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Fred Hebard wrote-

>> In a splendid waste of time, I came across the British Navy's history
>> site, .  The site
>> is organized in a decidedly non-web manner, rather top down, but is
>> very informative.
>>
>> Fred

and Zorbec Legras, with reason, commented-

>Not a single word about Mers el Kebir...

Response by George.

Not a navigational matter, to be honest, but nevertheless, Zorbec is right
to remind us all about that shameful day. It has always been kept rather
quiet in Britain. If Zorbec memtions Mers el Kebir to anyone in Britain, he
is likely to get a blank response. My guess is that many Americans also are
unaware of what happened at Mers el Kebir, which occurred some 18 months
before they entered our war. But I know it still rankles in France, and so
it should. I will explain a bit of what happened as I see it, and I hope
Zorbec will correct any errors.

It was mid-1940, and the Germans had overrun France, and imposed an
armistice. As a result, the Vichy goverment, covering much of France, would
be formed, forced to collaborate with the occupation. One of the terms of
the armistice was that the French fleet was to be recalled to their home
ports, though Hitler declared that he would not use those vessels in the
war. Churchill didn't believe he would keep that promise, and insisted that
the French fleet, their allies up to then, should head for British ports
instead.

The French Mediterreanean fleet was holed up behind the breakwater in the
port of Mers-el Kebir, near Oran in Franch Algeria. They were surprised by
the arrival of the British fleet outside the port, bottling them in.

They were given an ultimatum, which offered certain choices, all intended
to keep the fleet out of German hands. They could sail with the British
against the Germans (as they had been doing before); they could surrender
their ships in Britain to be disarmed; they could take their fleet to a
distant French possession, such as Martinique in the West Indies; or they
could sink their ships in the harbour. Or the British fleet would sink
them.

The French couldn't believe that the British fleet would take such action
against a navy who had, until that moment, been their allies. The outraged
response was that they would reply to force with force. A few hours later
the British opened fire, by sea and air. They were free to move about
outside, but the French were trapped behind the harbour wall with  little
chance to respond. Few vessels managed to escape. 1300 French sailors lost
their lives.

This was one of the more inglorious episodes in British naval history, and
even today, 64 years later, the French have not forgiven us, or Churchill,
for what they rightly regard as the treachery involved. In Britain, the
matter is never discussed.

My information on this matter is entirely second-hand, taken from Warren
Tute's book "The Deadly Stroke" (1973), which may not be an entirely
balanced account. Perhaps, neither is mine.

George.

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contact George Huxtable by email at george@huxtable.u-net.com, by phone at
01865 820222 (from outside UK, +44 1865 820222), or by mail at 1 Sandy
Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.
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