Evening star., 1940-06-18
The French Fleet


Is suddenly converted into the para
mount problem perturbing Great
Britain, now left to conduct single
handed the struggle for preservation
OF what until yesterday was an Allied
cause. There have been reports
that the country is shocked by
frances surrender, but Britain is in
no mood to indulge in idle recrimina-
tlonS about water irretrievably over
the DAM She is exclusively con-
cerned with the critical situation
which will confront the British Isles,
should Hitler's capitulation terms re-
qulre the transfer of the French
Navy to the Nazis. Britain, as Lord
Lothian puts it, will go on with the
war, with France, if possible, but
without her, if necessary"
France has the second most power
ful fleet in Europe, outmatched only
by the British armada. On the very
eve of the Petain ministrys decision
to sue for peace, Churchill govern
ment SpokeSmen were claiming that
"the great Allied fleet is fully capa-
BILE OF enforcing the blockade which
has become even more effective as
result of Italy's entry into the war"
Within twelve hours after those brave
words, Britain faced the grim pros
pect of opposing, alone, the COM
of
Italy, plus that of France.
Hitler's navy has been reduced in
striking power possibly by fifty per
cent, and Mussolini's fleet, too, in the
course of only a week of war, has
been not inconsderably damaged,
especially in its submarine branch.
Yet the axis allies, if they obtain
French sea forces intact and can man
these ships, will command naval
strength sufficient to constitute such
a threat to her Supremacy" as Bri-
tannla has never had to meet since
Trafalgar. Instead of remaining the
blockader, she may become the
blockaded. Her insular position, her
dependence on Sea-bOrne supplies
Tor her armies, her industries and
her population, render the United
Kingdom far more susceptible to
naval domination than a land pow
er. 1t is nothing less than starv-
alton which would menace a Britain
inferior at sea. FoodStuffs, as well
as munitions from this side of the
Atlantic and elsewhere, could be
landed only amid dire perils from
enemy surface warships, submarines
and bombing planes
Major George Fielding Eliot. writ
ing in The Star just prior to
Frances capitulation, named the DOS
sible loss of her fleet as the first of
two certain concrete situations"
which might ensue-situations which
may AFFECT our own country. The
other development concerns French
colonial territory in this hemisphere,
all within air range of the United
States. France possesses, besides
cruisers, deStroyerS and submarines.
two fast new 26 5000 ton battleships,
Dunkerque and Strasbourg, and the
recently completed 35,OOO-ton Richie
lieu. Richelieu's sister ship, Jean
Bart, Is approaching completion.
Should these four French capital
vessels be added to two which the
Reich has already completed, plus
four others under construction, Ger
many presently would have a fleet of
ten new battleships in the Atlantic.
With the half-dozen Italy has afloat
or is building, axis capital ship power
would approximate that of the Brit
lsh fleet now, though not ultimately,
for the Royal Navy is building bat
tleships which both in numbers and
size, will assure it continued pre-
dominance.
Britain's obvious danger would lie
IN the necessity of widely distribut-
Ing her naval forces. Home defense
would be paramount, but there are
Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Medi-
terranean life line, Singapore and
the remote overseas dominions to be
thought about, not to mention nu-
merouS other defense requirements
OF the far-flung empire. Ever pres
ent in the concern of the Admiralty
Is the power of Japan's fleet. A
member of the totalitarian anti
Comintern triple alliance, Japan has
notorious hankerings in the direction
OF the Dutch East Indies, French In
do-China, Hong Kong and other
Western-held Far Eastern territory,
all OF which is now in jeopardy.
These are some of the grave con-
siderations that would be conjured
up by the accretion of German sea
power through acquisition OF the
French Navy, not to mention the
Normandie, the lie de France and
other units of the proud merchant
marine that fles the tricolor. Hit
Ter has not forgotten how the Sec
ond Reich in 1918 was despoiled by
Its conouerors of everything mari