1940 : Mers el-Kébir ou la fatalité | Archive INA

Subscribe http://bit.ly/inahistoire History in Question | Antenne 2 | 10/20/1983 On July 3, 1940, Force H, the British naval force, sank the Allied French naval force sheltering in the harbor of Mers-el-Kébir. Alain DECAUX recounts this tragic episode of the Second World War in detail, through archival images and photographs, and reconstructions of the action in the present-day harbor of Mers-el-Kébir. Also on site, the writer Jules ROY questions the necessity of this tragedy, while Abbé AUTRIC, Chaplain of the Navy, describes the posture of the French fleet in the harbor. Since the signing of the armistice on June 22, 1940, between France and Germany, Admiral Darlan had promised the frightened British that the French fleet would not fall into German hands, that it would scuttle itself rather than fall into enemy hands. However, the British lacked confidence, and in July, the British Admiralty launched Operation Catapult: it shot down or disarmed ships of the French fleet in the West Indies and Egypt. On July 3, when British ships confronted his fleet in the port of Mers el-Kebir, Admiral Gensoul, seconded by Lieutenant Dufay and in liaison with Darlan, did everything he could to avoid combat and negotiated all day with the British fleet, notably Commander Holland, Admiral North, and Admiral Sommerville. However, the French fleet refused the surrender terms. The first salvos were fired from the British ships. The second hit the pier, killing passers-by and many sailors, while the third salvo hit the ships: the Provence, the Dunkerque, and especially the Bretagne, which caught fire, with men jumping overboard into the fuel oil leaking from the holds. The ship exploded, killing 900 people, followed by the Mogador. Only the Strasbourg and the destroyers managed to reach Toulon. With the ships no longer fit to put to sea, Admiral Gensoul called for a ceasefire. The next day, the dead were buried. But the British wanted to complete their task, and their aircraft returned to sink the Dunkerque once and for all. ***** Comments info ***** On the YouTube channels, you are free to express your opinion, even if it is critical. To ensure the quality of the debate, we ask that you always remain calm, polite, and respectful of other commenters. Proselytizing, as well as rude, aggressive, or disrespectful remarks toward any person or group of people, are prohibited. Any insulting or defamatory comments will be deleted. We reserve the right to ban any user who does not respect the community rules. ********************************************************************** INA Archive Images National Audiovisual Institute http://www.ina.fr #INA #History