We backed the wrong team.
We backed the wrong team.
On the 3 July 1940 the British Royal Navy carried out "Operation Catapult" the deliberate, cold blooded bombardment of the French fleet anchored at Mers el Kébir and Oran, Algeria.
Despite repeated written assurances from Admiral Darlan and the French government that their ships would never fall into German or Italian hands, (assurances given personally and in writing only days earlier) Churchill issued an ultimatum that the French fleet either sail to British ports and surrender the fleet, scuttle the ships, or be destroyed.
When the French commander, Admiral Gensoul, refused to hand over his sovereign navy to a foreign power, the British, without hesitation opened fire with devastating consequences.
In barely fifteen minutes of merciless bombardment, led by the massive 15 inch guns of HMS Hood (later to be sunk by the German Bismark) the Valiant, Resolution and supporting ships, more than 1,297 French sailors were killed (the official French figure, with some sources citing up to 1,347) and another 351 wounded.
More French servicemen died that single afternoon than on any other day of the entire war, more than at Dien Bien Phu, more than on any single day during the 1940 Battle of France.
The battleship Bretagne took a direct magazine hit (the explosive store) the ship exploded spectacularly and capsized within minutes, taking 1,012 officers and men with her (only 36 survived from a crew of 1,013).
The Provence was heavily damaged and deliberately beached to avoid sinking. The battle cruiser Dunkerque suffered 154 dead in the first attack, ran aground burning, and was strafed again on 6 July, adding another 56 dead.
The destroyer Mogador had her stern blown clean off by a single 15 inch shell, killing 42 men instantly. The battle cruiser Strasbourg managed to escape damaged, hunted for days by British forces.
Countless smaller vessels were sunk or crippled as British Swordfish aircraft deliberately machine gunned French sailors as they leapt into the water, trying to escape the inferno of burning oil and exploding magazines.
Many Survivors described bodies floating amid the flames, men screaming while being strafed from the air by their British "Allies". The French returned fire only after the British barrage had begun, and even then with stunned restraint. Their shore batteries managed to hit HMS Hood and other ships, yet British casualties across the entire force amounted to just two killed and two wounded.
Churchills assault was particularly cynical as the armistice signed with Germany explicitly stated in Article 8 that the French fleet would "remain under French control and would never be handed over"
Another conveniently ignored reality is that the German navy never even attempted to seize the ships at Toulon in 1940, it was actually the French themselves who scuttled their own fleet in 1942 to keep it from German hands, but Churchill chose to order this massacre rather than trust his so called allies.
To this day, Britain has never issued any formal apology. Mers el Kebir remains a barely mentioned footnote in British schoolbooks, while in France, as memory fades, to some the 3rd of July is remembered as the day an ally murdered 1,297 french sailors in cold blood.
While Churchill maintained he didn't want the fleet to fall into German hands many, myself included believe he wanted to take these modern naval assets for British use, either way “Perfidious Albion” lived up to its name on that terrible day for the French.
Chay Bowes Irish Journalist, History, Strategy (MA), Facts should define the Narrative, living in Russia, Ireland, and the World.
>On the 3 July 1940 the British Royal Navy carried out "Operation Catapult" the deliberate, cold blooded bombardment of the French fleet anchored at Mers el Kébir and Oran, Algeria.
>
Despite repeated written assurances from Admiral Darlan and the French government that their ships would never fall into German or Italian hands, (assurances given personally and in writing only days earlier) Churchill issued an ultimatum that the French fleet either sail to British ports and surrender the fleet, scuttle the ships, or be destroyed.
>
When the French commander, Admiral Gensoul, refused to hand over his sovereign navy to a foreign power, the British, without hesitation opened fire with devastating consequences.
>
In barely fifteen minutes of merciless bombardment, led by the massive 15 inch guns of HMS Hood (later to be sunk by the German Bismark) the Valiant, Resolution and supporting ships, more than 1,297 French sailors were killed (the official French figure, with some sources citing up to 1,347) and another 351 wounded.
>
More French servicemen died that single afternoon than on any other day of the entire war, more than at Dien Bien Phu, more than on any single day during the 1940 Battle of France.
>
The battleship Bretagne took a direct magazine hit (the explosive store) the ship exploded spectacularly and capsized within minutes, taking 1,012 officers and men with her (only 36 survived from a crew of 1,013).
>
The Provence was heavily damaged and deliberately beached to avoid sinking. The battle cruiser Dunkerque suffered 154 dead in the first attack, ran aground burning, and was strafed again on 6 July, adding another 56 dead.
>
The destroyer Mogador had her stern blown clean off by a single 15 inch shell, killing 42 men instantly. The battle cruiser Strasbourg managed to escape damaged, hunted for days by British forces.
