На axishistory выкладывали такую версию событий:
The panzers in question were two Pz IV Ds of Olt. v. Jarowski's kompanie of Panzer Regiment 3, 2. Panzer Division (which kompanie/Abteilung this is I do not know). The event is described in the Regimrnt War Diary, accompanied by two photographs. While the battle took place on 23 May, the photos were taken on 25 May. One shows Feldwebel Langhammer with the aforementioned destroyer "tally" painted on his tank, and the other is the wreck of the believed vessel. The wreck photograph is clearly of the French contre-torpilleur Chacal, which was actually bombed and sunk by He-111 aircraft on 24 May in the same general area as the events of 23 May.
The battle, as described, was against a French destroyer attempting to land troops. In the event, the French warships in the harbour, elements of the 2ème flotille de torpilleurs including Cyclone, Mistral, and Siroco of the 6ème division, Orage and Bourrasque of the 4ème division, and Frondeur and Fougeux of the 2ème flotille, along with the Chacal and Jaguar of the 2ème Division de Contre-Torpilleurs intent on landing demolition parties and evacuating personnel. The German tanks actually duelled with Mistral which, with Siroco, retired to the outer harbor exactly as desribed by the German report after they had debarked the intended personnel. Shortly thereafter, Orage and Frondeur were attacked by a large formation of Ju-87 Stukas and the former was sunk, her fires evidently being sighted ashore. Her survivors were rescued by Frondeur and Bourrasque. The next day the contre-torpilleur Chacal was bomber and sunk by a formation of He-111s. The wreck was beached in basically the same area that that Orage had be sunk the day before. That same day the port surrendered. The day after, the panzer troops, exploring the area, came upon Chacal's wreck and assumed that fires caused by their guns had resulted in her loss.
It took considerable research, for me in the USA, to find French sources that described the actions of the ships in the area but, when located, the events fell together in a fashion that jived firly well with the German account, especially given the limited "vision" the small numbers of tankers engaged in a limited battle with but a single element of a rather large number of French warships performing a multitude of tasks under all kinds of enemy fire - including, but not limited too, tanks, artillery, small arms, and aircraft bombing!
Hope this helps.
Mark E. Horan
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=93100
