Chapter 141
< World War II - Bonaparte Operation (6) >
October 4, 1940
The waters off the western coast of France, near the Bay of Biscay
Due to the massive damage suffered by both fleets in the recent Battle of the English Channel, Germany, Britain, and France all found themselves in a state akin to an armistice in the English Channel.
However, Britain had long been repairing its capital ships, the Nelson and the Rodney, and with France having lost all of its new battleships in the previous battle, it was France that was at a growing disadvantage.
Meanwhile, in the waters off western France, Admiral René-Émile Godfroy's escort fleet was protecting a convoy of transport ships fully loaded with fuel purchased from Venezuela.
After the first convoy was caught and annihilated by Admiral Karl Dönitz's U-boats, France, which had already lost many transport ships in the Battle for the British Isles, suffered from a chronic shortage of transport vessels.
Nevertheless, to avoid running out of fuel, they had once again scraped together their scarce transports and sent them to Venezuela.
With no other country willing to sell fuel to France, the nation was forced to buy more fuel without even having received what they'd already paid dearly for.