The clean-up operation in Darlan was not thorough. Some people in the French Navy still had illusions about Germany, and even Darlan and Laborde were not firm in their attitudes.
From Darlan's point of view, his biggest purpose was to preserve firepower for the French Navy, which determined Darlan's hesitation on this matter.
On the surface, the Allies now have the upper hand in the Mediterranean, but no one can guarantee that the Allies will win the final victory.
So the question arises, what if Germany wins in the end?
Then Darlanco personally took the French navy to the grave.
Rupold's attitude completely depends on this final fleet.
The British and Germans have said many times that they would rather see the French navy completely wiped out than join the other side's camp.
In 1940, both Pétain and Darlan issued similar orders: Once the most critical moment comes, the French Navy would rather sink all warships than surrender this fleet to others.
Now is the most critical moment. Laborde must make two preparations. Once the fleet cannot escape the port of Toulon, all warships must be scuttled according to the orders of Pétain and Darlan.
Not everyone was willing to do this, so when Rappold's order was issued, some naval officers and soldiers were unwilling to carry out Rappold's order, and conflicts broke out.
Just when internal strife broke out in the French Navy, 20 kilometers away on the sea, a support fleet consisting of 3 battleships, 2 transport ships, 4 cruisers and 15 destroyers was sailing towards the port of Toulon.
"General, we received a telegram that internal strife broke out in the French navy and a fierce conflict broke out in the port of Toulon. Admiral Rapold hopes that we can reach Toulon as quickly as possible."
"Has Marshal Darlan left Toulon?" Rear Admiral O'Neill, captain of the battleship "Resolution" of the Mediterranean Fleet, is the commander-in-chief of this operation.
The three main ships supporting the fleet, except for the "Resolution", the other two are aircraft carriers from the Cyprus Squadron.
"Yes, Marshal Darlan has boarded the transport plane and is on his way to Algiers." The communications officer's smile contained obvious sarcasm. The "Resolution" is an old rival of the French Navy and is attacking the "Richelieu"
In the battle, the "Resolution" was seriously damaged, and the British have not forgotten it.
"Richelieu" is now ready for service at any time, and "Resolution" probably has no chance of revenge.
However, O'Neill was still very happy to see the French Admiral in such a state of embarrassment.
As long as the French are unlucky, the British are happy.
During the Battle of Britain, many French people were looking forward to Britain's defeat.
That way, France would no longer be the only major country to cease resistance.
"Very well, order the fleet to move forward at full speed. We must do our best to provide our allies with the greatest help -" O'Niens smiled brightly. From allies to opponents to allies, everything in the world is really unpredictable.
Before O'Neill finished speaking, the destroyer "Hound" at the forefront of the support fleet suddenly exploded violently as if it was hit by a torpedo or mine.
"What the hell is going on?" O'Niens, who had been smiling brightly just a moment ago, was full of surprise. The fleet was now in combat mode. As long as the German submarine dared to appear, it would never be able to escape the pursuit of the destroyers.
Then there is only one possibility left: the "Hound" hit a mine laid by a German submarine.
After understanding this, the surrounding waters suddenly became perilous.
As powerful as the "Resolution", if it is hit by a mine, it will also be severely damaged.
A smaller cruiser, not to mention a destroyer, would have the same consequences of being hit by a mine, disappearing from the sea in just two minutes.
The aircraft carriers of the Cyprus Squadron are also thin-skinned and have weak waterline armor. If they are hit by mines, they will not escape the fate of being sunk.
"Order the troops to stop advancing and send out minesweepers -" O'Neill suddenly remembered that the support fleet was not equipped with minesweepers.
The minelaying operations by German submarines were carried out in secret, and even the French navy was unaware of it. The Allies also did not grasp the situation.
The support fleet did not consider this possibility at all when it set out, so naturally it would not take the minesweeper with it.
"The cruisers and destroyers of the Cyprus Squadron have certain mine-sweeping capabilities, but the efficiency is not very high." First Officer Colonel John Wood is worried. Now the support fleet has entered the minefield and may hit mines at any time. This situation is undesirable for everyone.
