On this day, 85 years ago, July 3, 1940 (May 28, 1940 in the lunar calendar), the United Kingdom launched Operation Ballista to destroy the French fleet. Operation Ballista On July 3, 1940, the British Navy began the implementation of Operation Ballista, disarming all French fleets anchored outside French mainland. First, the British captured and controlled all French ships (including 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, etc.) anchored in the British ports of Portsmouth and Plymouth. At the same time, the commander of the French fleet anchored in Alexandria, Egypt, agreed to hand over the warships (1 battleship, 4 cruisers) to British command. The French fleet (one aircraft carrier, two cruisers) anchored in the French West Indies was disarmed under an agreement with the United States. The new French battleship "Richelieu" moored in Dakar was attacked by aircraft from the British fleet and was hit by a torpedo and lost its combat effectiveness. As General Charles de Gaulle's Free France began to gain victory in Central Africa, on December 10, 1940, Nazi leader Hitler issued an order calling for a secret plan of action: once the French colonies showed any inclination to resist the Vichy government, the German army would quickly occupy southern France and control the remaining air force and fleet. If the colonial governors were loyal to the Vichy government, this action would not have been implemented immediately. Britain's Operation "Ballista" completely eliminated the potential threat posed by French warships after France surrendered to Germany, thus firmly controlling the sea. However, the "Oran" incident also cast a shadow on Anglo-French relations. Over the past two years, the remaining French main fleet has been moored in the port almost all the time, abiding by the requirements of the armistice agreement and spending a period of relative peace. However, with the Allied forces landing in North Africa in November 1942, the situation in the Mediterranean deteriorated rapidly. Hitler believed that the capture of southern France and the capture of the French fleet would help resist a possible Allied landing in the Mediterranean. The death knell of the French fleet has sounded.