France declared war against Germany on September 3rd, 1939 following the German invasion of Poland. Her first actions involved Atlantic patrols to hunt German raiders but the vessel only managed to accidentally assail another French warship - the submarine "Casablanca" - during this period. Because of the threat posed by the powerful Italian Fleet in the Mediterranean, it was decided to relocate Georges Leygues and other French naval assets to Mers-el-Kebir i (Algeria) during April of 1940. France fell to the German invasion in June of 1940 after a month-and-a-half-long campaign.
In July, the British Navy attempted to destroy the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir for fear of these warships eventually being used against them. The French fleet was largely neutralized during the action but Georges Leygues managed to survive and was relocated at Toulon in the south of France. On September 9th, 1940, the warship departed with sister ships Montcalm and Gloire and traversed the Strait of Gibraltar despite a British presence overlooking entry/exit into the Mediterranean/Atlantic. She then anchored at Casablanca (Morocco), taking on fuel and supplies, before arriving at Dakar (Senegal) on September 14th. While en route to Libreville (Gabon) the trio was met by a British naval force which forced them to return to Dakar. The British, joined by the Australians and Free French forces, enacted "Operation Menace" in an effort to take Dakar. This lasted from September 23rd to the 25th but the operation came up short.
Following the success of the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch - November 1942) and the occupation of Vichy France by the Germans, French naval elements, including Georges Leygues, Montcalm, and Gloire joined the Allied cause. The operation proved critical as it marked the beginning of the removal of Axis forces from the African continent while also restricting enemy movement across the Mediterranean. With her commitment in the operation complete, Georges Leygues was reassigned to patrolling the Atlantic and managed to run down, and scuttle, the German ship "Portland". After this action she was sent to Philadelphia, USA for a needed refit which lasted from July until October 1942. She received improved anti-aircraft armament and lost her ability to launch and recover aircraft.
Georges Leygues was present during the Allied invasion of Normandy in Northern France during D-Day (June 6th, 1944) and her guns were used in the massive bombardment leading up to the formal amphibious landings by ground forces. By August, she was relocated south to support further Allied actions in France as the Normandy beachhead grew and forces managed their way inland. The warship entered Toulon once again for September 1944 and was used in bombarding Italian positions at and near Genoa. She remained in the area until March 1945, marking her last notable commitment in World War 2 fighting. German leader Adolph Hitler committed suicide in late April and the war in Europe was over in May of 1945.
In the post-war years, Georges Leygues underwent a refit from May of 1945 to January of 1946 and she joined Montcalm in supporting French military actions across Indochina during 1954. Two years later, she was part of the contingent supporting the war against Egypt marking the "Suez Crisis" (October-November 1956). This became her last notable combat service as the vessel was officially decommissioned on May 1st, 1957 and her hulk sold for scrap in November of 1959.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.