Second Armistice at Compiègne
Although the "Force de Raid" was berthed in colonial Africa outside Axis-occupied territory following the Second Armistice at Compiègne, the wartime British Government of Winston Churchill was greatly alarmed by the possibility that these modern capital ships might be acquired by the Axis powers, with or without French consent. When Vice Amiral Gensoul refused British demands to violate armistice conditions, the Royal Navy shelled Mers El Kébir harbor. The surviving "Force de Raid" battleships were repaired and transferred to Toulon.