Behind the coach came a cart covered with white boxes, then a camel loaded with white boxes, and then a mule similarly loaded. As far as I could see, the boxes were empty, but apparently they represented the provisions which His Majesty had normally carried with him. The significance of the ceremony is that in the old days the Sultan made a yearly progression of his realm and moved by the means indicated in this ceremonial show and was met at the gate of each city by the City Fathers, who are now moved to the palace for this ceremonial repetition of the visit.
Upon the completion of» this part of the show, the Sultan returned to the palace and then the great occasion arose of which the Prince Imperial had been telling me. It consisted of groups of from three to twenty Arabs, mounted on horses, with old-fashioned muskets.,, At a given signal, one of these groups would charge violently up the arena, doing a sort of manual of arms mounted, one movement of which was to hold the gun over the head in a horizontal position, muzzle to the front. This was apparently the start.
After this they would whirl the gun in various ways and finally attempt to discharge it. Since these guns are flintlocks, not over thirty per cent went off. On three or four occasions which they did, the Arab shooting it also went off, and when an Arab, usually a venerable Arab, falls—“Oh, what a fall is here, my countrymen”—his hat comes off, his shoes come off, and several bags and sacks, which he carries concealed under his robe, are scattered. The show is then halted while retainers push him onto his horse and collect his paraphernalia. In all, about three hundred Arabs passed in this way.
Casablanca
January 1, 1943
Early this morning we had our first air attack. The first explosion of three bombs occurred about 3:15 and woke me from a perfectly sound sleep. I lit in the middle of the floor, pulled the curtain across the window, got on some clothes, and was on the roof in about five minutes.
There was a low ceiling of some twenty-five hundred feet, with rain and wind, and all our searchlights—almost as many as George1 has years of age—were working, probing holes in the clouds.
1General Patton's son
Presently the light anti-aircraft began going off at a great rate, with tracers looking like fireflies. This continued for about five minutes and suddenly there was a tremendous flash from which came long octopus-like tentacles of fire with bulbs along them. The fire from this incendiary blazed very brightly for about twenty minutes during which time nothing happened.
Then we distinctly heard airplanes, and the heavy antiaircraft began firing by the use of a device which makes it unnecessary to see the plane.
The noise continued, and pretty soon, from over the house to our back, a large four-motor enemy bomber appeared and was immediately caught in the range of two searchlights. As soon as this occurred, apparently every anti-aircraft gun in the vicinity opened fire, and the plane was literally outlined with tracer bullets and surrounded by the white bursts of high explosive, which immediately changed into a small black cloud. Although this bomber was not over two thousand feet up, and probably because of it, she passed clear through without being hit, or at least I do not think she was hit, although some others think she was.
We could hear other planes above the clouds and occasionally the explosion of bombs. Once a fragment whined by on its way down, but apparently our house was not in the line of the returning fragments.
While this was going on, I sent officers to various points to get information, and they kept telephoning in. So far as our defense was concerned, it was working correctly so there was nothing for me to do but worry.
About a quarter to five, we heard another bomber from behind us, another four-motor job. She came over still lower than the first one, and again was surrounded by tracer and high explosive. I am sure that this plane was hit at least twice and disappeared in the direction of Europe.
Just after she passed, we heard the whine of bombs, which struck near an anti-aircraft battery, about half a mile to our right. My Aide, Lieutenant A. L. Stiller, went over to ascertain the exact location and damage, but no one had been hurt.
Things then quieted down and I decided to go to bed, as the raid was apparently over. At about 5:30, firing recommenced, and I returned to the roof, as I had not undressed. There were quite a few explosions and a tremendous anti-aircraft fire from our guns and also from ships. It was better than the greatest Fourth-of-July demonstration possible to imagine.
Presently a bomber was picked up by the searchlights crossing directly in front of us at about four thousand feet, as the ceiling had lifted. The anti-aircraft shells were bursting all around her, but suddenly she fell about two thousand feet, upon which there were loud cheers from all directions. However, she straightened out and continued her course, and in about three miles again took a tumble, almost to the level of the sea. Smoke trailing from one or two of her motors could be seen distinctly, and I believe she was a dead duck, but she disappeared into the mist before hitting the water.
As soon as it was light, I went out to inspect the holes and talk to the soldiers. They were very calm, and one gun crew I talked to, who had been within fifty yards of a crater, said that it had not knocked them down, but had bruised them with mud and rocks.
The holes were about the size of an average bedroom, and there were in the craters quite a lot of bomb fragments, which we collected in order to get the numbers. In this we were fortunate, and thereby learned the type of bomb and type of fuse.
Although there were quite a number of bombs dropped, no soldiers were killed and only a very few wounded. The Arabs were less fortunate. One bomb in one town close by killed more Arabs than I am years old and wounded others. I wrote a letter of condolence to the Pasha, which may help him, but will not restore the Arabs.
About ten o’clock I had a meeting of all aviators and anti-aircraft officers to discuss the scheme of defense and to make the necessary corrections. We were of the opinion that everything had gone satisfactorily, but that a few changes were desirable. These have now been made. Material damage was zero. The bombers deliberately seemed to pick out open fields or the middle of the streets. Nothing hit the harbor.
