 Kutevera kurwiswa kweBritain pazvikepe zveFrance paMers-el-Kebir hurumende yeVichy yakanga yaiswa pachitsuwa ichi, uye kunetseka kweBritain nezvekuti chitsuwa ichi chabatwa neAxis kwakawedzera. Somugumisiro, musi wa5 May 1942, simba reamphibious raiumbwa nemapoka matatu emabhirigadi ehondo neuto rehondo uye mhepo yakaita Operation Ironclad. Nokuda kwebasa iri, No. 5 Commando, nhamba yevarume 365 pasi pemutungamiri weLt. Colonel W. Sanguinetti, yakabatanidzwa ne29th Brigade uye yakasvika pamberi pesimba guru pedyo neCourrier neAmbarata Bays kumucheto kuchamhembe kwechitsuwa uye kusvika kumadokero kweDiego Suarez, vakaita kurwisa kweFrance pamhenderekedzo yegungwa. 