The newspaper Journée Industrielle reported that the French parliament received a bill in which was proposed to built instead of the 4 armoured deck cruisers of 7,500 tons of the 1932 program to built a second battle cruiser of 26,000 tons. Motivation for this proposal was a needed protection against Germany. The 4 cruisers were no opponent for one single cruiser like the German Deutschland (1) or against the 7 Italian cruisers of 10,000 tons. This new battleship or battle cruisers needed a smaller crew as that of the four cruisers together. The newspaper also feared that if there was a not a second Dunkerque ready when German in 1937 her fourth battleship had completed France would lose the superiority over the Atlantic and would lose an eventual conflict.
Note
1. The Deutschland was a so-called pocket battleship existing of 3 units. The German battle fleet was in increased by the battle cruisers Gneisenau in 1939 and the Scharnhorst in 1939 The French battleships were the Dunkerque and the Strasbourg.
Note
1. The Deutschland was a so-called pocket battleship existing of 3 units. The German battle fleet was in increased by the battle cruisers Gneisenau in 1939 and the Scharnhorst in 1939 The French battleships were the Dunkerque and the Strasbourg.
