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— CH. 1 · ARMISTICE AND NAVAL CONSTRAINTS —

Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon

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  • The 22nd of June 1940 marked the end of French sovereignty over its own navy. The Armistice of that day divided France into two zones, one occupied by Germany and one free zone administered by Vichy France. Officially both zones fell under the control of the Vichy regime led by Marshal Philippe Pétain. The treaty stipulated that the French fleet would be largely disarmed and confined to harbours under French control. Despite these restrictions the French fleet did cooperate with Nazi Germany while retaining ultimate operational control over their ships. This arrangement created a fragile balance that the Allies viewed as dangerous. British forces feared the fleet might fall into German hands especially after the attack on Mers-el-Kébir on the 3rd of July 1940. The Battle of Dakar on the 23rd of September 1940 further heightened tensions between Britain and France. The armistice terms left the fleet in limbo as a potential weapon for either side.

  • On the 8th of November 1942 the Allies invaded French North Africa in Operation Torch. General Dwight Eisenhower made a secret agreement with Admiral François Darlan to give him control of French North Africa if he defected to the Allies. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill supported this move. An alternative view suggests Darlan was an opportunist who switched sides for self-advancement becoming titular head of French North Africa. Following the Allied invasion Adolf Hitler ordered Case Anton the occupation of Vichy France. Grand Admiral Erich Raeder believed Vichy French Navy officers would fulfill their duty not to let ships fall into foreign hands. Raeder expected anti-British sentiment among French sailors to get them to side with Italy. Hitler intended to seize the fleet and have German sailors capture the French ships turning them over to Italy. German officers privy to this plan objected but Hitler ignored them giving orders to implement the plan on the 19th of November.

  • Beginning on the 11th of November 1942 negotiations took place between Germany and Vichy France. The resolution stated Toulon should remain a stronghold under Vichy control defended against the Allies and enemies of the Maréchal government. On the 15th of November Laborde met with Marshal Philippe Pétain and Auphan. In private Auphan tried to persuade Laborde to set sail and join the Allies. Laborde refused to obey anything short of a formal order from the French government. Auphan resigned shortly thereafter. Engineers had initial orders to scuttle ships by capsizing them. The order was modified in the interest of recovering ships after the war to sinking them on an even keel. Admiral Gabriel Auphan guessed correctly that Germans intended to seize the large fleet at Toulon despite explicit prohibitions in the Franco-Italian armistice and the French-German armistice. He ordered it scuttled before German forces could arrive.

  • Crews were initially hostile to the Allied invasion but out of general anti-German sentiment this stance evolved into support for De Gaulle. The crews of the Strasbourg Dunkerque and other ships started chanting Long live De Gaulle Set sail! On the 12th of November Admiral Darlan further escalated tensions calling for the fleet to defect and join the Allies. Vichy military authorities lived in fear of a coup de main organized by British or Free French forces. Between the 11th and 26th numerous arrests and expulsions took place. Two senior officers Humbertand capitaine de vaisseau Pothuau refused to take a pledge of allegiance to the regime. Crews were first kept aboard their ships while Service d'ordre légionnaire monitored all suspected targets of the Resistance when allowed ashore. Coastal defences were strengthened as a token of goodwill towards Germans to safeguard Toulon from an attack from the sea by the Allies. These preparations included plans to scuttle the fleet if Allies succeeded in landing. Under the armistice French ships were supposed to have almost empty fuel tanks. By falsifying reports and tampering with gauges crews managed to store enough fuel to reach North Africa.

  • German combat groups entered Toulon at 4 a.m. on the 27th of November meeting only weak and sporadic resistance. At 4 a.m. Germans entered Fort Lamalgue and arrested Marquis but failed to prevent his chief of staff Contre-Admiral Robin from calling Contre-Admiral Dornon. The attack came as complete surprise to Vichy officers. Dornon transmitted the order to scuttle the fleet to Admiral Laborde aboard flagship Strasbourg. Laborde was taken aback by German operation but transmitted orders to prepare for scuttling and fire on any unauthorized personnel approaching ships. Twenty minutes later German troops entered arsenal and started machine-gunning French submarines. Some submarines set sail to scuttle in deeper water. Strasbourg left her moorings sneaking out of harbour and diving at 5:40 a.m. escaping to Algiers. When German main force got lost in arsenal they were behind schedule by one hour. At 5:25 a.m. German tanks finally rolled through and Strasbourg immediately transmitted order Scuttle Scuttle Scuttle! by radio visual signals and dispatch boat. French crews evacuated and scuttling parties started preparing demolition charges and opening sea valves on ships.

  • The French destroyed 77 vessels including three battleships seven cruisers fifteen destroyers thirteen torpedo boats six sloops twelve submarines nine patrol boats nineteen auxiliary ships one school ship twenty-eight tugs and four cranes. Thirty-nine small ships were captured most of them sabotaged and disarmed. Some major ships were ablaze for several days oil polluted harbor so badly it would be impossible to swim there for two years. The scuttling ended friendly naval cooperation between Axis and Vichy France. Germany absorbed whatever naval assets Vichy France had left. Several submarines ignored orders to scuttle choosing to defect to French North Africa. Casabianca and Marsouin reached Algiers Glorieux reached Oran Iris reached Barcelona. General Charles de Gaulle heavily criticized Vichy admirals for not ordering fleet to flee to Algiers. The Vichy regime lost its last token of power as well as credibility with Germans with the fleet. Adolf Hitler took different perspective having little use for capital ships especially after sinking of Bismarck. He was satisfied considering elimination of French fleet to have sealed success of Case Anton. France had to rebuild whole navy after war while Italy salvaged many light cruisers.

Common questions

What happened to the French fleet at Toulon on the 27th of November 1942?

The Vichy French Navy scuttled 77 vessels including three battleships and seven cruisers to prevent their capture by German forces. This action ended friendly naval cooperation between Axis powers and Vichy France while leaving the harbor polluted with oil for two years.

Why did Admiral Jean de Laborde order the scuttling of ships in Toulon?

Admiral Laborde ordered the scuttling after receiving intelligence that German combat groups had entered Toulon at 4 a.m. on the 27th of November 1942. He transmitted orders to fire on unauthorized personnel and prepare demolition charges to ensure ships would not fall into foreign hands as required by the armistice terms.

How many ships were destroyed during the scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon?

French crews destroyed 77 vessels which included three battleships, seven cruisers, fifteen destroyers, thirteen torpedo boats, six sloops, twelve submarines, nine patrol boats, nineteen auxiliary ships, one school ship, twenty-eight tugs, and four cranes. Thirty-nine small ships were captured by Germans but most were sabotaged or disarmed before they could be used.

When did the Allies invade French North Africa leading to the destruction of the fleet?

The Allies invaded French North Africa in Operation Torch on the 8th of November 1942. This invasion prompted Adolf Hitler to order Case Anton on the 19th of November 1942 which led to the occupation of Vichy France and the subsequent scuttling of the fleet.

Which ships escaped from Toulon to join the Allies after the scuttling began?

Several submarines including Casabianca and Marsouin reached Algiers while Glorieux reached Oran and Iris reached Barcelona. The flagship Strasbourg also left her moorings at 5:40 a.m. on the 27th of November 1942 to escape to Algiers.

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All sources

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