Operation Catapult

E1013732

Operation Catapult was a controversial World War II British naval action in July 1940 in which the Royal Navy attacked and neutralized elements of the French fleet to prevent them from falling into German hands after France’s armistice with Germany.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Operation Catapult canonical 3

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II military operation ⓘ
naval operation ⓘ
aftermath Vichy France broke off diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom ⓘ
used by German and Vichy propaganda against Britain ⓘ
belligerent United Kingdom ⓘ
Vichy France ⓘ
carriedOutBy Royal Navy ⓘ
casualties over 1,000 French sailors killed at Mers-el-Kébir ⓘ
cause France’s armistice with Germany in June 1940 ⓘ
characterizedAs controversial ⓘ
preemptive strike ⓘ
commander Dudley North ⓘ
James Somerville ⓘ
component attack on French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir ⓘ
negotiations and stand-off at Alexandria ⓘ
operations against French ships at Dakar ⓘ
seizure of French ships in British ports ⓘ
conflict World War II ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
legalStatus disputed under international law ⓘ
location Alexandria, Egypt ⓘ
Dakar, French West Africa ⓘ
linked to: Dakar

Mers-el-Kébir ⓘ
Oran ⓘ
Plymouth, United Kingdom ⓘ
linked to: Plymouth, England

Portsmouth, United Kingdom ⓘ
linked to: Portsmouth, England
notableShipDamaged French battleship Dunkerque ⓘ
notableShipEscaped French battleship Strasbourg ⓘ
notableShipSunk French battleship Bretagne ⓘ
objective to prevent the French fleet from falling into German hands ⓘ
opposedBy Marcel-Bruno Gensoul NERFINISHED ⓘ
orderedBy Winston Churchill ⓘ
partOf Battle of the Atlantic ⓘ
relatedTo Armistice of 22 June 1940 ⓘ
Free French Forces ⓘ
Vichy France ⓘ
result major French warships at Mers-el-Kébir neutralized ⓘ
severe deterioration of Anglo-French relations ⓘ
strengthening of British naval security in the Mediterranean ⓘ
startDate 1940-07-03 ⓘ
target French Navy ⓘ
French aircraft carrier Béarn ⓘ
French battleship Bretagne ⓘ
French battleship Dunkerque ⓘ
French battleship Provence ⓘ
French battleship Strasbourg ⓘ
French destroyers at Mers-el-Kébir ⓘ
French submarines in British ports ⓘ
timePeriod July 1940 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

cruisers of Force H → notableOperation → Operation Catapult ⓘ
Force H → participatedIn → Operation Catapult ⓘ
Battle of Mers-el-Kébir → partOf → Operation Catapult ⓘ