The United States entered World War II in December 1941. By November 8, 1942, George Patton was commanding the Western Tank Force. Patton was a part of Operation Torch. Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. The operation was a success and Patton was assigned to the Seventh Army during an invasion of Sicily, (a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea) in July 1943. Patton continued to command the Seventh Army until 1944, when he was assigned to command the Third Army of France. His army succeeded in the Battle of Normandy, which weakened German forces greatly. Overall, Patton’s army covered 600 miles in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia during World War II. After weakening the German forces, Patton slowed his pace. He created a policy, later used by other commanders, that made German civilians tour the concentration camps.