Operation Anton or
Fall Anton in German, was the codename for the military occupation of
Vichy France carried out by
Germany and
Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally independent state and the disbandment of its army (the severely limited "Armistice Army"), though it continued its existence as a puppet government in
occupied France. One of the last actions of its armed forces before their dissolution was the
scuttling of the French navy in Toulon to prevent it from falling into Axis hands.