety from Hitler and Nazi Germany while rival French military and political factions jockeyed for power. The U.S. entry into the war brought the fighting to Casablanca in Operation Torch, a massive amphibious invasion in November 1941, which quickly led to Anglo-American control. The next major event for the city was a January 1943 conference, where U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and British prime minister Winston Churchill solidified their alliance. Hindley's warm, detailed writing style portrays the determination and resources that America brought to Casablanca, the continuing plight of refugees, the stirrings of Moroccan nationalism, and the moving saga of American singer Josephine Baker's support for a free France. Extensively researched, this account is rife with personal accounts, political and diplomatic insights, and vivid depictions of the military process. VERDICT Recommended for history buffs who will relish the author's skilled presentation of a little-known theater in World War II.-Elizabeth Hayford, formerly with Associated Coll. of the -Midwest, Evanston, IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.