French facilities extended from North Africa and the Levant to Dakar, Martinique and East Asia. In the Mediterranean, French North Africa joined Gibraltar, Malta and British Egypt as positions around Italy. Dakar and Martinique could support efforts to intercept German raiders heading into the South Atlantic. The overseas network mattered because ships needed places to operate from and return to.
Chapter · 1:05-2:18
The French Navy's worldwide base network
French bases in North Africa, the Atlantic and the Far East gave the Allies reach beyond the fleet itself.