In August, as tensions with Germany were again heightened, this time over territorial demands on Poland, the French and British navies discussed coordination in the event of war with Germany; they agreed that the French would be responsible for covering Allied shipping south from the English Channel to the Gulf of Guinea in central Africa. To protect shipping from German commerce raiders, the French created the "Force de Raid" (Raiding Force), with "Dunkerque" and "Strasbourg" as its core. The group, which was under Gensoul's command, also included three light cruisers and eight large destroyers, and was based in Brest. British observers informed the French Navy that the German "pocket battleships" of the "Deutschland" class had gone to sea in late August, bound for the Atlantic, and that contact with the vessels had been lost. On 2 September, the day after Germany invaded Poland, but before France and Britain declared war, the "Force de Raid" sortied from Brest to guard against a possible attack by the "Deutschland"s. Upon learning that the German ships had been spotted in the North Sea, Gensoul ordered his ships to return to point after they met the French passenger liner in the Azores. The "Force de Raid" escorted the liner back to port and arrived in Brest on 6 September.