By 1937, tensions in Europe had increased significantly as Germany and Italy took increasingly aggressive positions, raising the likelihood of war in the near future. German naval construction was at that time directed against France; the two s had been laid down to counter the "Dunkerque"s and the two s had been ordered to match the two "Richelieu"s. Since the two French battleships had been ordered in response to the expanding Italian fleet, the French naval command determined that another pair of battleships would be needed to balance the "Bismarck"s. Two ships were authorized on 2 May 1938 under the names "Clemenceau" and "Gascogne". But delays in the construction program, owing to a shortage of dockyards large enough to handle additional hulls of this size, allowed time for additional design studies at the request of the naval command.