As the title says, Britain and France were old enemies but stood as Allies at this juncture in history. After making peace with Nazi Germany after the Battle of France in 1940 Vichy France now possessed military hardware that could be used against the British in its war with Germany.

The British attack on the French fleet at Mers el Kebir, Algeria in July 1940 left no doubt about Churchill's viewpoint. Despite assurances from the French that their fleet would not fall into German hands, the attack resulted in the deaths of 1300 French servicemen. Britain was at war with Vichy France.

This was a particularly murky period in British/French political history. De Gaulle's Free French forces fighting against Vichy France and Churchill's surprise attack against his at that time, allies left no one looking spotless. Although pertinent to events in the book I found some of this a little heavy going at times.

The war with Vichy French forces took place in far flung locations. There were air and land battles which the book describes in full. Some of the French Naval Commanders freely scuttled their ships, others fought.

There are some maps of strategic areas in the conflict but no photographs which I thought may have added to the layout. However, It is a very well written book with new material that makes it a must read for World War 2 enthusiasts.