French heavy cruisers carrying 10.3-inch guns face battleships protected by roughly 16 to 17 inches of armour and armed with much larger weapons. Courage and rate of fire cannot give the cruisers a sensible chance against that battle line. Destroyers and light cruisers are more realistic targets because their protection can be defeated by the cruiser guns. Target selection depends on weapon effects and armour rather than which enemy is closest or most imposing.
Notable Point · 2:19:46-2:20:45
Matching gun power to targets in a fleet action
Heavy cruisers armed with 10.3-inch guns have little prospect against heavily armored battleships, making destroyers and light cruisers the more realistic targets.