The (High Sea Force) was an organization of the (French Navy) formed from the
Mediterranean Fleet shortly before the German
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
in September 1939. It was reformed after the French signed armistices
with Germany and
with Italy after losing the
Battle of France in June 1940. The rump of France not occupied by Germany and Italy became known as
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...
and the victors agreed to allow it to use the navy's surviving ships subject to strict limitations.
History
It was founded at Toulon on 25 September 1940 by agreement with the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
German Armistice Commission
The German Armistice Commission (german: Waffenstillstandskommission, WAKO) was a military body charged with supervising the implementation of the Franco-German Armistice, signed on 22 June 1940, in German-occupied France during World War II.Uni ...
s. The Germans and Italians imposed strict limits on the number of Vichy ships that were allowed to be in
commission and training. All other ships, with the exception of those based overseas or assigned to local defense, were required to be placed in
reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
(). Fuel shortages generally limited the FHM to one major training
sortie per month. Ships would generally rotate in and out of reserve to receive refits or modernizations.
[Jordan & Caresse, p. 236]
Admiral Jean de Laborde
Jean de Laborde (29 November 1878 – 30 July 1977) was a French admiral who had a long career starting at the end of the 19th century and extending to World War II after which he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. A pioneer of Fren ...
came out of retirement to lead the FHM.
[Jordan & Caresse, p. 236]
Order of battle, 25 September 1940
On formation, the unit consisted of:
*, the
flagship
*''1
ère Escadre de croiseurs'' (1st Cruiser Squadron)
**''1
ère Division de croiseurs'' (1st Cruiser Division)
***
***
***
**''3
e Division de croiseurs'' (3rd Cruiser Division)
***
***
*''3
e Escadre Légère'' (3rd Light Squadron)
**''3
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (3rd Destroyer Division)
***
***
***
**''7
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (7th Destroyer Division)
***
***
***
**''10
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (10th Destroyer Division)
***
***
Order of battle, 1 November 1942
Shortly before the
German occupation of Vichy France, the unit consisted of:
[Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 136]
*, the
flagship
*''1
ère Escadre de croiseurs'' (1st Cruiser Squadron)
**''1
ère Division de croiseurs'' (1st Cruiser Division)
***
***
***
**''3
e Division de croiseurs'' (3rd Cruiser Division)
***
***
*''3
e Escadre Légère'' (3rd Light Squadron)
**''3
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (3rd Destroyer Division)
***
***
**''6
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (6th Destroyer Division)
***
***
***
**''7
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (7th Destroyer Division)
***
***
***
**''10
e Division de contre-torpilleurs'' (10th Destroyer Division)
***
***
***
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forces de haute mer
French naval components
Naval fleets