When the last bomber flew over the house, George Meeks1 said, “Sir, if I had my saddle, I could throw it on him and ride him.”
The Sultan’s Visit to Casablanca
January 12,13,1943
About two weeks ago, the Sultan’s uncle, who lives in Casablanca, asked me if I would like to inspect the Sultan’s palace here, and said that the Sultan was very anxious to be here when I visited it, but that he could not come to Casablanca without a reason; so we decided to give a demonstration of all weapons and motor vehicles in this command in his honor, and also to invite the French.
The purpose of this demonstration was twofold. Primarily, to impress the French and Arabs with our power and also, by showing our power, to take away the stigma of defeat from the French, for obviously with their weapons they could not fight such weapons as we displayed. We did not stress the fact that none of our heavy equipment was ashore when the fighting took place.
On the afternoon of January 10, I went to the Sultan’s palace and was met by the Grand Protocol. Presently, the other officers, including some French, arrived and we had an audience with the Sultan, with me doing all the talking, which was indicated by the Grand Protocol, who kept looking at me to start the conversation. We still went through the rigmarole of my talking to the Protocol in French and the Protocol talking to the Sultan in Arabic, and back the same way. We had a guard of honor consisting of a company of light tanks, a number of French motorcycle infantry, and some motorcycle military police. The Sultan, his son, and the Grand Protocol got in the first car; General Keyes and I in the second car; then the twelve apostles, who were all Viziers as I have discovered. Then the rest of the American and French officers. In all, about thirty cars.
The field was very handsomely arranged by Colonel Williams.3 The crews stood at attention with their side-arms at each vehicle, and the amm
unition for all weapons stacked in front of the vehicle.
When we arrived at the grounds, I had my command car for the Sultan, and after the band had rendered the honors and played the three national airs, I helped the Sultan get into it. He indicated that I should join him. General Nogues, which had informed me that no foreigner ever rode with His Majesty, protested to the Sultan. The Sultan said that that was his business, and that I should ride with him, which I did, on his right. He then asked Nogues to come in on his left, and the Prince Imperial sat in front holding on to the handrail. This is alleged to be the first time in history that a foreigner has ever ridden with the Sultan.
We passed very slowly in front of each vehicle, and I explained it to the best of my ability, by talking in direct French to the Sultan—who speaks it better than I do. When we got to the laundry truck, I could not remember the noun in French and so I said, “I cannot remember that name.” He said in perfect English, “You mean laundry truck,” thereby spilling the beans that he could not speak English.
From this exposition, we drove to the airfield where Colonel Beam1 had arranged a very fine demonstration of the various types of airplanes. These the Sultan inspected with great interest, and the Prince Imperial climbed into all of them and worked the controls.
From there we proceeded to the port and made a tour of the wharves. Then Admiral Hall took the Sultan and the senior members of the party, including the Viziers, to the destroyer Wainwright, where they had a battle station drill.
Most of the Viziers are around ninety, so could not climb up the ladder, and I remained with them and we got very intimate and told jokes. The theory that the Arab has no sense of humor is absurd.
We returned the Sultan to his palace and re-entered the audience chamber, and as soon as we got there, I had to speak French to the Grand Protocol and the Protocol in Arabic to the Sultan and so on. The Sultan then, with a happy smile, suggested that it would be a great honor if I would have breakfast with him the next day, the thirteenth. I said I should be delighted and asked if I might bring General Clark.1 We then went home.
Shortly after supper, the Protocol called up and said that General Clark should not come. I was very much upset and offered not to go myself, but Clark told me to go ahead. This was very fortunate, as I found out today that the reason they had not wanted Clark was that they felt he was of too high rank to be asked so casually. I was very much gratified to learn this.
We arrived at the palace at 1:30 and were met outside by a battalion of French native infantry, with two bands and a company of the Black Guard inside.
I was conducted to the audience room alone, and I started the usual rigmarole, but the Sultan immediately cut out the interpreter and talked to me in French. After we had conversed for what seemed to me a terribly long time, the others were allowed to come in.
About this time breakfast was announced with the opening of two enormous curved wooden doors. I believe of rosewood. The breakfast room is the most beautiful room I have ever been in. It is black-and-white modeled marble to a height of about fifteen feet; above that is very fine white stucco, and above that is a curved wooden roof, gilded. The floor is black marble and the four sideboards are marble. There are white-fluted Doric half-columns all around the room. I told the Sultan it was the most beautiful room I had ever seen—and he admitted it.
I sat down between the Sultan and the Prince Imperial, and the rest of the people were separated in Arab, French, and American groups. We had a regular French breakfast of about ten courses, ending up with the Kus-Kus and ice cream. During this meal, which lasted three hours, I talked continuously in French to the Sultan and the Prince Imperial, who both understood me.
