Interwar French planning increasingly assumed that a major overseas war would be fought alongside Britain. This encouraged a miniature-partner relationship in which France could supply fast battleships while the Royal Navy supplied carrier aviation. In the Far East, a French fast wing could fit into a British force that still lacked enough modern fast capital ships. The specialization made coalition sense, but it left France dependent on allied air power and helped prevent an autonomous carrier system from maturing.
Notable Point · 1:41:27-1:43:27
French fast ships as a Royal Navy complement
Coalition assumptions encouraged France to supply fast capital ships while relying on Britain for carrier aviation.