| François Darlan | |
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122nd Prime Minister of France
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| In office February 9, 1941 – April 18, 1942 |
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| Preceded by | Pierre Étienne Flandin |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Laval |
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| Born | August 7, 1881 |
| Died | December 24, 1942 |
| Political party | None |
François Darlan (August 7, 1881 – December 24, 1942) was a French naval officer. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pierre Étienne Flandin (12 April 1889 at Paris, France -13 June 1958 at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France) was a French conservative politician Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 15 October 1945 was a French Politician and statesman who led the Vichy government during World War II, and Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority Darlan rose through the French Navy, ultimately becoming Admiral of the Fleet, and was a major figure of the Vichy France regime during World War II. The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale ( National Navy) and often called La Royale ( The Royal Navy) is the maritime arm An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military Naval officer of the highest rank Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
Darlan was born in Nérac, Lot-et-Garonne, graduating from the École Navale in 1902. Nérac is a commune of the Lot-et-Garonne département, in southwestern France. Lot-et-Garonne ( Occitan: Òlt e Garona) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy. During World War I, he commanded an artillery battery. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In Military organizations an artillery battery is a unit of Guns mortars or Rockets so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield He remained in the French Navy after the war, and was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1929 and Vice Admiral in 1932. The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale ( National Navy) and often called La Royale ( The Royal Navy) is the maritime arm Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Darlan was made an Admiral and Chief of Staff in 1936. In 1939 he was promoted to "Amiral de la flotte", a rank created only for him, and given command of the entire French Navy. The rank Insignia of the French Navy ( French: Marine Nationale) are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets
Vichy government
When Paris was occupied in June 1940, Darlan was one of those who supported the premier and head of state, Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951 generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain ( Maréchal Pétain) Darlan was rewarded by retaining his post as minister of the navy, and he quickly ordered the majority of the fleet to French North Africa. France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world The British feared the French fleet would fall into German hands, so it was destroyed by the Royal Navy at Mers El Kébir on July 3 at the cost of around 1,300 French naval casualties. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, also known as Operation Catapult, was a hostile engagement off the coast of French Algeria where a British Royal Navy Mers-el-Kébir (المرسى الكبير “the Great Harbor” is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran This act did much to confirm Darlan's Anglophobia, but he still declined to commit the remaining vessels to German control. Anglophobia (from Latin Anglus "English" + Ancient Greek φόβος -phobos "fear" is a hatred or fear of the English
In February 1941, Darlan replaced Pierre Laval as Pétain's deputy. Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 15 October 1945 was a French Politician and statesman who led the Vichy government during World War II, and He was also named minister for the interior, defence and foreign affairs, making Darlan the de facto head of the Vichy government. In January 1942, Darlan took control of a number of other government posts. Darlan was as much a "collaborator" as Laval was, and Darlan promoted a political alliance between French Vichy Forces and Nazi Germany through Paris Protocols. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers However, the German government had become suspicious of his opportunism and "malleable loyalties. " In April, Darlan was made to surrender the majority of his responsibilities back to Laval, whom the Nazis considered more trustworthy. Darlan retained the post of Commander of the French Armed Forces. The Military of France encompasses an army, a navy, an air force and a military police force.
