In the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill faced a terrible dilemma. France had just surrendered and Germany was poised to seize the entire French fleet. Churchill had to make a choice: to either trust that the French government would never hand over their ships to Hitler; or destroy them himself. This documentary tells the story of what Churchill did next, and why 1,300 French sailors died as a result. The film interviews French survivors, and also a British war veteran, a sailor who opened fire on his former allies. Historians also trace the chain of events and their consequences for those involved.

Monday 25 May 2009
9:20pm