On the day that France accepted its defeat by Germany--the crew of a RAAF Sunderland flying boat of No 10 Squadron flew on a special mission to Rabat in French Morocco. On board were two high-ranking British Government representatives who were tasked with attempting to persuade the French in North Africa to continue the fight against the Nazis. Soon after arrival, it became apparent that local officials were unsympathetic to Allied overtures, and when the aircraft's captain, Flight Lieutenant Dick Cohen, attempted to contact the party ashore with a urgent warning message, they were all detained. After Cohen shot their way to freedom, the party re-embarked at 4 am next day. Cohen then got the Sunderland airborne in hazardous circumstances shortly before dawn, safely returning the aircraft's important passengers to Gibraltar and eventually England. For this exploit he was awarded the DFC in September.