Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II

by Meredith Hindley, Matthew Waterson (Narrator)

This rollicking and panoramic history of Casablanca during the Second World War sheds light on the city as a key hub for European and American powers, and a place where spies, soldiers, and political agents exchanged secrets and vied for control.

In November 1942, as a part of Operation Torch, 33,000 American soldiers sailed undetected across the Atlantic and stormed the beaches of French Morocco. Seventy-four hours later, the Americans controlled the country and one of the most valuable wartime Casablanca.

In the years preceding, Casablanca had evolved from an exotic travel destination to a key military target after France's surrender to Germany. Jewish refugees from Europe poured in, hoping to obtain visas and passage to the United States and beyond. Nazi agents and collaborators infiltrated the city in search of power and loyalty. The resistance was not far behind, as shopkeepers, celebrities, former French Foreign Legionnaires, and disgruntled bureaucrats formed a network of Allied spies. But once in American hands, Casablanca became a crucial logistical hub in the fight against Germany -- and the site of Roosevelt and Churchill's demand for "unconditional surrender."

Rife with rogue soldiers, power grabs, and diplomatic intrigue, Destination Casablanca is the riveting and untold story of this glamorous city--memorialized in the classic film that was rush-released in 1942 to capitalize on the drama that was unfolding in North Africa at the heart of World War II.

Audible Audio

Published October 25, 2017

About the author

Meredith Hindley is a writer and historian living in Washington, D.C. Her work has appeared in Humanities, New York Times, Salon, Longreads, and Barnes and Noble Review. She found her way to the nation’s capital after growing up in Colorado and attending the University of Wyoming. As a student at Laramie, she studied English and history, while also learning the importance of Polar Fleece.

Hindley ventured east to attend American University, where she earned a master’s degree in history. A year working as a legal assistant failed to deter her from plunging back into academia, and she returned to American University to earn a Ph.D. If pressed, she will confess that one of the great things about being a historian of World War II is having a reason to visit London, Paris, and Casablanca.

Along with a deep love of history, she also confesses to being a fan of classic movies, lipstick, well-plotted mysteries, and the Washington Capitals. And, yes, she still owns a pair of cowboy boots. Black.