Willing to face it.
"Then what are you waiting for? Start taking action immediately." O'Neill could no longer care about the French navy at this time. How to bring the support fleet back as safely as possible was more important.
John Wood looked sad. Not all British people wanted to see the French joke.
While the support fleet was trying to save itself, the battle in Toulon harbor raged.
After the French troops stationed in the Port of Toulon evacuated, the security of the Port of Toulon was taken care of by the French Navy. The sailors who came ashore to perform their tasks did not know what had happened.
After the fighting broke out in the port, Admiral Malki dispatched troops into the port to provide support. When the troops arrived, they did not know which side to help.
The troops fighting in the port are all French naval officers and soldiers, and their purpose is to protect this last French fleet.
This is the last essence of the French Navy, with a total of 3 battleships, 8 cruisers, 18 destroyers, 17 torpedo boats, 19 submarines, 7 communication ships, 3 reconnaissance ships, and more than 60 transport ships, oil tankers, and dredgers.
Boats and tugs.
Although "Richelieu" and "Jean Bart" are more powerful, they have not yet been put into service, and no one knows how they will perform on the battlefield.
The naval officers and soldiers still have great feelings for this French fleet. Some naval officers and soldiers would rather accept the command of the Italians than scuttle the ship.
For the same reason, although the fighting in the port was fierce, there were actually few casualties. The vast majority of naval officers and soldiers were unwilling to point their guns at their former comrades. Although their positions were different, their goals were the same.
"Order the troops to move quickly. We must not leave any warship to the Germans." Admiral Rappold was resolute. His purpose was not to rush out of the port, but to scuttle all warships.
Admiral Laborde disliked the British and did not like Darlan. He did not want to cooperate with the Allies at all, even though the leaders of the Free France promised that the French Navy would not accept the command of the Royal Fleet.
Even if he does not accept it, the French Navy will become a vassal of the Royal Fleet, which is something Laborde absolutely cannot accept.
After "Operation Ballista", Admiral Rappold hated the British so much that he now just wanted to scuttle all the warships.
"General, if we scuttle all the warships, then we will be angered by the Germans, and we will be completely worthless by then." Admiral Malki's expression was tangled, and he did not choose to live in pieces rather than in pieces.
Determination.
In another time and space, after the German troops arrived in Toulon, General Malki was captured by the Germans in his bed. This was a shame for Malki, who served as the commander of port defense.
"Then what do you want to do? Let the sailors return to their posts and drive the warship out of the port? You may not know it yet, but the Germans have laid mines outside the port, and we have no way to escape." Rabo
Admiral Germany smiled sadly. After all, Toulon Port is French territory, and it is impossible for the Germans' actions to be completely hidden from everyone.
But even though he knew that the Germans were laying mines, General Rappold did not take any action.
Even if the German actions were stopped, what would be the result?
Laborde did not want any form of cooperation with the British. If Darlan decided to maintain "neutrality", then Laborde would give Darlan the respect he deserved.
Now that Darlan has decided to defect to the Allies, Laborde has been completely disappointed with Darlan.
So even if this fleet rushes out of Toulon Port, it will have nowhere to go.
"Laying mines? How could the Germans do this?" Malki was inexplicably horrified. Just now, Malki had imagined that he could continue to be his own admiral after joining the Allied Forces.
Now that everything is over, without the fleet, French naval admirals like Malky have no way to advance. With Malky's ability, even if Malky escapes to North Africa, he is not qualified to serve as "Richelieu" and "Jean."
"Baal" captain.
"The Germans are our enemies just like the British. Of course they will do this. We would do the same if it were us." General Rappold is tired. Let's destroy it.
"We can use unimportant auxiliary ships to fight a bloody path." Malki tried his best. If some unimportant auxiliary ships can be abandoned to save the main battleship, then the result will not be bad.
Of course, this is definitely not good news for the officers and soldiers on the auxiliary ships.
