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La Melpomène-class Torpedo Boat
The ''La Melpomène'' class was a group of 12 French torpedo boats built from 1933 to 1935. Ships in class After serving with Marine Nationale, the ships of the ''La Melpomène'' class saw service in World War II with the ''Kriegsmarine'', ''Marine Nationale de l´Armistice'' (Vichy French Navy), ''Regia Marina'', Free French Navy, Royal Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy. Service histories *''La Melpomène'' was in a British port in June 1940. After brief service with the Royal Navy, she was transferred into FNFL (Free French) service. In 1950 was sold for scrap. *''La Pomone'' was in Vichy service after June 1940. Seized by the Germans at Bizerte, in December 1942, she became the Italian ''FR.42'', and the German ''TA.10'' in May 1943. In action against HMS ''Eclipse'' near Rhodes, she was badly damaged, and scuttled on 27 September 1943. *''La Flore'' on the night of 21 May 1940 at the invitation of Admiral Abrial, carried General Weygand, the recently installed supreme co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived in 1885 by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish NavySmith, Charles Edgar: ''A short history of naval and marine engineering.'' Babcock & Wilcox, ltd. at the University Press, 1937, page 263 as a defense against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these "torpedo boat destroyers" (TBDs) were "large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats". Although the term "destroyer" had been used interchangeably with "TBD" and "torpedo boat destroyer" by navies since 1892, the term "torpedo boat destroyer" had been generally shortened to simply "destroyer" by nearly all navies by the First World War. Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels with little endurance for unatte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bizerta
Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the rest of the country won its independence from France. The city had 162,053 inhabitants in 2014. Names The classical name of Bizerte, Hippo, is the latinization of a PunicPerseus Digital Library Perseus.tufts.edu name (, ), probably related to the word ''ûbôn'', meaning "harbor". To distinguish it from (the modern |
Royal Dutch Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, the Dutch States Navy was one of the most powerful navies in the world and played an active role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, Franco-Dutch War, Nine Years' War and War of the Spanish Succession. However, by the late 18th century it had declined through neglect and was no longer a match for either the Royal Navy, British or French Navy, French navies. The Batavian Navy and navy of the Kingdom of Holland played an active role in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, though both were repeatedly yoked to French interests. Officially formed in 1813 after the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands was established, the Royal Netherlands Navy played an important role in protecting the Dutch East Indies, and would play a minor role ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) and French Third Republic, France. The plan for the invasion of the Low Countries and France was called (Case Yellow or the Manstein plan). (Case Red) was planned to finish off the French and British after the Dunkirk evacuation, evacuation at Dunkirk. The Low Countries and France were defeated and occupied by Axis troops down to the Demarcation line (France), Demarcation line. On 3 September 1939, French declaration of war on Germany (1939), France and United Kingdom declaration of war on Germany (1939), Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, over the German invasion of Poland on 1 September. In early September 1939, the French army began the limited Saar Offensive but by mid-October had withdrawn to the start line ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in England not located primarily on the Great Britain, mainland. The city is located south-east of Southampton, west of Brighton and Hove and south-west of London. With a population last recorded at 208,100, it is the most densely populated city in the United Kingdom. Portsmouth forms part of the South Hampshire urban area with Gosport, Borough of Fareham, Fareham, Borough of Havant, Havant, Borough of Eastleigh, Eastleigh and Southampton. Portsmouth's history can be traced to Roman Britain, Roman times and has been a significant Royal Navy dockyard and base for centuries. Portsmouth was founded by Anglo-Norman merchant Jean de Gisors in the south-west area of Portsea Island, a location now known as Old Portsmouth. Around this time, de Gis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon has a population of 176,198 people (2018), making it France's 13th-largest city. It is the centre of an urban unit with 580,281 inhabitants (2018), the ninth largest in France by population. Toulon is the second largest French city by urban area on the Mediterranean coast after Marseille. Toulon is an important centre for naval construction, fishing, wine making, and the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, armaments, maps, paper, tobacco, printing, shoes, and electronic equipment. The military port of Toulon is the major navy, naval centre on France's Mediterranean coast, home of the French aircraft carrier ''French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, Charles de Gaulle'' and her battle group. The French Mediterranean Fleet is based in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scuttling Of The French Fleet In Toulon
The scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon was orchestrated by Vichy France on 27 November 1942 to prevent Nazi German forces from seizing it. After the Allied invasion of North Africa, the Germans invaded the territory administered by Vichy under the Armistice of 1940. The Vichy Secretary of the Navy, Admiral François Darlan, defected to the Allies, who were gaining increasing support from servicemen and civilians. His replacement, Admiral Gabriel Auphan, guessed correctly that the Germans intended to seize the large fleet at Toulon (even though this was explicitly forbidden in the Franco-Italian armistice and the French-German armistice), and ordered it scuttled. The Germans began Operation Anton but the French naval crews used subterfuge to delay them until the scuttling was complete. Anton was judged a failure, with the capture of 39 small ships, while the French destroyed 77 vessels; several submarines escaped to French North Africa. It marked the end of Vichy Fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piombino
Piombino is an Italian town and ''comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma. Overview It has an ancient historical centre, derived from the time in which it was the Etruscans' port, in the surroundings of Populonia. In the Middle Ages, it was instead an important port of the Republic of Pisa. Its hinterland hosts a considerable industrial area. Its port is still heavily used, both for industry and for tourism, with ferry boats to Portoferraio (Elba) and Olbia (Sardinia). Geography The bounding communes of Piombino are Campiglia Marittima, Follonica, San Vincenzo and Suvereto. The town has seven civil parishes (''frazioni''): Baratti, Colmata, Fiorentina, La Sdriscia, Populonia, Populonia Stazione and Riotorto. History Early history The area of modern Piombino was settled since ancient times. During the Etr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MAS (boat)
''Motoscafo armato silurante'' (torpedo-armed motorboat), alternatively ''Motoscafo antisommergibili'' (anti-submarine motorboat) and commonly abbreviated as MAS, was a class of fast torpedo-armed vessels used by the (Italian Royal Navy) during World War I and World War II. Originally, "MAS" referred to (armed motorboat SVAN), (Naval Automobile Society of Venice). The MAS were petrol-engined planing boats with displacements of 20–30 tonnes (depending on the class), a 10-man crew and armament composed of two torpedoes, heavy machine guns and occasionally a 37 mm or 20 mm cannon. In the context of the unit title (assault craft flotilla; the most famous of which was the Decima MAS of World War II), the term "MAS" is an acronym for (assault craft). World War I MAS were widely employed by ''Regia Marina'' during World War I in 1915–1918. Models used were directly derived from compact civilian motorboats, provided with petrol engines which were compact and rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the contingent of the British Army sent to French Third Republic, France in 1939 after Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany on 3 September, beginning the Second World War. The BEF existed from 2 September 1939 when the BEF GHQ was formed until 31 May 1940, when GHQ closed down and its troops reverted to the command of Home Forces. During the 1930s, the British government had planned to deter war by abolishing the Ten Year Rule and rearming from the very low level of readiness of the early 1930s. The bulk of the extra money went to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force but plans were made to re-equip a small number of Army and Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Territorial Army divisions for service overseas. General (United Kingdom), General Lord Gort was appointed to the command of the BEF on 3 September 1939 and the BEF began moving to France on 4 September 1939. The BEF assembled along the Belgian–French border. The B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Gort
Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, (10 July 1886 – 31 March 1946) was a senior British Army officer. As a young officer during the First World War, he was decorated with the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During the 1930s he served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (the professional head of the British Army). He is best known for commanding the British Expeditionary Force that was sent to France in the first year of the Second World War, only to be evacuated from Dunkirk the following year. Gort later served as Governor of Gibraltar and Malta, and High Commissioner for Palestine and Transjordan. Early life Vereker was born in London. His mother was Eleanor, Viscountess Gort née Surtees (1857–1933; later Eleanor Benson), who was a daughter of the writer Robert Smith Surtees. Vereker's father was John Gage Prendergast Vereker, 5th Viscount Gort (1849–1902). J. S. S. P. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
General Weygand
Maxime Weygand (; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well as a high ranking member of the Vichy regime. Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educated at the Saint-Cyr military academy in Paris. After graduating in 1887, he went on to become an instructor at the Saumur Cavalry School. During World War I, Weygand served as a staff officer to General (later Marshal) Ferdinand Foch. He then served as an advisor to Poland in the Polish–Soviet War and later High Commissioner of the Levant. In 1931, Weygand was appointed Chief of Staff of the French Army, a position he served until his retirement in 1935 at the age of 68. In May 1940, Weygand was recalled for active duty and assumed command of the French Army during the German invasion. Following a series of military setbacks, Weygand advised armistice and France subsequently capitulated. He joined Philippe Pétain's Vichy regime as Minister for Defen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
