So, how did that story end?
Churchill sent a cable to the admiral of the French fleet telling him he had 72 hours to either turn his fleet over to British authorities or else:
"It is impossible for us, your comrades up to now, to allow your fine ships to fall into the power of the German enemy. We are determined to fight on until the end, and if we win, as we think we shall, we shall never forget that France was our Ally, that our interests are the same as hers, and that our common enemy is Germany. Should we conquer we solemnly declare that we shall restore the greatness and territory of France. For this purpose we must make sure that the best ships of the French Navy are not used against us by the common foe. In these circumstances, His Majesty's Government have instructed me to demand that the French Fleet now at Mers el Kebir and Oran shall act in accordance with one of the following alternatives;
(a) Sail with us and continue the fight until victory against the Germans.
(b) Sail with reduced crews under our control to a British port. The reduced crews would be repatriated at the earliest moment.
If either of these courses is adopted by you we will restore your ships to France at the conclusion of the war or pay full compensation if they are damaged meanwhile.
(c) Alternatively if you feel bound to stipulate that your ships should not be used against the Germans unless they break the Armistice, then sail them with us with reduced crews to some French port in the West Indies - Martinique for instance - where they can be demilitarised to our satisfaction, or perhaps be entrusted to the United States and remain safe until the end of the war, the crews being repatriated.
If you refuse these fair offers, I must with profound regret, require you to sink your ships within 6 hours.
Finally, failing the above, I have the orders from His Majesty's Government to use whatever force may be necessary to prevent your ships from falling into German hands."
On the morning of July 3, 1940 British authorities boarded and commandeered all French vessels within its authority. But the big fish were not in the net. France's powerful new battleship and its cruisers and subs were holed up in the harbor at Mers-el-KÃ ©bir, then French Algeria. The Admiral in command of the French ships there was sent another ultimatum. He refused to comply. What followed was, for those days, what the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites would be today - almost unthinkable.
The British mined the entrance to the harbor so the ships could not escape. The n the British battleships opened fire on the French ships. British sailors who were there that day say it was sickening, 'like shooting fish in a barrel."
When the smoke cleared nearly 1300 French sailors were dead and hundreds more wounded. Most of the French ships were sunk at anchor. The French were beyond furious and broke off all diplomatic relations with Brit ai n.
The head of the French fleet was furious that Churchill had not believed his pledge to scuttle the fleet in the event of a French surrender to the Nazis. (Which BTW occurred just a couple of days later.)
The decision to take military action at Mers-el-KÃ ©bir, and the horrific loss of French lives, so distressed Churchill that, when he reported it to the House of Commons the next day, he broke down in tears.
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