"Can you say this in front of the sailors on the auxiliary ships?" Admiral Rappold sneered. This is not a matter of disregarding human life, but directly letting people die.
Malki's expression was ugly. If he dared to issue such an order, he would be torn into pieces by the sailors in minutes.
"General, the officers want to see you——" General Rappold's adjutant came to report in a hurry.
"Let them in -" Admiral Rappold did not follow Darlan to evacuate by plane, but chose to stay in Toulon and live and die with the fleet. This behavior allowed Admiral Rappold to win the trust of the officers.
Soon a large group of generals and military officers swarmed in. They did not understand why Rappold gave such an order.
"Two years ago, Marshal Pétain and Marshal Darlan issued the same order. If someone tries to take away this fleet, then we will use actions to show our attitude. There will always be some French people who will never give in-"
General Laborde's expression was serious, France stopped resisting, and the most difficult group to accept was the military.
The last world war between France and Germany lasted four years.
This time they only fought for 38 days, and the French lost the war in a daze.
Especially for the French Navy, they had to accept the fate of defeat and surrender before almost firing a single shot. The fifth strongest fleet in the world became the biggest joke in the world.
Nominally, the French Navy and the Italian Navy are tied for third place.
The first tier is undoubtedly the United Kingdom, the United States, and Southern Africa, in no particular order.
The second level is Japan.
"General, let's rush out and fight the enemy to the death!" Commodore Dornon, who has a bad temper, will never give in. Whether it is scuttling or surrendering, Commodore Dornon does not want to accept it.
"Who do you want to fight to the death with?" Rappold's face was expressionless.
Commodore Dornon was momentarily confused.
Yes, who should we fight to the death with?
Before today, the attitude of the French navy was neutral and it did not participate in the war at all. Where could it be the enemy?
But who is the friend of the French Navy?
The British were definitely not it, nor were the Germans, nor were the Italians. The United States and southern Africa were both too far away. Only then did Dornon realize that the world was so vast that there was no room for the French navy.
That's right, there are no intact eggs when the nest is overturned. In troubled times, even "neutrality" is a luxury.
"Execute the order, install explosives on all warships, and open the drainage valves at the same time. If anyone dares to approach the warship, shoot directly. At least we want the world to know that the French Navy will never give in!" Laborde said in his voice.
Low and full of sorrow.
Most of the officers lowered their heads, they could not accept this result.
"Go and carry out the general's order, which is also the order of the president and marshal -" Commodore Robin, the chief of staff, was also filled with grief. After saying this, he directly pulled off his epaulettes and collar.
Without the French Navy, he, the chief of naval staff, would have no meaning in his existence.
After today, there should be no French navy.
"If any of you wants to continue serving, you can go to North Africa. We still have two powerful battleships in North Africa. The French Navy has not disappeared and will continue to exist." Laborde himself will definitely not go to North Africa.
Stand at the last post.
The officers had different moods. Some were disheartened, while others clenched their fists. Free France was still fighting, and France still had hope.
After the establishment of Free France, many French people who were unwilling to surrender to Germany went to North Africa and joined Free France to continue the resistance.
Not many people in the French navy went to North Africa.
The last fleet of France is in Toulon. Even if the naval officers go to North Africa, they will not be able to play their role. At least there is hope if they stay in Toulon.
Now that hope is completely shattered, everyone has to fend for themselves, and heading to North Africa is a good choice.
"We-" Malki still refused to give up.
"Shut up!" Admiral Rappold said in a stern voice, not giving Malki any chance.
Later, Admiral Rappold's flagship battleship "Strasbourg" first opened the seafloor water-saving valve and sank in the port of Toulon.
While opening the water-saving valve, Laborde also ordered the explosives on the "Strasbourg" to be detonated, completely blowing up the main gun and engine room, and igniting the remaining fuel on the ship.
This was because they were worried that the Germans would salvage the "Strasbourg", so they completely destroyed the "Strasbourg".
Admiral Rappold chose to sink with the "Strasbourg".
