The French Fleet scuttled

27th November 1942: The Vichy French regime will not switch sides but at least prevent an important fleet of ships being seized by the Germans

The French battleship Strasbourg, built in 1934 and the flagship of the French Fleet lies in Toulon. Her seacocks were opened as the Germans approached and explosive charges destroyed key equipment, making her unsalvagable.

The 'Vichy regime' in France had come to terms with Hitler following the occupation of France in 1940. Only half of France was occup…