France Refused to Give Up Their Navy — Churchill Sank It
July 3, 1940. France had just signed an armistice with Germany. The French fleet — the fourth largest navy in the world — sat in the harbor at Mers-el-Kébir. Churchill sent an ultimatum: join us, sail to safety, or scuttle. Admiral Gensoul refused all three options. What happened next would kill 1,297 French sailors, strain the Anglo-French relationship for decades, and signal to Roosevelt that Britain was serious about fighting on. Churchill wept. Then he did it again. Sources: Attack on Mers-el-Kébir — Wikipedia / Naval History Magazine (USNI) Warfare History Network: Operation Catapult National Interest: "When Winston Churchill Bombed France" Churchill Archives Centre records 🔔 Subscribe for more stories about the impossible decisions of World War II. #Churchill #MersElKebir #WWII #FrenchNavy #OperationCatapult #WorldWarII #BritishHistory
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