France's carrier opportunity and unclear fleet purpose

France's limitations in armor, gun production, and yard size did not apply equally to aircraft production, making a purpose-built carrier a plausible use of national capacity. The conversion Béarn stands in contrast because treaty pressure had not compelled France to accept that compromise. The discussion then asks what strategic problem the fleet was designed to solve. Ships optimized for fighting the nearby Regia Marina would differ from forces intended to protect global communications or operate in the Far East. A Royal Navy comparison distinguishes the massed battle fleet needed near the North Sea from battlecruisers whose speed and reach suited reconnaissance and attacks on worldwide communications. Carrier procurement therefore leads into the fleet's failure to define a clear geographic purpose.