>
Countless smaller vessels were sunk or crippled as British Swordfish aircraft deliberately machine gunned French sailors as they leapt into the water, trying to escape the inferno of burning oil and exploding magazines.
>
Many Survivors described bodies floating amid the flames, men screaming while being strafed from the air by their British "Allies". The French returned fire only after the British barrage had begun, and even then with stunned restraint. Their shore batteries managed to hit HMS Hood and other ships, yet British casualties across the entire force amounted to just two killed and two wounded.
>
Churchills assault was particularly cynical as the armistice signed with Germany explicitly stated in Article 8 that the French fleet would "remain under French control and would never be handed over"
>
Another conveniently ignored reality is that the German navy never even attempted to seize the ships at Toulon in 1940, it was actually the French themselves who scuttled their own fleet in 1942 to keep it from German hands, but Churchill chose to order this massacre rather than trust his so called allies.
>
To this day, Britain has never issued any formal apology. Mers el Kebir remains a barely mentioned footnote in British schoolbooks, while in France, as memory fades, to some the 3rd of July is remembered as the day an ally murdered 1,297 french sailors in cold blood.
>
While Churchill maintained he didn't want the fleet to fall into German hands many, myself included believe he wanted to take these modern naval assets for British use, either way “Perfidious Albion” lived up to its name on that terrible day for the French.
>
Chay Bowes @BowesChay
Irish Journalist, History, Strategy (MA), Facts should define the Narrative, living in Russia, Ireland, and the World.
The same Churchill that chose war over peace after Dunkirk.
The same Churchill that chose war over peace after Dunkirk.
Churchill is the embodiment of the Eternal Anglo - as dirty as a jew and always opposed to continental Europe in every way, unless he can benefit... and too stupid to realize he would benefit greatly without jews.
Churchill is the embodiment of the Eternal Anglo - as dirty as a jew and always opposed to continental Europe in every way, unless he can benefit... and too stupid to realize he would benefit greatly without jews.
dave medsker
10h that's one perspective.
The other perspective, via monday morning QB, is that England escaped German conquering by a C-hair. One French Frigate could have made the difference. Churchill, in retrospect, was guided by God.
France fell, it was their duty to fall in. 2 1 284
Beeds89 Voice in the Wilderness
13h Maybe some of them were relatives of some of the victims of the French Revolution? 117
USA
11h Crazy story never knew this fact 90
Quαdrant C₳pital
8h If the British had "played fair", they might have lost the war. The correct option would have been to sail the fleet to Britain. Sad but true. Only Churchill could have done this. 89
Gary Leikam
8h Why is this the first time I have come across this information? I was born in the early years of the Baby Boom following the end of the war, and have always thought I was fairly knowledgeable about WWII history. 92
CaptainTLB60
13h So I hate to read bad things about Winston Churchill…. But you don’t have to read very deeply to realize his was a brutally complex legacy. We probably couldn’t have defeated the Germans as early as we did without him, and for that, many lives were probably saved. But some of his decisions, coupled with earlier career debacles like his role at Gallipoli were horrible by most objective standards. 1 1 752
BuckarooBonzai
13h The British did this to the Dutch during the Napoleanic wars.
It was terrible and they were right to do it then, as they were to the French fleet.
Surrendering their fleet to the British would’ve meant they kept their fleet, and it would’ve remained commanded and operated by French forces, just not Vichy French forces.
The long standing dislike of each other, stemming from Middle Age wars surely was a component in the decision making on both sides. 1 4 1,294
W
8h Fragile friendship… 44
Jon Orgen
14h I've read Churchill's memoirs and some other things. Militarily, this destruction is understandable. And the assurances from the French side were rather vague and uncertain. This is evident simply from the fact that the ships weren't ordered back to England.
Similarly, the French government lured 300,000 British soldiers into a trap on the continent. And these soldiers only narrowly escaped, thanks to the unwavering support of the French military at the front, across the Channel (Dunkirk). This was achieved in an unprecedented armada of boats that crossed the Channel multiple times. 1 955
Muslim Traveler
14h Indeed Also interesting to note that the French Vichy government actually retaliated to this attack from its airforces in Africa by bombing Gibraltar several times from after Mers El Kebir attack, July 3rd until September 25th, sinking a ship there and inflicting casualties to british troops and civilians. For like 2 months the U.K and Vichy France were technically at war. Also another important thing to not, and this is even worst, is that in preparation to operation Overlord, Normandy, British and American air forces bombed several villages and cities, including Paris itself, killing tens of thousands of civilians if I remember correctly, to the point that De Gaulle and his FFL (Forces Française Libres) protested and asked for more efforts to avoid civilians casualties.
