Yeah, I spotted that immediately. Vichy was allied with the Nazis.
American landing forces, that were part of Operation Torch, were not certain if French forces in north Africa would fight or surrender, and come over to the Allied side.
Once securing that beach head in north Africa, the American Allied forces would then turn east to confront the Afrika Corps while the British 8th Army moved against the Nazis from the east.
The author makes a bad comparison here.
The comparison is not a good one.