Beltway Confidential

Remember Winston Churchill this Fourth of July

By Philip Wegmann
Published July 4, 2017 4:01am ET
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Remember Winston Churchill this Fourth of July
On a warm Fourth of July morning 77 years ago, two British battleships slipped into the Mediterranean harbor of Mers El Kebir. At the personal orders of the prime minister and with two-dozen destroyers in tow, those man-o-wars laid waste to an undefended French fleet. It was Sir Winston Churchill's finest moment. (AP Photo/Staff/Putnam) | Len Putnam

On a warm Fourth of July morning 77 years ago, two British battleships slipped into the Mediterranean harbor of Mers El Kebir. At the personal orders of the prime minister and with two-dozen destroyers in tow, those men-o-war laid waste an undefended French fleet.

In less than half an hour, Her Majesty’s Royal Navy unceremoniously slaughtered more than 1,200 Frenchmen.

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Commentary Holidays Philip Wegmann United Kingdom