Besides that, Aigle was regularly deployed to escort convoys with troops, heading from the North African ports to Marseille. In March–April 1940, Aigle provided cover and, later, escorted the ships of Force "X" back. In November 1939, she escorted Force "Z" ships (battleship Lorraine and two cruisers of the La Galissonnière class) until they reached the Atlantic. But unlike leaders, the French ships were designed to drive off opposing destroyers rather than lead destroyer flotillas.ĭuring World War II, Aigle was engaged in operations to transport gold bars several times. Other countries relied on flotilla leaders instead. The large destroyer ( contre-torpilleur) type of warship, which combined the characteristics of destroyers and cruisers, was used only by France. Large destroyer Aigle, which was built at the dockyard in Dunkirk, joined the Naval Forces in 1932. Large Destroyer Aigle in Marseille, March 1940 On the way back, she escorted a convoy with Canadian soldiers. In December, Dunkerque transported 100 tons of gold across the Atlantic to be used as payment under military orders. That same year, in November, amid a violent storm, Dunkerque and the British battleship Hood set out on a hunt for German Scharnhorst-class battleships. In Autumn 1939, Dunkerque and her sister ship Strasbourg operated in the Atlantic against the German "pocket" battleships Deutschland and Admiral Graf Spee. When World War II broke out, Dunkerque was unusually in demand since at that time the Allies didn't have other modern high-speed battleships capable of countering German raiders. The maximum speed of the new French battleship exceeded 30 knots which made her an extremely dangerous hunter for cruisers. On the way back, the battleship and cruiser escorted transports with 82 warplanes on board that were purchased in the U.S.A.īattleship Dunkerque and Hood in The North Sea, November 1939īattleship Dunkerque was commissioned in 1937, becoming the forerunner of a new generation of battleships with powerful guns, good armor and, most importantly, high speed. Bretagne and Algérie delivered 147 tons of gold from Toulon to Halifax that was then used to pay for the French government's military contracts placed in the U.S.A. That is why using warships as carriers of the precious metal was more than justified. The German submarines were stalking them from below, and the Kriegsmarine raiders-battleships and cruisers-often went out to hunt. In March–April 1940, Bretagne and heavy cruiser Algérie, as part of the special Force X, fulfilled an unusual mission to carry gold across the Atlantic Ocean. The biggest naval base of the French Navy on the Atlantic coast is also located in Brest. She was named in honor of Bretagne-a historical province in the north-west of France, where the largest centers of shipbuilding are situated, in Lorient and Brest. It was awesome to find that the French military love their heritage and are proud of it.Battleship Bretagne and Cruiser Algérie Are Crossing the Atlantic, March 1940īattleship Bretagne was commissioned in 1916. Sergey Gornostaev Senior Museums and Militaria Relations Specialist said, “we already knew from the history of French armaments and military vehicles that French war machines were quite unique in design. The developers spent many hours in the archives provided by Service historique de la Défense (Vincennes, Châtellerault) and Musee National de la Marine (Paris) to get access to photos and blueprints. And they are the fastest ships of their class.Įach ship has been meticulously recreated from blueprints after weeks of research. 16 canons ready to unleash their wrath on their opponents. Take Normandie, (a tier VI warship) all the main battery turrets have 4 guns, with Lyon (tier VII) holding the absolute record in her 4×4 configuration. Not only are these battleships among the most beautiful ever created and will enlighten your visual experience of the game, but if you think warships are slow or lack action, then you will revise your judgement.
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