The incident known as the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir refers to a pivotal event during World War II that took place on July 3, 1940. The action was undertaken by the British Royal Navy against the French Navy, or Marine Nationale, anchored at the port of Mers-el-Kebir near Oran, Algeria.
Following the Fall of France in June 1940, the French government signed an armistice with Nazi Germany. This left the status of the powerful French fleet uncertain, posing a significant strategic concern for the United Kingdom. The British feared that the French fleet might fall into German hands, thereby strengthening the Axis powers significantly.
The British government, under Prime Minister Winston Churchill, decided that the French fleet must be neutralized. On July 3, 1940, Vice-Admiral James Somerville was ordered to present the French fleet with four options:
When the French admiral, Marcel-Bruno Gensoul, refused these terms, the British fleet opened fire at 17:54. The attack resulted in:
The Strasbourg managed to escape to Toulon, but the Dunkerque was later bombed and sunk by British aircraft.
The attack strained Franco-British relations and was a source of controversy. While some saw it as a necessary action to prevent the French fleet from joining the Axis, others viewed it as an act of aggression against an ally. It also: