Fascist Italy was geographically immediate, possessed more capital ships than Germany, and pursued a Mare Nostrum vision of Mediterranean power. That ambition drew the neighbouring fleets into a speed competition. French ships therefore cannot be explained solely as counters to German surface raiders. A German force had to pass the Royal Navy before reaching France, whereas the Regia Marina operated directly across the Mediterranean. Italian numbers, speed, and proximity formed the more persistent yardstick for French naval design.
Notable Point · 46:02-47:07
Italy, not Germany, set France's immediate design problem
Every French capital-ship and cruiser decision had to account for a larger neighboring Italian fleet and a Mediterranean speed race.