摘要：In keeping with the thrust of a previous article, Pasquay provides an overview of the events that took place between June and November 1940, from the perspective of the Kriegsmarine. Extracts from the Kriegstagebuch - war diary – of the Seekriegsleitung (SKL - Directorate of War at Sea) offers indeed a new vision. As a result of the British attack on Mers-el-Kébir, the Germans carefully observed the emergence of Free French naval forces. Well aware of the danger and wanting to conduct naval actions against the British and Free France, the Vichy government remained subject to German decisions. The Germans’ distrust of the French navy, not knowing exactly if they were loyal to Marshal Pétain or would serve the interests of General de Gaulle, forced them to be cautious. The intervention of Franco- British forces at Dakar - to gain the French navy’s support - reflects the expansionist vision of the English, and the conquest of Gabon in autumn 1940 by Free French forces marked a turning point. After months of mistrust vis-à-vis the government of Vichy, the SKL eventually gave its approval to strengthen military capabilities in North Africa.
