French Forces

Takin' in the sights

fbbrummbar

American soldier on the deck of the destroyed French battleship "Strasbourg" in Toulon, August 1944. Next to the battleship is the light cruiser "La Gallissoniere". The battleship "Estrasbourg" entered service on April 6, 1939. Until the fall of France, it accompanied French convoys. After the fall of France during "Operation Catapult", the ship was damaged and managed to escape from Mers-el-Kebir towards Toulon. On the morning of December 27, 1942, the "Estrasbourg" was sunk near the quay wall in Toulon, to avoid being captured by the German forces. Later, on July 17, 1943, it was refloated by the Italians. On August 18, 1944, before the Allied landings at Toulon, 36 American B-25s dropped 156 250-kilogram general purpose bombs on the "Estrasbourg" and "La Gallissoniere". The battleship was hit by seven bombs and sank to the bottom of the harbor. In 1946, the ship was refloated again, but due to the great destruction it was not restored. It was used for underwater blast exercises, and on May 27, 1955, her remains were sold as scrap metal. taken from fb/D.Del Moral