"What? The fleet of the British is heading for Toulon? ”

At 10:30 p.m. on May 12, three French admirals, who were enjoying dessert, received the news that the British fleet was approaching. It was not the Germans who informed them, but the unreliable Italians. Because it was responsible for "watching" the French fleet in the port of Toulon, the Italian navy also had a channel of communication with the French fleet in the port of Toulon.

But the commander-in-chief of the Italian Navy, Inigo. Admiral Campioni also did not inform the French of this news.

On the one hand, he did not believe that the British had the ability to launch air strikes from aircraft carriers at night; On the other hand, he didn't want the Germans to get the French navy - he knew that the French fleet was stronger than the Italian fleet, and if the Germans got the French fleet, wouldn't they have the most powerful navy in the Mediterranean?

However, his staff officers told the Italian destroyer Mistral, which was wandering outside the port of Toulon, about the British fleet's approach to Toulon. The captain of the destroyer Mistral went overboard and asked his men to inform the French fleet in the port of Toulon of the news by clear code.

"What do the British want to do?" Admiral Darlan did not expect the British to launch a night air raid, since the Italians did not tell him that there were 2 aircraft carriers in the British fleet.

"Maybe it's trying to persuade us to join the Free French movement?" Lieutenant General Matthews said.

"This can't be," Snorted Admiral Laporte, "there are Italian mines outside the port of Toulon, and we can't go even if we want to." I think the British must be trying to attack us! He looked at Lieutenant General Matthews, "Lieutenant General, immediately raise the combat readiness alert!" ”

"But they're British......"

"Is it the British who can attack us?" Admiral Darlang had just drunk a few more glasses, and now he was slightly drunk. "France is where it is today, and it's all because of these bad guys. Lieutenant General Matthews, I order the entire port of Toulon to be on the highest alert! ”

"Yes, Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief!" Lieutenant General Matthews, of course, did not dare to disobey the military order, stood up and gave a military salute, and then hurried out of the dining room to make a call to the various batteries, artillery positions, and airfields.

Seeing Vice Admiral Matthews leave, Darlan glanced at Admiral Laporte, who had not been on good terms with the commander of the French High Seas Fleet. The two have always been opponents in their careers, and neither of them looks at each other well. This time, however, they were hard to agree on the treatment of the British, both of whom were more anti-British, unwilling to give the last of France's bargaining chips to the British.

"Commander Laball," said Darlan, "go back to your flagship, the fleet cannot get out, but they can at least be used as water batteries. Go and gather the sailors, and get all the battleships in motion, except for the 'Richelieu', to the Grand Mooring, where they can engage in artillery battles with the British. ”

The port of Toulon is divided into large moorings and small moorings, with the large mooring being outside, close to the Sepe Peninsula; Small moorings included, close to the city of Toulon. The Sepe Peninsula is the gateway to the port of Toulon, and the peninsula is dotted with forts. Admiral Darlan's battle plan was very simple, which was to form an artillery column with 2 "Brittany", 3 "Guba" and 2 "Dunkirk" classes, go to the entrance of the main mooring yard to block the door, and engage the British fleet with the cooperation of the batteries on the Sepe Peninsula.

"And what about the Richelieu?" Admiral Lapolde asked. Although the Richelieu was not finally completed, the officers and men on board were fully equipped (not all of them were on board) and could be operated, and its ammunition depot also had 380mm of ammunition for its main guns.

"I'm on the Richelieu," said Darlan, "and if there is a fight, I'll fight the enemy on the Richelieu!" ”

"So...... Admiral," Admiral Lapolde hesitated, "if the British do come, shall we call for help from the Germans and Italians?" ”

"Asking for help?" Darlan glanced at Admiral Laport, "Now Germany and Italy are still enemies of France!" What has just been signed is nothing more than a temporary armistice...... How could France ask for help from the enemy? ”

……

Just as Admiral Darlan was leaving for the battleship Richelieu, 36 Swordfish planes, led by the commander Major Williamson L4A, formed a three-plane squad of 12 and flew towards the port of Toulon under the bright moonlight.

Since these "Swordfish" planes were hung with heavy torpedoes and bombs, as well as carrying additional fuel, they flew very slowly, reaching a speed of just over 140 km / h. The short 170-nautical-mile journey took more than 2 hours, and when you count the time spent taking off and forming a team in the air, it's almost 3 hours. Towards 11 o'clock in the evening, 36 Swordfish finally approached the Sepe Peninsula slowly.

