ORIGINAL: DivePac88
ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Yes, one can understand why they were so upset. I mean, the temerity of the English-ensuring that their fleet wasn't handed over to Hitler!ORIGINAL: Dixie
Apparently the French were slightly upset that the RN sank their fleet [X(]
My understanding is that the French fleet was rusting and falling apart at Oran, that the ships were undermanned, and there was not the facilities at Oran to maintain fleet units of that size. If the fleet had remained at Oran for any length of time, it would probably have not been able to leave. Churchill basically admits that he was aware of this in his books, but he was counciled by Pound and Cunningham to strike.
Edit; I think sometimes that the British don't really like the French.
If i can give my own advice ???
The french fleet was NOT undermanned; and Mers-el-Kebir harbor, although not as good as Toulon or Brest, was able to keep these ships there. The almost only big fact about the ships was that it was able to fight ! it was a kind of Joker for Vichy governement.
About the Navy fighting the allies: it would probably never had occured: once more, i repeat it, the Navy was like a kind of Joker for the Vichy Governement. The idea of Petain and all vichistes, was to trick the germans, pretending to be neutral and friendly to their side, but trying to prepare the future by staying independant. Thus the idea to protect hte colonial empire with the fleet.
A widely spread feeling in the fleet was that we had several enemys: the english fleet by pure tradition and history; the germans and their italian allies, because they were the agressors in 1940.
The fleet would not had join any side.
I can understand that Churchill could not take the risk.....
