The port of Toulon has long been the stronghold of the French Navy in the Mediterranean, a historic naval port.

After the outbreak of this war, the port of Toulon was crowded with all the main warships of France. From the two Dunkirk-class battleships equipped with 350 mm guns against the Italian Vittorio-class, the Dunkirk and Strasbourg, to the two Richelieu-class battleships, Richelieu and Jean Bar, equipped with 380 mm guns, and their modifications, also known as the Alsace and Normandy.

As for the three Breton-class battleships in history, because of the move of the imaginary enemy Italy to retire the old battleships of World War I in order to build new ships, France also had to follow up and decommissioned the three Breton-class battleships.

These 6 battleships were the core strength of the French fleet, but of course there were other warships, such as the USS Bayarn, the only aircraft carrier currently in France, and 7 heavy cruisers second only to the battleships. In addition, light cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, patrol boats, and much more. These warships filled the port of Toulon.

However, most of the warships are running on wheels today, and they look like they are about to go to sea.

That's right, this will be the largest naval operation in the history of France, and in order to ensure the success of this operation, Dar Lang, as the chief of the naval staff, personally went into battle and commanded the battle. Such a battle, no matter what the result is, will inevitably go down in history.

Darlan, who agreed with this very much, stood in the command platform of the flagship Alsace, and said to the communications staff officer beside him with great vigour. "Order, let's go."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

With Darlan's order, the huge French fleet began to set sail, and these sea behemoths, weighing tens of thousands of tons, began to prepare for their own journey.

The departure of the French fleet in large numbers could not be concealed from the eyes of Italy.

Soon after the fleet left the port, the news of the departure of the French Navy reached the ears of Admiral Cavgnari, the chief of staff of the Navy, and since Cavgnari knew, how could Mussolini, as prime minister, not know.

So a few minutes after he got the news, a phone call from the Prime Minister's Office hit his desk.

The phone call is not difficult to guess, it was Mussolini who asked him to come to the chancellery for a meeting.

Kavnyari, of course, did not dare to slack off, and immediately rushed to the chancellor's palace by car.

By the time he arrived at the Prime Minister's Office, several people had already arrived, and Ciano, who was the foreign minister, was the first to arrive, standing next to Mussolini.

Then the others also arrived in a few minutes, and after seeing that everyone was coming, Ziano, who was the son-in-law, spoke for his father-in-law. "Now everyone knows that the French fleet has left Toulon."

Ziano's words made everyone present nod.

And after skipping this opening line, Mussolini asked directly. "What do you Navy think about this?"

Kavgnari knew that this was another question, because Mussolini was the minister of the navy and the army, so he was the first man in the navy.

Kavniari spoke. "Our navy preliminarily estimates that the French fleet is attacking this time to relieve the siege of the Tunisian defenders, or at least to escort the convoy to Tunisia."

After Kavnyari gave the Navy's estimate, the voices at the scene became noisy.

I didn't expect the French fleet to dare to come out, which made many people feel a little incredible.

In response to the sound of the scene, Mussolini knocked on the table to signal silence. I saw him follow and speak. "General Vallai, your air force needs to be responsible for detecting the movements of the French fleet."

A small man stepped forward and replied. "Good leader."

This is Valle, the chief of staff of the Air Force, because the Minister of the Air Force, Marshal Balbo, is directing the battle in Tunisia, so this time Valle is the representative of the Air Force.

Although Mussolini's only named the Air Force, Kavgnari, as a navy, knew that the search for the French fleet could not be done by the Air Force alone, after all, the range of aircraft was limited and could not cover the entire sea area.

Sure enough, Mussolini then called on him. "This operation depends on the cooperation of your naval and air forces. I hope that you will be able to inflict heavy damage on the incoming French fleet and open the way for the rest of the battle. ”

Although Mussolini did not say it, all the military and political leaders present knew the next plan. Yes, Italy has also expanded its aims, and after the imminent seizure of the Tunisian region, they have set their sights on Algeria.

This time, the French fleet was lured out, and after severely damaging its fleet, Algeria was cut off from the French mainland.

So Mussolini then ordered several more people to demand adequate support for the operation. In a word, we must ensure the success rate of this operation.

There is so much talk about other aspects, of course, in the end, it is still necessary for the fleet to carry it out. So in the end, Mussolini called out to Kavgnari. "How's the fleet going?"

"Prime Minister, the fleet is ready, so the battleship has been inspected before to ensure that there will be no problems in battle. Moreover, the commander of the fleet, Amariti, also sent a telegram that the officers and men of the fleet had long been ready for battle. ”

"Well, this time you have a stake in the future of Italy."

While Italy was preparing for the coming big war, the French fleet, which was already on the sea, was turning, and it was not to be mistaken that they were not preparing to return to Toulon, but to adjust their course.

They will sail along the French seas, all the way to the southeast. This time, their route will pass through the Balearic Islands, which belong to Spain, and then sail all the way to Algiers, the capital of Algeria, which is currently the most common route for French transports.

On the flagship Alsace, Darlan was walking up and down his luxuriously decorated room, the expensive carpets on the floor, and the paintings on the walls did not attract his attention, and now he was waiting for news, a matter of success or failure in this military operation.

"Report."

A sudden sound outside the door made him stop moving.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a communications staff officer walked in. "Commander, this is the telegram we received."

Although the staff officer said something that did not end or end, it lifted Darlan's spirits, and at the same time he quickly took the telegram and read it.

"Good, good."

After reading the telegram, Dar Lang immediately ordered the staff officer beside him. "Give the order to the fleet at once and rush to Algiers at full speed."

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander."

Following Darlan's order, the fleet immediately picked up speed and hurried towards the target.

It turned out that this telegram had been sent by the British fleet, informing Darlan that they had arrived off the coast of Portugal and were about to cross Gibraltar into the Mediterranean.

This news naturally gave Darlan full of confidence, in this way he would have more power in his hands than the strength of the Italian fleet, two more battleships than his opponent, three more aircraft carriers, plus other warships, both in tonnage and numbers, he would have an advantage. And more importantly, the opponent is completely unaware of this, and that's the key.

Think about it, when the two sides are in positions and ready to fight with open swords and guns, suddenly reinforcements appear on their side, how much panic will this give the enemy.

Darrang is confident of the strength of the battle ahead.