Léopard served with Western Maritime Forces Command and came under Admiral Abrial in May 1940. She supported Dunkirk and Cherbourg, fired on advancing German forces, and helped lead groups of smaller torpilleurs d'escadre. An admiral commanded the wider force from an aviso, whose accommodation could house his staff. Even large French destroyers lacked the limited staff space available in comparable British destroyers, so hull size alone did not make them suitable flagships. Léopard fired some of the last shots around Boulogne-sur-Mer on 24 May and later rescued 19 mainly British soldiers from a sinking boat, carrying them to England.
Chapter · 7:29-9:21
Léopard's Channel fighting and the need for a staff ship
Coastal gunfire and a small rescue formed part of Léopard's Channel service, while an aviso supplied the staff accommodation her destroyer force lacked.