Dunkerque was laid down in December 1932 and launched in October 1935. Her trials began in April 1936 before the superstructures were fully complete, with her commissioning taking place in December 1936 after extensive sea trials. Trials continued into 1938, including gunnery training and an endurance cruise to the Caribbean and Senegal from January to March 1938. In September 1938, she became the flagship of the Atlantic Squadron. With the beginning of the Second World War, Dunkerque formed the core of France’s Force de Raid, participating in missions such as convoy escorts and operations with British naval forces. Following France’s armistice in 1940, Britain arrived at the French naval base at Mers-el-Kébir, demanding the surrender of the French fleet. When the ultimatum was declined, the British fleet opened fire, striking Dunkerque with four 15-inch shells, causing significant damage and casualties. A follow-up British aerial attack caused even more severe damage, with an explosion of the depth charges on a torpedo boat moored to the starboard side. Despite severe damage, Dunkerque received temporary repairs and returned to Toulon in February 1942 for full restoration. In November 1942, as German forces advanced into Vichy France, the French Navy scuttled Dunkerque while she was in dry dock to prevent her capture. Post-war, she was deemed beyond repair, officially stricken from the naval register in September 1955, and sold for scrap in 1958.

Introduced in Update "Firebirds" in her 1939 configuration, Dunkerque is an unusual battleship armed with two quad turrets at the bow. She offers easy handling of the guns and can be extremely dangerous against vessels in her BR or lower, particularly against World War I-era battlecruisers and cruisers. Where she struggles the most is in fighting against vessels from the top tier, which can penetrate her directly into the magazines, while she is unable to provide an adequate response. She has relatively modern secondaries, limited only by the lack of AP and HE-VT shells, underwhelming anti-air armament, and in combat she can make use of her hydroplane for capturing points or setting smoke screens. Overall, she is an interesting but challenging vessel to play, with her combat performance being highly dependent on the enemies she encounters.