What did the British do at Mers El Kebir?
What did the British do at Mers El Kebir?
The British bombardment of the base killed 1,297 French servicemen, sank a battleship and damaged five other ships, for a British loss of five aircraft shot down and two crewmen killed.
Did Churchill sink French ships?
Hitler’s concerns were not known to Britain. However, on July 1, Churchill was finally able to get the backing of the War Cabinet to sink the ships if they would not be surrendered. In less than ten minutes, 1,297 French soldiers were dead, and 3 capital ships along with 1 destroyer were damaged or destroyed.
Why did we sink the French fleet?
It was a situation that Churchill and his ministers could not permit, so it was decided that the French Fleet must be put permanently out of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s reach. The prime minister noted that the German government had “solemnly declared” that it had no intention of using the French vessels.
Where was the French fleet sunk?
| Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon | |
|---|---|
| Date 27 November 1942 Location Toulon, France Coordinates: 43°06′45″N 5°54′25″E Result Vichy French success German failure to capture the French fleet | |
| Belligerents | |
| France | Germany |
| Commanders and leaders |
How powerful was the French Navy in ww2?
In 1940, the French fleet was the fourth largest naval force in the world after Britain, the United States and Japan. Its strength included seven battleships, 19 cruisers, 71 destroyers and 76 submarines. Churchill knew that the French warships could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Axis.
How big was the French Navy in ww2?
By the outbreak of the Second World War the French Navy was a strong force. Between 1926 and 1939 two battlecruisers, seven heavy cruisers and 12 light cruisers had been built. Their large battleships were either new or had recently been modernized. It also had 71 destroyers and 76 submarines.
What was Churchill’s dilemma?
Reflecting on World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed that the greatest challenge was to fight the fascists without deploying the tools of the fascist state. This was Churchill’s dilemma. This is a particular burden of obligation borne by liberal societies.
Who destroyed the French fleet?
July 3, 1940. After only 54 days into office, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered his Navy to take control of French ships, or destroy them if the French refused to relinquish control.
Did France have a navy in ww2?
Why didn’t Germany use the French Navy?
Why didn’t Germany use the French fleet to invade Britain in WWII? – Quora. Because the Royal Navy would have destroyed it, of course. Churchill gave the French some options. The French scuttled their fleet in Toulon and the Royal Navy sunk the French ships in Algeria, to prevent the Germans seizing them.
How many battleships did France have in ww2?
In thirty years, from her first dreadnought battleship, Courbet, started late, in 1910 to the Jean Bart and Gascogne project in 1940, France only had produced four classes of battleships, the Courbet, Bretagne, Dunkerque, and Richelieu, transitioning from dreadnought to super dreadnought, and semi-battlecruiser to fast …
