The combined French inventory represents a substantial balanced fleet, including seven battleships, 74 submarines, and more than fifty destroyers of different types. Not every unit is modern, but each has a trained crew and can cover a real wartime task. Its disappearance does more than subtract ships from the Allied order of battle. Britain must also spend scarce capital ships, cruisers, destroyers, logistics, and command capacity recreating French control of the western Mediterranean through Force H.
Notable Point · 20:47-23:13
From allied asset to the burden of Force H
The loss of France removes a seven-battleship fleet and forces Britain to create Force H to cover the western Mediterranean.