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Mediterranean and North Africa · Britain vs Vichy France

Attack on Mers-el-Kebir

3 July 1940

Fearing the French fleet would fall into Axis hands after the armistice, Churchill ordered Force H to demand its French counterpart at Mers-el-Kebir join the British, sail to internment or scuttle. When the French declined, the British squadron opened fire on the anchored ships, sinking the battleship Bretagne and killing nearly 1,300 French sailors. The attack embittered Vichy relations with Britain for the rest of the war.

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Day by day

— Catapult

Somerville's terms reach Gensoul at 08:10: join the British, sail to a British port or the West Indies, or scuttle within six hours. Gensoul refuses them all. At 17:54 Hood, Valiant and Resolution open fire from 16,000 metres and cease at 18:04: Bretagne blows up with 977 of her crew, Provence and Dunkerque are run aground and the destroyer Mogador loses her stern. Strasbourg and five destroyers get out through the smoke, shake off Ark Royal's Swordfish and reach Toulon the next evening. 1,297 French sailors are dead.

Battleship Dunkerque, under fire during Operation CatapultComment - it might be Strasbourg, with two-level bridge. Pibwl (talk) 23:44, 23 September 2008 (UTC).
Battleship Dunkerque, under fire during Operation CatapultComment - it might be Strasbourg, with two-level bridge. Pibwl (talk) 23:44, 23 September 2008 (UTC).Jacques Mulard · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Battleship Dunkerque, under fire during Operation CatapultComment - it might be Strasbourg, with two-level bridge. Pibwl (talk) 23:44, 23 September 2008 (UTC).
Battleship Dunkerque, under fire during Operation CatapultComment - it might be Strasbourg, with two-level bridge. Pibwl (talk) 23:44, 23 September 2008 (UTC).Jacques Mulard · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
en rade de mers el kebir.
en rade de mers el kebir.G.Garitan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Blue Marble, by Apollo 17, AS17-148-22727.
The Blue Marble, by Apollo 17, AS17-148-22727.Harrison Schmitt / Apollo 17 · Public domain · source

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