Toulon

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23808, 30 November 1942, Page 4

Toulon

The statement by a spokesman of Fighting France that the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon harbour is “ a sign of revival ” of the French national spirit is more than a rhetorical flourish. Until recently the Axis hoped and believed that the substantial part of the French Navy which remained under Vichy control would ultimately go into action against the United Nations; and at one time it seemed that their confidence was justified. When the German high command ordered the attack on Toulon it must have known that the personnel of the French ships, hitherto riddled with defeatism and embittered by the memory of Oran, had at last seen Germany as the real enemy and were preparing to strike a blow for the United Nations. Otherwise, it would not have taken a step which was certain to destroy its last chance of assembling a naval force capable of challenging Britain in the Mediterranean, For the United Nations, the Toulon affair is an end to a period of uncertainty. Much as it may be regretted that the French units in Toulon have not been added to their meagre margin of naval superiority, it can at least be said that an element of dangerous instability has been removed from the naval situation. For the Vichy regime the loss of Toulon and the ships there is the loss of its last bargaining counter. Petain and Laval are now of no use to Hitler and will no doubt soon disappear from the scene.