The French Navy in World War II. Paul Auphan

      ¹ Messengers of the Lord.

      ² The firing ships on the east coast were the old battleship Courbet, escorted by two 600-ton torpedo boats and one antiaircraft sloop; on the west coast, the Léopard, Savorgnan de Brazza, and two torpedo boats. The effectiveness of their fire was attested by French prisoners whom Rommel had placed at the head of his column.

      ³ General de Gaulle’s actual mission was to obtain ships from the British to evacuate as many French troops as possible to Africa.

      ⁴ It is perhaps thanks to the French Admiralty that the gold of the Bank of France remained on French territory. In early June, 1940, Paul Reynaud, President of the French Council, had negotiated with the American Ambassador at Paris for the evacuation of 200 tons of French gold to the United States. American warships were to take this gold aboard at Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Concerned over the risks of such a transfer in an open roadstead, the French Admiralty loaded this gold on the French auxiliary cruiser Ville d’Oran at Pauillac on May 29, and transported it to Casabianca, where on June 10 it was transferred to the U.S. cruiser Vincennes.

      This was the only transfer of gold to a foreign country for the sake of security, all the rest of the gold reserves being entrusted to French overseas possessions. It was thus that approximately 1,000 tons of gold were transported to Dakar, in French West Africa, without the loss of a penny.

      ⁵ French edition, Book II, Volume I, page 228.

      ⁶ Airfields near Bordeaux and Marseilles, respectively.

      ⁷ A few ships, however, headed for England under pressure of the British destroyers cruising off the Gironde. Among them was the freighter Fort Médine, which was of particular interest since it carried the archives of the Gnome and Rhône aircraft engine factory. The British liaison officer at Bordeaux had received orders to do his utmost to persuade the freighter captain to sail for England, and, if necessary, to bribe him. (A British Admiralty dispatch, 1937 of 22 June, specified 100 pounds sterling.)

      ⁸ On the evening of June 18, Admiral Darlan had telegraphed this message to his principal subordinates: “The President of the Council reminds all combatants that no armistice has yet been concluded, and their duty remains to resist to the utmost. In case of necessity, all ships and planes will withdraw to North Africa. Combatant ships and planes unable to reach there, and running the risk of falling into enemy hands after a fight, must either destroy or scuttle themselves.”