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from Part II - The Great Crisis of Empire
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 January 2019
As the battle of France raged in North-West Europe, Benito Mussolini, the Italian Duce, sensed an opportunity to further Italian interests in the Mediterranean. On 10 June 1940, with the fighting in France having reached its dénouement, Italy declared war on Britain and France. Twelve days later, Pétain signed the armistice leaving Vichy in control of the French Empire as well as what was left of the French armed forces. These events had a direct impact on the British position in North Africa and the Middle East, as the armistice neutralised the French forces in Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, forces that were central to containing Italian ambitions in the region. When Britain decided to attack the French main fleet at its moorings at Mers-el-Kebir on 3 July, to prevent this vital asset falling into German hands, any lingering positive feelings harboured by the French towards its former ally dissipated.
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