Churchill's toughest decision

Edward Abel Smith considers a devastating Royal Navy attack on the French fleet in the summer of 1940, and whether it was justifiable

Published: June 10, 2026 at 9:09 AM

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In the summer of 1940, the Royal Navy attacked a French fleet moored off the coast of north Africa, killing almost 1300 sailors. Winston Churchill described his decision to green-light the operation as the toughest he ever had to take. But was it the right decision? In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, Edward Abel Smith talks to Spencer Mizen about an episode that would shake Britain's wartime relations with both the French and the Americans.

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To hear more from Edward Abel Smith, don't miss our podcast episode on the remarkable life of Nicholas Winton, the British Schindler, who helped hundreds of Jewish children escape Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War

Authors

Spencer MizenSenior production editor

Spencer is senior production editor of HistoryExtra magazine

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