SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Battleship sinkings in WW2 (Info for GWX perhaps?)

Hakahura · 06-03-07, 01:13 PM

Ula Jolly

You did indeed read correctly. The Royal Navy sunk and damaged several French Battleships and Battlecruisers in port at Mers-el-Khebir, Algeria 3rd July 1940.

This was to prevent their capture by German forces following the fall of France.

The threat of these ships becoming part of the Kriegsmarine was too huge a threat for Winston Churchill to ignore. However when the French captains of these vessels received the Royal Navy's order to abandon ship before they being fired upon, they ignored this threat in disbelief. A great many French lives were regrettably lost.

A side benefit for Churchill was that this action demonstrated further to the neutral USA the British resolve to win the war with Germany at any cost.

06-03-07, 01:13 PM	#11
Hakahura Grey Wolf Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Posts: 785 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Ula Jolly You did indeed read correctly. The Royal Navy sunk and damaged several French Battleships and Battlecruisers in port at Mers-el-Khebir, Algeria 3rd July 1940. This was to prevent their capture by German forces following the fall of France. The threat of these ships becoming part of the Kriegsmarine was too huge a threat for Winston Churchill to ignore. However when the French captains of these vessels received the Royal Navy's order to abandon ship before they being fired upon, they ignored this threat in disbelief. A great many French lives were regrettably lost. A side benefit for Churchill was that this action demonstrated further to the neutral USA the British resolve to win the war with Germany at any cost. __________________ Sir Humphey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO and MA. Britain's Greatest Orator, well bar that Churchill fellow.