The failure to secure the French fleet at Toulon
When the German Army swept through France, some of the French fleet units were sent to ports in North Africa. The bulk of the French Mediterranean fleet was at its main anchorage at Toulon. The armistice between the Germans and the Vichy government specified that the French fleet would be confined to French ports. British task forces destroyed the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, and fought other units with less success at Dakar. The French base at Toulon, which was too strongly defended to be attacked from the sea, held some of Europe’s most modern and powerful warships, which remained under the control of the Vichy government.
Hitler was not a naval strategist and had little use for naval affairs, other than an appreciation for the successes of the U-Boats. Despite the urgings of several junior naval officers, and some more senior, the French ships remained in port, crewed by French sailors. When Operation Torch led to the Germans and Italians occupying Vichy France in 1942, the Germans decided to seize the fleet, which had been within their reach for two years, though they did nothing about it. French officers and crews, aware of the German attempt, scuttled the fleet in the port of Toulon. Three battleships, seven cruisers, and 67 other vessels were denied to the German navy by the scuttling operations.