As Germany was racing across France during WWII the French government was in disagreement about what to do. Some wanted to continue the fight and retreat to Africa if necessary. Others wanted to agree to terms with Germany to prevent further bloodshed in what they saw was a lost cause. The British had a signed agreement with France that neither would make a separate peace with Germany and they did not want to let France out of that agreement. They finally decided to offer France the opportunity to do that IF they would take the French fleet (fourth largest in the world) and send it to British ports or somewhere so that the Germans could not have it.

At the last minute the British came up with another solution. They proposed to unite Britain and France and continue the fight as one country. French citizens would be British citizens and British citizens would be French citizens. This was supported strongly by the French Premier and French General Charles De Gaulle. In the end the French government rejected this proposal and made a separate peace with France. As this decision was being made General De Gaulle made his escape to Africa.

The British confiscated all French vessels in British ports with only one French vessel resisting. When the French fleet at Oran refused to surrender, move the fleet to a neutral port or scuttle itself the British destroyed it.

(Book – The Second World War Volume 2 – Winston S. Churchill)