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Why did the Free French attempt to capture Dakar fail in 1940?
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Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle, 1967.
In September 1940, the Free French military expedition to capture the strategic naval base of Dakar in French West Africa failed because the base remained under the control of French forces loyal to the Vichy government established by Marshal Philippe Pétain.1
While the expedition was intended to secure the territory for the Free French movement led by Charles de Gaulle, the local forces resisted the attempt, maintaining their allegiance to the national government in Vichy rather than joining the resistance movement.1