After lunch we walked through a truly beautiful garden to a pavilion made completely of mosaic, both walls and floor, inside and out, and decorated with carved rosewood. All the banisters were of curved bronze. Having drunk some coffee here and talked some more, we proceeded through a double rank of Black Guards to a second marble building, called the Pavilion of Joy. This is entered from a sunken garden in which a fountain plays.
1Major General Mark W. Clark, Commanding General of the Fifth Army (just activated).
Inside, the Pavilion of Joy is of white marble with stucco and is divided in the middle by a raised platform with Doric columns of white marble. We sat in the right-hand half and some of the lesser people in the left-hand half where there was also a native orchestra.
In front of the Sultan and myself, there were nine different types of sweetmeats, at least a couple of hundred of each. These were in curved silver dishes or trays. The trays are raised on four legs about a foot from the ground. After we had talked some more, the servants placed these trays within our reach. No one that I saw, including the Sultan, took more than one sweetmeat. While this was going on, they served us with hot mint tea.
When we had drunk the second glass of mint tea, the sweetmeats were removed and the official photographer came in and took pictures. I was just about to leave when the Sultan got up on the steps and asked me to stand in front of him. He then decorated me with the Order of the Grand Cross of Ouissam Alaouite, on a pumpkin-colored ribbon with a white edge that goes over the right shoulder with the medal hanging over the left hip. The ribbon is about four inches wide. There is also a huge silver star which you wear normally, only using the ribbon for full dress. The Sultan stated that he was decorating me with this on account of what I had done for Morocco, and I told him in reply that nothing I had done for Morocco could compensate for the honor Morocco had done me in presenting me with the ribbon, which seemed to be the right thing to say. The Citation read, “Les lions dans leurs tanires tremblent h son approche.”1
General Keyes, General Wilbur,2 and General Wilson and Admiral Hall received the same order in the next lower grade, the Grand Officer Order. Colonel Gay4 5 and Colonel Conrad6 received the next one, which is a neck ribbon, and is known as the Commander Order.
1“The lions in their dens tremble at his approach.”
2•Brigadier General W. H. Wilbur, on General Patton’s Staff.
We then went to the swimming pool which is beyond the reception room. This was the finest pool I had ever seen, with red-and-green submerged lights, and a diving board in polished duraluminum. The height of the diving platform can be regulated by an electric switch, operated by the foot. There are also rowing machines and punching bags. One of the Viziers, who seems to be especially fond of me, said they had them all over Morocco, as the women could not go out and had to have exercise, and these were the only places where they could get it.
We then returned through the double rank of the Black Guard, entered the audience chamber, where the Sultan immediately lapsed into Arabic, and, after staying two minutes, I started to leave. As I got up, the Sultan said he hoped this was the beginning of a long and permanent friendship between him and me and our countries. I replied that I would do my uttermost to make the end of this friendship as fortunate and happy as the beginning.
Visit to Marrakech and Boar Hunt
Casablanca
February 1,1943
The Pasha of Marrakech had been insisting for a long time that I pay him a personal visit, so on the afternoon of February 1, I, General Wilbur, Colonel Gay, Colonel Williams, Colonel Davidson,7 and Captain Jenson8 flew to Marrakech. We were met at the airfield by a battalion of infantry, a French General, and the Pasha. We first called on General Martin, the French District Commander, and then went to the palace.
The palace of the Pasha occupies about two city blocks and is completely walled in. To approach it, you walk through a street where two vehicles can just pass, and in through a very narrow gate. From this you enter a beautiful garden, with a marble fountain and two very beautiful white marble lions.
The Pasha has three guest houses, each one of which, in my opinion, cost probably a million dollars. The one assigned to General Wilbur and myself has on the first floor a museum and the Pasha’s private office. This museum contains ever
ything from Roman coins to the latest type of firearms. The collection of swords is remarkable, and I am sure that one of the weapons I saw is a Crusader’s sword. It was impossible to admire any of these, because, had I done so, they would have immediately been presented to me. However, they were very interesting. I saw a suit of chain mail in the most perfect condition of any suit I had ever seen, probably due to the dry climate, which had prevented it from rusting. There were also a backplate and a breastplate of around 1400, which was remarkably good and very heavy, completely chased in gold. Among other things in the museum was a set of china presented to the Pasha by the President of France.
On the second floor of this house was a large room about thirty feet square, with a lot of booths around the sides, such as we see in soda fountains, except that the partitions were made of carved and painted wood. As you entered the room, there was a movable bar with every kind of liquor, but which nobody seemed to drink.
My room was on the next floor and consisted of a bedchamber, a dressing room, and a very complete modern bathroom. The walls were white up to about ten feet, and above that were stucco. I had a sitting room forty feet square with a sofa completely around it, with the most beautiful ceiling and walls I have ever beheld. The entire wall above six feet was made of Arabian stucco work, as fine as lace. The Pasha told me it took a year to make, and I believe he was not exaggerating.
The lower part of the wall was a mosaic of white, red, and yellow tiles.
At the end of the hall leading to the apartment and bedroom was an Arab whom the Pasha referred to as a slave. He was very amiable and armed with a dagger, and spent his time trying to find out how he could do something for me.
War as I Knew It Page 4