An on-screen comparison table adapted from Robert Dumas and John Jordan's book French Battleships sets out the Alsace options, although the spoken discussion concentrates on design number three. That proposal combined three quadruple 15-inch turrets with 32-knot speed and a 13.8-inch belt. Its forward battery equalled a Richelieu's eight guns while its full broadside offered a much larger volume of fire. Grouped with Richelieu and Gascogne, the design promised France a fast battle force rather than a single spectacular hull. France's central strategic concern was Italy, even though the design is often presented chiefly as an answer to Germany.
Chapter · 23:08-26:13
The 12-gun Alsace and the Italian balance
The largest Alsace option paired 12 15-inch guns and 32 knots with a French force structure aimed chiefly at the Italian challenge.