A damaged French destroyer was towed from Brest to Devonport and repaired, but she had little crew aboard when Operation Catapult brought her under British control. Britain feared the consequences of French warships in its ports coming under hostile authority after the French government's collapse. The criticism of Allied planning is that too few contingencies had been agreed for such a rupture. Even with advance planning, the divided and changing French political response might have frustrated those arrangements. In this interpretation, the collapse was chiefly governmental, rather than simply the collapse of the army or nation. Strategic preparation therefore needed to include government structures and procedures for setbacks as well as plans for military operations.
Notable Point · 40:31-42:51
Operation Catapult and government war preparedness
Operation Catapult raises the problem of preparing governments and alliances for military setbacks, divided authority, and uncertainty over control of warships.