WW2 was a bloody nasty business... 853
ThatJasonGuy
13h Your regular reminder that wars are never clear-cut cases of good vs. evil, that morality is a spectrum, and that 'European solidarity' is just a few strips of duct tape covering over the power struggle that never went away. 1 512
ChetTheJet
12h True: (1) British sank a French fleet, 1940: Operation Catapult, July 3, 1940. (40% of Vichy tonnage) (2) Germans did nothing to capture it in 1940: Due to armistice assurances. (3) French scuttled their own (different) fleet in 1942: Toulon, November 27, 1942.
IMO the Brits made the correct decision. Assuming the Germans would not have attempted to capture that scuttled fleet in violation of the armistice would be erroneous - which is why the French scuttled the remainder in 1942 to prevent just that.
dave medsker
@maviddedsker
10h
that's one perspective.
The other perspective, via monday morning QB, is that England escaped German conquering by a C-hair. One French Frigate could have made the difference. Churchill, in retrospect, was guided by God.
France fell, it was their duty to fall in.
2
1
284
Beeds89 Voice in the Wilderness
@B33ds89
13h
Maybe some of them were relatives of some of the victims of the French Revolution?
117
USA
@USAStrong2
11h
Crazy story never knew this fact
90
Quαdrant C₳pital
@QuadrantCapital
8h
If the British had "played fair", they might have lost the war. The correct option would have been to sail the fleet to Britain. Sad but true. Only Churchill could have done this.
89
Gary Leikam
@doorspitz
8h
Why is this the first time I have come across this information? I was born in the early years of the Baby Boom following the end of the war, and have always thought I was fairly knowledgeable about WWII history.
92
CaptainTLB60
@CaptainTLB60
13h
So I hate to read bad things about Winston Churchill…. But you don’t have to read very deeply to realize his was a brutally complex legacy. We probably couldn’t have defeated the Germans as early as we did without him, and for that, many lives were probably saved. But some of his decisions, coupled with earlier career debacles like his role at Gallipoli were horrible by most objective standards.
1
1
752
BuckarooBonzai
@BuckaBanzai
13h
The British did this to the Dutch during the Napoleanic wars.
It was terrible and they were right to do it then, as they were to the French fleet.
Surrendering their fleet to the British would’ve meant they kept their fleet, and it would’ve remained commanded and operated by French forces, just not Vichy French forces.
The long standing dislike of each other, stemming from Middle Age wars surely was a component in the decision making on both sides.
1
4
1,294
W
@wwwwwwww1322
8h
Fragile friendship…
44
Jon Orgen
@OrgenJon
14h
I've read Churchill's memoirs and some other things.
Militarily, this destruction is understandable.
And the assurances from the French side were rather vague and uncertain. This is evident simply from the fact that the ships weren't ordered back to England.
Similarly, the French government lured 300,000 British soldiers into a trap on the continent. And these soldiers only narrowly escaped, thanks to the unwavering support of the French military at the front, across the Channel (Dunkirk). This was achieved in an unprecedented armada of boats that crossed the Channel multiple times.
1
955
Muslim Traveler
@Muslim68955104
14h
Indeed
Also interesting to note that the French Vichy government actually retaliated to this attack from its airforces in Africa by bombing Gibraltar several times from after Mers El Kebir attack, July 3rd until September 25th, sinking a ship there and inflicting casualties to british troops and civilians.
For like 2 months the U.K and Vichy France were technically at war.
Also another important thing to not, and this is even worst, is that in preparation to operation Overlord, Normandy, British and American air forces bombed several villages and cities, including Paris itself, killing tens of thousands of civilians if I remember correctly, to the point that De Gaulle and his FFL (Forces Française Libres) protested and asked for more efforts to avoid civilians casualties.
WW2 was a bloody nasty business...
853
ThatJasonGuy
@funjaser
13h
Your regular reminder that wars are never clear-cut cases of good vs. evil, that morality is a spectrum, and that 'European solidarity' is just a few strips of duct tape covering over the power struggle that never went away.
1
512
ChetTheJet
@TheJetNamedChet
12h
True:
(1) British sank a French fleet, 1940: Operation Catapult, July 3, 1940. (40% of Vichy tonnage)
(2) Germans did nothing to capture it in 1940: Due to armistice assurances.
(3) French scuttled their own (different) fleet in 1942: Toulon, November 27, 1942.
IMO the Brits made the correct decision. Assuming the Germans would not have attempted to capture that scuttled fleet in violation of the armistice would be erroneous - which is why the French scuttled the remainder in 1942 to prevent just that.
God, make the boomercons go away.
God, make the boomercons go away.
More teletubbies and aspartame for da kidz! Yeah
More teletubbies and aspartame for da kidz! Yeah
I don't know what your cryptic message means.
I don't know what your cryptic message means.