LATEST WAR NEWS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 182, 5 July 1940, Page 5

LATEST WAR NEWS

THE FRENCH FLEET EFFECTIVE STEPS TAKEN Britain has taken what are described as 'effective steps' to ensure that the French naval forces would not fall into enemy hands. A Ministry of Information bulletin stated that no reliance could be placed on German and Italian promises not to use the Fleet against Britain and the British Government had! therefore deided to take control over all French., naval vessels. In British ports French warships were taken over. There was some misunderstanding on one submarine, one of the lati est 3000 ton ocean-going type, and some casualties resulted. In a speech to the House of I Commons yesterday, the Prime j Minister, the Rt. Hon, Winston ! Churchill, made a statement . He said that a large proportion of the French Fleet was now in British hands gpr had been put out of action. Those seized at British ports included two battleships, 2 cruisers, many submarines and over two hundred auxiliary craft, minelayers, minesweepers, etc. At Alexandria were one battleship, four very modern cruisiers and certain other vessels. The Admiral commanding there had been informed that he would not be allowed to sail. Discussions were still taking place, but measures had been taken to prevent the sailing of this squadron. "You can imagine the anguish caused to British and French naval officers," said Mr Churchill, who added that when Italian aeroplanes were over Alexandria yesterday, French units fired on the aircraft in co-operation with the British. M 9 • • By far the most serious action was occasioned at Oran, French naval base in Algeria. A very powerful squadron was stationed here, consisting of two of the most modern battle cruis ers in the world, the Dunkerque and the Strasbourg, two battleships, many cruisers and destroyers. Captain Holland R.N., commanding a destroyer flotilla, at that time the only British naval force there, handed the French Admiral an ultimatum. The con ditions, to which a reply had to be received by 3 p.m., were (a), that the French squadron continue to fight with the British forces in the Mediterranean; (b) could sail with reduced crews and under British control; (c) could sail to a port in the West Indies, where the ships would remain until the end of the war the crews to be repatriated to France. Failing the acceptance of these conditions, the French Ad miral was to sink his ships with in six hours. * x « * ! The Admiral refused the ultimatum and announced his decision to sail. He put to sea and was engaged in action by a Brit ish Battle Squadron. The battle cruiser of the Strasbourg class was damaged, and on fire, was forced aground. The was pursued a/id torpedoed. A battleship of the Bretagne class was sunk and the other capital ship was severely damaged. The French casualties were thought to be very heavy. British casualties announced arc one man killed", one man wounded and the crew of one aircraft is missing. m w * * According to a despatch froml the American war correspondent, Mr Knickerbocker, Admiral Darlan, Chief of the French Naval Staff since the beginning of hostilities with Germany, upon being made a member of the Petain Government, sent a message in secret code to the admirals commanding on the various stations. The message was to the effect that it was his last order and that future orders should be dis regarded, even though signed by him. His last order was that they should not surrender their ships. In the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Churchill said: "The decision to take such steps as would ensure that the French Fleet would not fall into enemy hands, was the most grim and sombre the British Cabinet has taken in all my experience.'*