French designers reached the dreadnought era just as their yards had caught up with the last pre-dreadnought generation. Courbet was a serviceable first-generation dreadnought design delivered after that generation had passed, and Bretagne repeated the problem in the super-dreadnought category. Expectations of short battles kept gun elevation low, leaving some French ships unable to engage much beyond 12,000-13,000 yards. Larger slipways and dry docks were needed before designers could escape the size limits of the existing infrastructure. Normandie and Lyon retained 340 mm guns and added barrels as foreign guns and protection grew heavier. France also had to fund a large modern army facing Germany, so its naval designs reflected limited money as well as limited yards.
Chapter · 5:18-17:59
French dreadnought design met the limits of its shipyards
Courbet and Bretagne arrived behind their design generation, while short-range doctrine, restricted yards, and army commitments constrained their successors.