Several of Joffre's tendencies were inherited from Béarn. Closer examination, however, gives French constructors more credit for trying to overcome the earlier carrier's limitations. Joffre still had serious problems, especially in its elevator and aircraft-handling arrangements. Even with those faults, it represented a far more functional carrier than Béarn. The judgement recognizes meaningful design progress without claiming that the resulting ship would have been free of operational difficulty.
Chapter · 32:04-32:46
Joffre was an advance on Béarn, not a problem-free carrier
The final assessment credits French designers with moving beyond Béarn even though Joffre retained serious lift and handling problems.