Mers-el-Kébir, Algeria. Admiral Somerville faces the most difficult task ever assigned to the Royal Navy. The attack was carried out by the United Kingdom as part of Operation Catapult, a week before the handover of full powers to Philippe Pétain. France and the United Kingdom were not at war at the time of the attack, marking a rupture between the two countries. Article 8 of the armistice of 22 June 1940 provided for the French fleet to be left under French command, imposing strict neutrality on it. Churchill was well aware of this point in the armistice agreement signed a few days earlier. Nevertheless, he decided to undertake this operation. The United Kingdom was then alone against its German and Italian enemies. The attack was preceded by an ultimatum, which Admiral Somerville addressed to Squadron Vice-Admiral Marcel Gensoul, telling him to join the British fleet in keeping French ships out of the Mediterranean, thus putting them out of control. or sink them, with a six-hour time limit to begin the execution. Obviously, the Admiral could not make such a decision, which violated the terms of the armistice. Receiving no positive response, Somerville followed through on his threats. The swift and effective British attack inflicted heavy material and, above all, human losses on the French squadron, killing 1,295 French sailors. The most horrific losses were those of the battleship Bretagne, which capsized and sank in a very short time during the attack on July 3, killing 997. In total, the operation resulted in 1,300 deaths.
