Evening star., 1942-11-13
Thut French Fleet

NOT trench FIeet
One of the most tantalizing ques-
tions involved in the sudden collapse
OF the Vichy French regime is the
fate of the fleet, especially the main
squadron at the great Mediterranean
naval base of Toulon. That French
sea power is an important element
in the overall war picture cannot be
denied. Nevertheless, it's significance
has often been exaggerated in stra-
tegical analyses. This, a balanced
survey will show.
When the present war began,
France possessed the fourth largest
navy In the world. It ranked well
below the naval big Three'-the
United States, Britain and Japan
but it stood slightly above it's i'm
mediate competitor, Italy, and far
above Germany. In 1899, the French
Navy comprised seven capital ships,
two aircraft carriers, eighteen
cruisers, seventy-one destroyers and
seventy-si six submarines. OF the seven
ships of the line, five were battleships,
more or less antiquated, but more
formidable we're two new 26,0OO-ton
battle cruisers, the Dunkerque and
the Strasbourg. Furthermore, under
an ambitious building plan, four
powerful battleships and two aircraft
carriers were under construction,
with two of the battlecraft, the
$4,000 -tonners Richelhu and Jean
Bart nearly completed.
During the early part of the war,
the bulk of the French fleet was
concentrated in the Mediterranean
A strong squadron, though mostly of
older types, was at the eastern end.
The modern units were chiefly in
the Western Mediterranean, watch
ing obviously neutral Italy. Frances
sudden collapse and withdrawal from
the war in June, 1910, had cata-
strophic repercusSions on French sea
power. Under the armistice terms,
the French fleet was to be immobil-
lied, Germany and Italy agreeing not
to demand it for their own use. How
ever, Britain had no faith in Axis
pledges and took prompt action to
see that the French Navy should
never be used on the Axis side. All
French naval vessels in British ports
were seized and turned over to the
newly organized Free French forces.
The French squadron lying in Alex
andria, Egypt, yielded to a British
ultimatum and was interned. SINH
lar demands on the squadron in the
Algerian base of Oran were rejected,
and a battle ensued which sank or
damaged most of the French ships,
including capital units, with heavy
loss of life.
Naval units in French Atlantic
ports escaped the Germans and fled
in various directions. The partly
completed battleships Richelieu and
Jean Bart reached Dakar and Casa
blanca respectively. Other craft ar
rived at the French West Indies.
The Richelieu was soon badly dam
aged during the Anglo-Free French
attempt, to take Dakar The Jean
Bart has just been bombed and
burned during the American invasion
OF North Africa. What remains of
the French Navy. including the two
battle cruisers, has since been con-
centrated at Toulon.
Wherever those scattered French
ships may be, their value has been
greatly diminished by more than two
years of inactivity. Even the Toulon
fleet is known to be undermanned.
The British estimate that it would
take nearly a year to put the in
termed Alexandria squadron in COM
mission, while two years would have
to elapse before British crews could
be trained to work them. There is
also the question of spare parts,
which could not be obtained from
French arsenals in German control.
On the other hand, assuming that the
Germans seize the fleet at Toulon,
they would not be able to use it i'm
mediately for efficient battle duty,
for obvious reasons. Perhaps cur
rent Axis reports are correct that no
such seizure is contemplated. If
ever there is wasting asset" it is
fleet left to foul and rust in port
over a period of years. Thus, the
French Navy is not the grand prize
which many persons assume it to
be. 1t will certainly not be a de-
cisive factor in the crucial struggle
now under way.