French Navy Ships
Foreign Vessels Of WW II

A CD from AA Military Research
and R.W. Smith Jr.

Reviewed by Glen Porter

Background

The French Navy was the third biggest of the Allied Navies and although most were taken out of the conflict after the French Armistice and before the US entered the war, many re-entered the fight under the Free French flag towards the end.

AA Military Research:

This small organization, based in the US, primarily does research into mainly US Navy subjects and occasionally release CDs like this on various subjects. Although the research is not available to the general public (professional organizations only), the CDs can be purchased through their web site at  http://www.aa-military-research.com

The Compact Disc:

The information on the disc is set out like a web site with a Main Page or Home Page with text on the right describing the over-all subject and a menu on the left, Bearn, Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers etc, which can be “clicked” on to go to that particular section. After selecting a subject on the menu, that page will appear with a similar set-up, text on the right, with notes on the particular type and a menu of ship's names on the left. When you “click” on a ship's name, a third page will come up with a some-times brief history, some-times longer depending on what is available and followed by photos, again, the number is dependent on what's a available. However, the photos are all top quality, no “out of focus” shots or distant silhouettes.

The one area I find disappointing is that this collection of photographs is not complete. Three omissions stand out. The 35,500 ton battle cruisers Dunkerque and Strasbourg, and Battleship Richelieu's sister Jean Bart are missing. Only one of the older French battleships (one photo only) is featured along with Richelieu.

I believe this is because the photos were obtained from US Navy Archives which only contains shots of ships which visited the US for refit or repair. As all of the missing ships were sunk, scuttled or not completed until after the war, in the case of the Jean Bart, meaning they did not visit the US before America entered the war, this would explain their absence.

The above comments notwithstanding, this is a very interesting and informative CD especially for those with an interest in the French Navy during world War II. It is only those omissions that prevent me from giving this item the top rating but with the quality of the photographs I would otherwise whole-heartedly recommend it.

Recommended.

Thanks to AA Military Research for the review sample.

Review Copyright © 2008 by Glen Porter
This Page Created on 20 January, 2008
Last updated 20 January, 2008

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page