It was the 8th of November and the Allies had just invaded French North Africa .
In Alexandria harbor Operation Sneeze was taking place .
The interned ships of Admiral Godfroy's Force X were under close scrutiny which way would they jump , how would they react. The French had 1 battleship , 4 cruisers , 3 destroyers and 1 submarine in a semi demilitarized state
Ashore the army had heavy and light artillery ready to fire on the ships .
Merchant ships had been evacuated or moved out of the line of fire
Royal Marine boarding parties were primed and ready to storm the ships .
In the harbour MTBs were strategically positioned to torpedo the French ships
Negotiations were taking place .
In the 9th November , HMS Paladin and HMS Petard entered the harbour and moored so their torpedoes covered the French cruisers .
At sea the 15th Cruiser Squadron and their escort waited ready to act.
Smoke could be seen from the funnels of the French ships
How would the French react
Were they about to move their ships into strategic positions and scuttle them blocking Alexandria harbour .
What about the French Battleship Lorraine coincidentally she had just entered drydock
If she was sabotaged she could block a key asset and deprive the Royal Navy of its use while she was removed
Royal Navy crews were tense would their be a repeat of Operation Catapult . Would they have to fire on French ships again but this time on largely helpless units of the French Navy
In the OTL all was resolved and the allied forces were stood down
However what if it hadn't, what if negotiations had broken down or disenchanted French sailors had taken action , or a nervous gunner had fired starting a chain reaction . What if Lorraine was stuck in that dry dock
How might operation Sneeze turned into full blown Flu
In Alexandria harbor Operation Sneeze was taking place .
The interned ships of Admiral Godfroy's Force X were under close scrutiny which way would they jump , how would they react. The French had 1 battleship , 4 cruisers , 3 destroyers and 1 submarine in a semi demilitarized state
Ashore the army had heavy and light artillery ready to fire on the ships .
Merchant ships had been evacuated or moved out of the line of fire
Royal Marine boarding parties were primed and ready to storm the ships .
In the harbour MTBs were strategically positioned to torpedo the French ships
Negotiations were taking place .
In the 9th November , HMS Paladin and HMS Petard entered the harbour and moored so their torpedoes covered the French cruisers .
At sea the 15th Cruiser Squadron and their escort waited ready to act.
Smoke could be seen from the funnels of the French ships
How would the French react
Were they about to move their ships into strategic positions and scuttle them blocking Alexandria harbour .
What about the French Battleship Lorraine coincidentally she had just entered drydock
If she was sabotaged she could block a key asset and deprive the Royal Navy of its use while she was removed
Royal Navy crews were tense would their be a repeat of Operation Catapult . Would they have to fire on French ships again but this time on largely helpless units of the French Navy
In the OTL all was resolved and the allied forces were stood down
However what if it hadn't, what if negotiations had broken down or disenchanted French sailors had taken action , or a nervous gunner had fired starting a chain reaction . What if Lorraine was stuck in that dry dock
How might operation Sneeze turned into full blown Flu