Putsch of November 8
On November 7, just before the beginning of Operation Torch, Darlan went to Algiers to visit his son, who was hospitalised after a severe attack of polio. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British - American invasion of French North Africa in World War II Algiers (الجزائر Algerian Arabic: Dzayer ( (From kabyle pronunciation Kabyle: Ledzayer, Alger) is the Capital and largest Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral Infectious disease spread from person to person primarily via Darlan did not know that secret agreements had been made in Cherchell on October 23 between Algierian resistance and General Mark Clark of the combined allied command. Cherchell (older Cherchel) is a seaport town in the Province of Tipaza, Algeria, 55 Miles West of Algiers. Mark Wayne Clark ( May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was an American general during World War II and the Korean War
Just past noon on November 8, 400 poorly armed French partisans attacked the coastal artillery of Sidi Ferruch and the Vichy XIX Army Corps of Algiers. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Coastal artillery is the branch of Armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship Artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal Fortifications. Sidi Ferruch is a coastal town in Algiers Province, Algeria. It is located within the territory of the municipality of Staouéli, on a Presque-isle About 15 hours later, the resistance fighters had neutralized both forces. Under the command of José Aboulker, Henri d'Astier de La Vigerie, and Colonel Jousse, the insurgent force occupied most of the strategic points of Algiers under the cover of darkness (the General Government, Prefecture, Staff headquarters, telephone exchange, barracks, police headquarters, etc. José Aboulker (b March 5, 1920) was a member of the anti- Nazi resistance who co-founded a resistance network in Algiers in World War II Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie ( 11 September 1897 - 10 October 1952) was a French soldier ''Résistance'' member and conservative ) and arrested most of the Vichy military and civil officials. One of the civilian groups, cadets of Ben-Aknoun College under the command of a cadet named Pauphilet, succeeded in arresting Darlan and General Juin, chief commandant in North Africa. The attack by French resistance became known as the Putsch of November 8. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
After three days of threats and talks, Clark compelled Darlan and Juin to order French forces to cease hostilities on November 10 in Oran and November 11 in Morocco – provided Darlan remained head of a French administration. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Oran ( Arabic:ar وهران pronounced Wahran; also transliterated as Ouahran, Spanish: Orán. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa In return, General Eisenhower acquiesced in Darlan’s self-nomination as High Commissioner of France for North and West Africa on November 14, a move that enraged Charles de Gaulle. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French On November 27, the remaining French naval vessels were scuttled at Toulon. Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Toulon ( Provençal Occitan: Tolon in classical norm or Touloun in Mistralian norm is a city in southern France and a large
For this, Darlan was dismissed from the Vichy government and Vichy Southern France was 'invaded' by the German army in Case Anton. During World War II the German authorities codenamed the occupation of Vichy France Case (or Operation) Anton. Most French troops in Africa followed Darlan's lead, but certain elements joined the German forces in Tunisia.
On the afternoon of 24 December 1942, a 20-year-old French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, entered Darlan's headquarters in Algiers and shot Darlan twice. Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, born in 1922 in Algiers and executed in that city on December 26 1942 was a member of the French resistance who shot Admiral of the Although La Chapelle had been a member of the resistance group led by Henri d'Astier, it is believed he acted alone. Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie ( 11 September 1897 - 10 October 1952) was a French soldier ''Résistance'' member and conservative Darlan died a few hours later. Darlan was replaced as High Commissioner by another French flag officer, General Henri Giraud. Henri Honoré Giraud ( 18 January 1879 &ndash 13 March 1949) was a French general who fought in World War I and World La Chapelle was executed by firing squad on 26 December. Execution by firing squad is a method of Capital punishment, particularly common in times of war
Darlan was unpopular with the Allies--he was considered pompous, having asked Eisenhower to provide 200 Coldstream Guards and Grenadier Guards as an honor company for the commemoration of Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz--and it was said that "no tears were shed" at his funeral.
References
- Henri Michel, Darlan, Hachette, Paris, 1993.
- George F. Howe, North West Africa: Seizing the initiative in the West, Center of Military history, US Army, Library of Congress, 1991.
- Arthur L. Funck, The politics of Torch, University Press of Kansas, 1974.
- Simon Kitson, Vichy et la chasse aux espions nazis, Paris, Autrement, 2005
- Simon Kitson, The Hunt for Nazi Spies: Fighting Espionage in Vichy France, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2008
- Professeur Yves Maxime Danan, La vie politique à Alger de 1940 à 1944, Paris, L. Simon Kitson is a British Historian. Born in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, Kitson was educated in Bath doing his undergraduate studies at the University G. D. J. , 1963.
- Christine Levisse-Touzet, L'Afrique du Nord dans la guerre, 1939-1945, Paris, Albin Michel, 1998.
- Professeur José Aboulker et Christine Levisse-Touzet, 8 novembre 1942 : Les armées américaine et anglaise prennent Alger en quinze heures, Paris, « Espoir », n° 133, Paris, 2002.
- Bernard Karsenty, Les compagnons du 8 novembre 1942, Les Nouveaux Cahiers, n°31, Nov. 1972.
- Melton, George (1998). Darlan: Admiral and Statesman of France 1881-1942. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN 0275959732.
- Delpont, Hubert (1998). Darlan, l'ambition perdue. AVN. ISBN 2-9503302-9-0.
| Preceded by César Campinchi |
Minister of Marine 1940–1942 |
Succeeded by Gabriel Auphan |
| Preceded by — |
Vice President of the Council 1941–1942 |
Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by Pierre Étienne Flandin |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1941–1942 |
Succeeded by Pierre Laval |
| Preceded by Marcel Peyrouton |
Minister of the Interior 1941 |
Succeeded by Pierre Pucheu |
| Preceded by Charles Huntziger |
Minister of National Defence 1941–1942 |
Succeeded by Eugène Bridoux |
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