Jordan and Dumas make excellent French counterparts to the American Norman Friedman in their studies of their nations' modern warships. This book appears to be the first in a series of works covering French warships of the late nineteenth and early-to-mid-twentieth century, although this particular study covers the last battleships/battlecruisers of the Marine National--the Dunkerques and the Richelieus.

Similarly to Friedman, Jordan and Dumas detail the origins of these ships from the late pre-World War I period up through the post-World War II era. These ship design histories are not as detailed as Friedman's explanations of the U.S. Navy's concept and design processes, although there is enough detail here to satisfy most readers. I suspect that the authors may not have been able to access all of the appropriate records as Friedman was able to do; either those records were destroyed during WWII or the French Ministry of Defense has not declassified them.

The big difference between Jordan/Dumas and Friedman is that the French duo provide operational histories of their ships; Friedman does not. This is understandable as the French book really only covers the four ships that were actually built (Dunkerque, Strasbourg, Richelieu, and Jean Bart) whereas Friedman covers the ten U.S. battleships of the same period, all of which had extensive operational histories.

The only down side to this book (and the reason for a four star rating instead of five) is the French authors' propensity for political statements. This book is supposed to be a technical and operational history, not an examination of French nationalism. The authors make clear their strong feelings against the British for Mers el-Kebir and Dakar (still in 2008!), although this attitude is softened by a more positive attitude as the authors discuss Royal Navy assistance to the French in 1943-45. The authors has trouble finding anything positive to say about Americans, despite the assistance provided to get Richelieu operational in 1943-44. This attitude is reflected in the explanations given for the limited assistance rendered to the Marine National in 1943-45 and extends to critical comments concerning U.S.-provided equipment and munitions. The authors would have been better served avoiding these controversial statements. ( )

If your interest is in the design and deployment of battleships in the French Navy after the Great War there is every reason why you should have this work in your collection, as it is a complete history of these ships. Of most interest to me was the analysis of how the limitations of the French industrial infrastructure impacted the design of these ships, along with a close examination of the damage these ships received at Mers-el-Kebir, Dakar and Casablanca at the hands of France's erstwhile allies. ( )