The fortress and the formidable vessel: the struggle for Dakar and the Richelieu in World War II
Nichols, Michael Ray, Jr.
Nichols, Michael Ray, Jr.
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Date
2002
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Abstract
For three days in September 1940 a large British naval squadron bombarded the French colonial city of Dakar, Senegal, with little success. The attack was preceded by an attempted peaceful landing by negotiators under a flag of truce. The fighting included a beach landing, exchanges of naval gunfire, and a steady but uncoordinated shelling of residential areas. While there were many civilian casualties in Dakar, the combined British-Free French mission failed largely because of the presence of the French battleship Richelieu and the will of Governor-General of French West Africa Pierre Boisson. This work details the role of Dakar and the French battleship Richelieu throughout World War II, especially focusing on the period following the fall of France in June 1940 through the attack that September. In an attempt to give a full history of the battle, it integrates social, diplomatic, political, and military aspects of the entire affair through interviews with an individual who witnessed the battle, memoirs of the major participants, published government papers, unpublished American diplomatic reports, unpublished Vichy French military accounts, and secondary sources.
Contents
Subject
Subject(s)
Richelieu (Ship)Dakar, Battle of, Dakar, Senegal, 1940
Battleships--France--History--20th century
World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, French
World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, British
France--History, Naval--20th century
Battleships--France--History--20th century
World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, French
World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, British
France--History, Naval--20th century
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Genre
Dissertation
Description
Format
x, 256 leaves : maps
Department
History