旅研　−2012−　臨時掲示板

July 11: Germany installs Philippe P騁ain as leader of unoccupied France. Vichy's Philippe P騁ain weak in face of Nazis: Marshal Philippe P騁ain became a French national hero in World War I, primarily because of his defense of Verdun. Vichy, France, attacks British Gibraltar with planes from its bases in French Morocco. British attack French ships in Algerian port: The French battleship Bretagne burns in an Algerian port after being hit by British fire on July 3, 1940. Following the defeat of France, Britain moved to prevent French warships from falling into Nazi hands. July 3: With the Vichy regime running France, Britain takes measures to prevent the occupying Nazis from controlling the French navy. July 16: More than 20,000 French citizens are driven from Alsace-Lorraine when the Nazis annex the region. In the ensuing Battle of Oran, the British damaged and destroyed several French warships, killing more than 1,200 French sailors. After Paris fell, P騁ain became head of state on June 16. French hopes for a repeat of Verdun proved misplaced. Lord Beaverbrook head of British aircraft production: Lord Beaverbrook (William Maxwell Aitken) was Britain's minister of aircraft production and a member of the War Cabinet from May 1940. His sometimes ruthless but invariably focused approach, coupled with his inspired leadership, produced remarkable results during 1940. More than 7,300 aircraft were built between January and August -- just in time for the strategically vital Battle of Britain.