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5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Operation Torch
| Issuer | Government of Gibraltar |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
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| Reference(s) | KM#1177 |
| Obverse description | Right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the George IV State Diadem, pearl drop earrings, and a pearl necklace, after the third definitive portrait modelled by Raphael David Maklouf. The legend ELIZABETH II arcs along the left field and GIBRALTAR along the right, with the date 2004 positioned in the lower right field. The engraver's initials RDM appear discreetly at the lower left of the bust. The portrait is set within a fine beaded inner border, against a deeply mirrored proof field. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa launched in November 1942, was the first large-scale American offensive operation of the war in the Atlantic theater — and a political minefield as much as a military one. Eisenhower had to negotiate the loyalties of Vichy French commanders in Algeria and Morocco simultaneously with the amphibious assault, buying their defection rather than simply fighting through them. Gibraltar served as the operational nerve center: Eisenhower commanded the entire invasion from the tunnels beneath the Rock.
The Gibraltar connection is what makes this issue something other than generic commemorative metal.