How much better off are the Free French if a 27-knot battlecruiser becomes a carrier instead of the slower Normandie design?
Short answerIf the Free French retain it, the faster carrier could reinforce North Atlantic operations and perhaps join the carrier strikes around the Denmark Strait campaign.
NotesThe first uncertainty is political: a useful carrier might be seized by the Free French or destroyed before it can operate for Vichy. In Free French service it would add a scarce flight deck to North Atlantic operations. It could operate alongside Victorious during the hunt for Bismarck. Its real value would depend on the quality and availability of its air group as much as on the hull itself.