A Brief History
On July 3, 1940, the Royal Navy (on purpose) pounded a French fleet moored at the Algerian port of Mers-el-Kebir, sinking three French battleships. Usually when we discuss “friendly fire” we are talking about same side or allied forces accidentally targeting other friendly forces, or technical problems that result in one side’s own weapons striking their own people or equipment.
Digging Deeper
In this case, the attack was quite deliberate, as France had been overrun by the Nazi juggernaut and the desperate British feared the powerful French fleet would be turned over to Germany for their own use. British authorities contacted the commander of the French fleet and begged him to either join with the British as Free French and continue to battle the Germans, or to scuttle his fleet to deny the Germans use of his ships. He was also given the option of steaming to a neutral port to sit out the war.
The French commander only advised his superiors of the scuttling option, and was ordered to resist any British advance on his ships. Reluctantly, British authorities felt they had no choice but to destroy the French fleet, consisting of 4 battleships, 5 destroyers, and a seaplane tender. The British sent an aircraft carrier, 2 battleships, 2 light cruisers, 1 battle cruiser, and 11 destroyers to do the job.
The attack by Force H destroyed the battleship Bretagne, and also sunk the battleships Dunkerque and Provence, both of which were later refloated and sailed to Toulon where they were scuttled by their crews in 1942. The French losses included almost 1300 dead and another 350 wounded, and 4 of the 5 destroyers were damaged (1 had run aground). British losses were limited to 6 airplanes and only 2 dead.
The new Vichy French government was outraged, as was the French Navy, and Winston Churchill was the target of stinging criticism for what he deemed a sad but necessary decision. In retaliation the French bombed Gibraltar and cut diplomatic relations with the UK. Although NATO allies after the war, a pall of resentment hangs over the relationship between the French and British over the attack to this day, and scholars still debate the merits of the operation (Operation Catapult).
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Was the attack on the French fleet necessary to keep it out of German hands or should the French sailors have been relied upon to do the job themselves?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Melton, George E. From Versailles to Mers El-Kebir: The Promise of Anglo-French Naval Cooperation, 1919–40. Naval Institute Press, 2015.