And just when the group was still about 10 kilometers from the peninsula, they were detected by the anti-aircraft listening devices deployed by the French army on the Sepe Peninsula. On the Sepe Peninsula, the air defense sirens suddenly sounded, the light column of the French searchlight lit up and kept turning, and some of the anti-aircraft guns that reacted too aggressively immediately erupted tongues of fire, and the sky was covered with fire nets.

"God, the French were prepared!"

"The surprise attack was unsuccessful!"

"Major, their fire is too fierce, we can't rush through it at all!"

There was an exclamation from Major Williamson's headphones. According to the original plan, he was to lead the group of planes through the skies over the Sepe Peninsula. The dense appearance of the fire net in front of him obviously can't be rushed. However, he soon discovered that there were big holes in the French air defense network, only the Sepe Peninsula was full of fire, and the large mooring ground (the entrance to the port of Toulon) was quiet, and it was obvious that the French did not deploy "air defense ships" there.

"All attention, I am Major Williamson," Major Williamson began to give the order, "we rush in from the front of the Great Mooring, round the Sepe Peninsula, and rush into the port of Toulon!" ”

In the extraordinarily tall command tower of the battleship "Richelieu", Admiral Darlan, who had just boarded the ship, was also taken aback when he learned of an air attack by enemy aircraft.

"Are you sure it's an enemy plane?" He still couldn't believe it, "Could it be a German plane flying from Rnaya?" ”

"Not entirely sure," replied Colonel Henry, captain of the Richelieu, at once, "but we must consider them enemies...... Even the Germans are still our enemies! Moreover, if they had no ill intentions, they would have naturally left when they saw the artillery fire on the Sepe Peninsula. ”

Admiral Darlang thought about it, and also felt this truth, and hurriedly asked: "Can the 'Richelieu' move now?" ”

"Not so," Colonel Henry shook his head, "besides, the officers and sailors have not yet arrived, and there is not even a third of the men on board......"

Battleships are not said to be able to start immediately, heavy fuel ignition takes at least 15 minutes, and then the water boils before the steam turbine can be driven. It's fast to be up and running in 30-45 minutes. And now the French High Seas Fleet is encircled in the harbor waiting to be launched, and the level of preparation for war is very low. Many of the officers and sailors were not on board, and it would take time to gather them. If the British fleet had come back after dawn for an artillery battle, the fleet would have been able to move, but it would have been impossible to do so now.

"Damn it!" Darlang scolded, "Hurry up and arrange people to go to the anti-aircraft gun position, and the team in charge of the loss must be organized immediately......

"Yes, Admiral!"

Darlan remembered something again at this time, and shouted: "Send a telegram to the Admiralty and tell them that there is an air raid on the port of Toulon!" ”

Within a few minutes of Darlan's order, several small suns suddenly fell over the Great Mooring, illuminating the harbor as if it were day.

"Flares!" Darlang took a breath of cool air, it was an enemy plane! Most likely British......

"The surprise attack was successful!" Major Williamson shouted.

His hanging heart has been relaxed, there is no dense network of anti-aircraft artillery fire waiting for them here at the big anchorage!

By the light of the flares, he saw that there were many cruisers and destroyers or other auxiliary ships moored on the sea, most of them as if no one were piloting them.

It was an unsuspecting fleet, in stark contrast to the dense anti-aircraft artillery fire on the Sepe Peninsula just now. Rear Admiral Williamson, who came from the Navy, knew very well how much time it would take for a battleship to start at anchor...... This was enough for his Swordfish aircraft to cause massive damage.

"Bomb squadron," he ordered via radio, "go bomb the oil depot!" ”

In the port of Toulon there is a large oil depot belonging to the French Navy, which stores millions of gallons of heavy oil!

"The Thunderstrike squadron follows me," he ordered again, "and we go to the small mooring, where the French battleships should be!" Remember, we don't have many torpedoes, don't waste them. ”

He took only 18 torpedo machines, each with only 1 torpedo on board. This can be saved, and the destroyers and cruisers in the large moorings will not be attacked, and all the battleships in the small moorings will be left to deal with them.

Five minutes later, 18 Swordfish planes with torpedoes and 1 Swordfish plane with flares rushed into the small mooring. The battleships here were clearly somewhat prepared, with piercing searchlights and red and orange tracer shells fired at the same time, but not too densely.

In the face of the French anti-aircraft fire, Major Williamson piloted the "Swordfish" plane and two other "Swordfish" in a three-plane formation that attacked first, and the torpedo he dropped hit the flagship of the French High Seas Fleet, the "Brittany", and one other torpedo also hit the "Brittany". Another 3-plane formation found the huge "Richelieu" and let the unfinished battleship eat a torpedo. At the same time, the "Lone", "Provence" and "Strasbourg" were each hit with 1 British torpedo...... (To be continued.) )