Q&A · 1:34:01-1:35:12

If the French fleet continued the war

A fleet-in-exile counterfactual explains how French strength could improve Allied efficiency beyond the ships' direct combat value.

Question

What difference would it make if the French Navy joined Britain after the fall of France?

Short answer

French battleships and other ships would add valuable Mediterranean mass and free British units such as Hood for overdue refit work.

Notes

The additional French force would be especially useful in the Mediterranean, where fast battleships and escorts could cover tasks otherwise assigned to scarce British hulls. The Dunkerques and other French battleships would add more than their own combat power. A larger pool of ships creates scheduling flexibility across the whole Allied fleet. Hood, for example, might finally receive the major refit that wartime shortages postponed.