France entered World War II with one of the world's great navies. Free French forces inherited that naval identity while having access to only part of the fleet. Ships became available at different times, making it difficult to assemble their full capability. Their wartime duties also differed from the missions for which they had been designed, although some designs, especially the large destroyers, adapted well.
Chapter · 0:46-1:35
A great-power fleet beyond Free French reach
Free French naval ambitions depended on which ships became available and how well those ships adapted to a different war.