The World War 2 Royal Navy Assault on the French Navy
In 1940, Nazi Germany stormed through Western Europe, defeated the French army and pushed the British Expeditionary Force back across the English Channel. The French leadership quickly agreed to an armistice with Germany, and France was subsequently occupied. A new seat of French government at Vichy became a puppet state of Germany, and later outright collaborators.
The United Kingdom was now alone in their fight against Germany, and feared the French Naval fleet in French African colonies would be handed over to Germany and Italy. Winston Churchill and the British Admiralty formed a plan to deliver an ultimatum to Vichy: Join the fight against Germany, sail to colonial ports in North America, sail to United States ports, sink your own ships where they are, or the Royal Navy would sink them. The Vichy French refused, and these former allies suddenly became bitter enemies.
In July of 1940, France was split into German occupied territory, and the Free Zone of German influenced Vichy France.
French Marshal Philippe Petain was the head of the Vichy French state during World War 2. He cooperated and later collaborated with Nazi Germany.
The armistice of 1940 between France and Germany, signed in the very same train car as the Armistice of 1918.
Admiral James Somerville was in command of the British Force H at Mers-El-Kebir.
French Minister of Marine, Admiral François Darlan.
The Vichy French fleet at Mers-El-Kebir in 1940.
The British Force H was safely positioned behind the high cliffs north of the harbor.
French Admiral Marcel Bruno Gensoul commanded the ships at Mers-el-Kebir.
Captain Cedric Holland delivered the British ultimatum to the French Admiral Gensoul at Mers-el-Kebir.
The battleship HMS Hood served as Admiral James Somerville’s flagship.
Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal with Fairey Swordfish bombers above.
The battleship HMS Valiant.
Another angle of the French ships at Mers-el-Kebir.
HMS Arethusa of British Force H.
The French battleship Strasbourg in the smoke-filled harbor at Mers-El-Kebir.
The Vichy French destroyer Mogodor exploded after a shell detonated her store of depth charges.
The smoldering ships of the Vichy French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir
The French battleship HMS Dunkerque was damaged, grounded, and eventually sunk at Mers-El-Kebir.
The French vessel Bretagne was destroyed by the Royal Navy.
The French seaplane tender Commandant Teste was largely undamaged during the attack.
Sir Dudley North was the Flag Officer commanding the North Atlantic Station at Gibraltar in 1940.
General Charles de Gaulle was the leader of the Free French forces, and participated on the attack at Dakar.
Admiral Sir John Cunningham commanded Operation Menace: the assault on the French fleet at Dakar.
The British warships fire salvos through the heavy fog at Dakar.
French shore battery at Dakar.
A Fairey Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal in Dakar, shot down by Vichy forces.
The HMS Resolution was badly damaged by a French submarine during the attack on Dakar.
The new French battleship Richelieu served as a formidable gun platform at Dakar.
Sources
Fiderlein, Brian, “The morality issue: How Darlan influenced the Allied unconditional surrender pledge in World War II” (1998). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 655. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/655
Roskill, Captain S.W. “The War at Sea 1939-1945, Volume 1, The Defensive.” Naval and Military Press. 2004.
