The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forces which fought in North Africa and Italy during World War II. United States Army operations in the theater began with Operation Torch, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of northwest Africa on 8 November 1942, and concluded in the Italian Alps some 31 months later, with the German surrender in Italy on 2 May 1945. For administrative purposes, U.S. components were responsible to Headquarters North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), which was created 14 February 1943. NATOUSA was redesignated Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), on 26 October 1944. Origins Allied Force Headquarters (AFHQ) was created on 12 September 1942 to launch Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. At the time, this was within the boundaries of the European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA). The initial Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Allied (Expeditionary) Force, was Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark was deputy commander-in-chief. As Supreme Allied Commander, Eisenhower controlled the ground forces through Major General George S. Patton Jr, Major General Lloyd R. Fredendall, and British Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth Anderson. The naval forces were commanded by British Admiral Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, and the air forces by Air Marshal Sir William Welsh and Brigadier General James H. Doolittle. North African Theater of Operations The North African Theater of Operations (NATO) included French Africa, Spain, Portugal and Italy. For administrative purposes, US forces were controlled by Headquarters North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), which was activated in Algiers on 4 February 1943. Eisenhower commanded both the Allied Force and NATOUSA. The boundaries of NATOUSA were not the same as those of the Allied theater, and included all of French North Africa, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland. Brigadier General Everett S. Hughes, who had been responsible for the logistical planning of Operation Torch at ETOUSA, arrived in North Africa on 12 February 1943 to become the deputy theater commander and commanding general of the Communications Zone. The three base sections, the Atlantic Base Section at Casablanca, the Mediterranean Base Section at Oran and the Eastern Base Section at Constantine, became part of the Services of Supply, North African