the French Navy couldn't catch a break...first the British and then the US navy!

Plus Prince of Wales with only two out of ten guns operative...  Bismarck was more powerful than any battleship afloat in 1940-1941, and Hood was originaly built as battlecruiser. Germans, however, planned to produce six H-39 class battleships, which were basically Bismarck class, but enlarged and with several weak points removed (largest Bismarck's weakness was the fact that her manouverability was greatly reduced without rudder, which, in combination with inadequate anti-air defense proved fatal-the same weakneses will cause sinking of the Prince of Wales near Kuantan 3 days after attack on Pearl Harbour. However, while I said that both Bismarck's and Prince of Wales' anti-air artillery was inadequate, they had unordinarily strong AA defences for that time. Bismarck and PoW are used as examples of air force outclassing dreadnoughts, but that is not completely true-Bismarck's AA fire control computer was not calibrated for ancient Swordfish bombers which attacked her, while Prince of Wales' AAFC computer was not even operative beacouse of climate in Singapore (and Malaya itself). Bismarck was doomed by torpedo jamming his rudder, PoW also, while Hood was doomed by its weak deck and goodwill ambassador missions which did not left time for necessary refit. And Bismarck was designed with facing Hood in mind-so it can be stated that he fulfilled his purpose.

Well, these were all military needs. British navy wanted to make sure that Germans don't get any French battleships in operative condition, which could turn the odds in German favor; and French originally resisted to American troops during "Operation Torch", althought they later fought Germans together.

Considering the quality of British AAA, the 4 cm Pow-Pom and the quality of the HACS Fire Control System, the PoW was pretty much doomed in 1941.  The Brit's just sucked rocks when it came to air-sea issues in the inter-war period and never really caught up....not great Flak, not so good fire control, miserable aircraft for the carriers, in terms of fighters, especially and bad doctrine for fighters, any way...one of their better fighters was the US Wildcat....and they loved the US 12.7 cm gun...and used whenever possible US fire control...the Oerlikon and the Bofors were foreign designs...and that's pretty much a result of the RN's own policies 1919-1939.

Thanks on that .pdf, I will read it whole when i catch some time tomorrow.

British had naval version of Spitfire (Supermarine Spitfire?), and I think that it should be pretty good, given performance of standard Spitfire in 1940.-1941.