September 23, 1940

De Gaulle fails in front of Dakar

At dawn on September 23, 1940, General de Gaulle arrives with three warships of the Free French Forces in front of Dakar, capital of Senegal and French West Africa (AOF).

He is accompanied by a British fleet comprising two battleships, an aircraft carrier and destroyers, under the command of Admiral Andrew Cunningham. This is Operation "Menace".

De Gaulle tries to obtain the support of the governor of the colony for Free France, but in response, he has the fleet bombed. A

After three days of hesitation, de Gaulle and his British allies withdraw.

This is an immense humiliation for de Gaulle, barely three months after launching his Appeal and founding Free France.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is himself hit by ricochet and violently attacked in the Commons...