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In the West there was a problem right off the bat. The capitulation of the French deprived Britain of important ports at Toulon, Oran, Bizerte, Algiers, Corsica; and the laying down of French arms left the flanks of the British in the Eastern basin bare. Accordingly a British squadron put two battleships and a battle cruiser out of action at Mers-el-Kebir (Oran) on July 3. This brilliantly executed attack was led by Vice Admiral Sir James Fownes ("Slim") Somerville, whose knowledge of naval traditions is indicated by the fact that his hobby is the highly technical one of making ship models, whose energy is indicated by the fact that whenever at anchor he rows around the ship four times before breakfast.
After Oran the Royal Navy's only remaining stronghold in the West was Gibraltar, and even the Rock was surrounded by potential enmity—an Axis-controlled Spain to the north, Italian guns just across the Straits at Ceuta, the remains of the still equivocal French Fleet in Toulon. The Western Fleet spent most of the time on the alert, continually scouting for trouble. But all the time it was just waiting for a ripe time to go on the offensive. Last week the ripeness was there, and the Western Fleet harvested an audacious victory.
At dawn one day, the Western Fleet swept unhesitatingly right to Genoa, in waters which ought to be Italian if any are. Without regard for enemy mines, submarines, airplanes or shore batteries, the ships lay there and pumped broadside after broadside into Italy's fourth city, her chief merchant port. Over 300 tons of shells flew into docks, warehouses, oil tanks, power stations, supply ships, harbor installations, and into the electric and boiler works of the huge Ansaldo shipbuilding plant. In the whole operation, only one Swordfish was lost. The squadron included the 32,000-ton battle cruiser Renown, the 31,000-ton battleship Malaya, a veteran of Jutland, the 22,000-ton aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the 9,100-ton cruiser Sheffield, and a covering guard of smaller vessels. The commander again was Sir James Somerville.
This feat had several importances. It was an insufferable taunt at the Italians. It drew not a single ship from Italy's main naval base at La Spezia, not 60 miles away. It was an unequivocal warning to the Germans not to try to launch a seaborne expedition to North Africa either from Genoa or from French ports.
In the East the Battle opened with counterparts of the precautions at Oran and Gibraltar. The British hastily grabbed a French battleship, four cruisers and smaller vessels in Alexandria, and set up a patrol guarding the Suez Canal.
On land the confident Italians began what appeared to be a giant pinch on the Canal. They drove a small British garrison out of British Somaliland, and undertook an invasion of Egypt which stalled at Sidi Barrani. Then came a turning point in the Eastern basin. Benito Mussolini called for an invasion of Greece.