Gabriel Auphan
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Paul Auphan was a French admiral, chief of cabinet of Admiral Darlan
under Vichy France
and later Secrétaire d'État à la marine of Vichy.
, Gard
, Auphan was a student at the École navale; promoted to capitaine de vaisseau in 1936, he had a career in the cabinets of the ministries Georges Leygues
and François Pietri
. In 1940, he was in charge of the civilian shipping.
, Auphan was made chief of Staff and the naval forces, in 1941, and chief of cabinet of the Secrétaire d'État à la marine François Darlan
.
Auphan was part of the anti-German trend of Vichy France. After the defection of Darlan, Auphan was himself made Secrétaire d'État à la marine. After Operation Torch
, when Admiral Laborde
petitioned him with a project to retaliate against the Allies by sailing and attacking them, Auphan discouraged him.
Auphan gave the general standing orders which led to the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
, to avoid capture by the Nazis. On 15 November 1942, he tried to persuade Admiral de Laborde
to set sail and bring the fleet to the Allies; on Laborde's refusal, Auphan was facing the alternative of setting a coup d'état
, seize power and issue a formal order to Laborde, or of resigning. Auphan resigned on 18 November 1942. http://lionelcoutinot.club.fr/occupation/vichyd.html The fleet was scuttled on the 27 November.
In August 1944, Marshal Pétain
sent Auphan to offer Charles de Gaulle
that Auphan should succeed Pétain at the head of the Vichy regime, which would thus be recognized as France's legitimate government. The proposal was turned down.
" in 1946, he was tried and sentenced in absentia
to a life-time of forced labour, dégradation nationale
and confiscation of his property.
He surrendered himself in 1955, and was sentenced to 5 years of prison with probation
, 5 years of dégradation nationale.
François Darlan
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French naval officer. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar...
under Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
and later Secrétaire d'État à la marine of Vichy.
Early career
A native of AlèsAlès
Alès is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as Alais.-Geography:...
, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
, Auphan was a student at the École navale; promoted to capitaine de vaisseau in 1936, he had a career in the cabinets of the ministries Georges Leygues
Georges Leygues
Georges Leygues was a French politician of the Third Republic. During his time as Minister of Marine he worked with the navy's chief of staff Henri Salaun in unsuccessful attempts to gain naval re-armament priority for government funding over army rearmament such as the Maginot Line.He was born...
and François Pietri
François Piétri
François Piétri was a minister in several governments in the later years of the French Third Republic and was French ambassador to Spain from 1940 to 1944 under the Vichy regime....
. In 1940, he was in charge of the civilian shipping.
Vichy regime
After the Fall of France and the rise of the Vichy regimeVichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, Auphan was made chief of Staff and the naval forces, in 1941, and chief of cabinet of the Secrétaire d'État à la marine François Darlan
François Darlan
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French naval officer. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar...
.
Auphan was part of the anti-German trend of Vichy France. After the defection of Darlan, Auphan was himself made Secrétaire d'État à la marine. After Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, when Admiral Laborde
Jean de Laborde
Jean de Laborde was a French admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon.As a vice-admiral, Laborde was chief of the First Squadron, organised around the battleship Strasbourg....
petitioned him with a project to retaliate against the Allies by sailing and attacking them, Auphan discouraged him.
Auphan gave the general standing orders which led to the Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon
The French fleet in Toulon was scuttled on 27 November 1942 on the order of the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi German forces during Operation Lila of the Case Anton takeover of Vichy France.- Context :...
, to avoid capture by the Nazis. On 15 November 1942, he tried to persuade Admiral de Laborde
Jean de Laborde
Jean de Laborde was a French admiral, famous for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon.As a vice-admiral, Laborde was chief of the First Squadron, organised around the battleship Strasbourg....
to set sail and bring the fleet to the Allies; on Laborde's refusal, Auphan was facing the alternative of setting a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, seize power and issue a formal order to Laborde, or of resigning. Auphan resigned on 18 November 1942. http://lionelcoutinot.club.fr/occupation/vichyd.html The fleet was scuttled on the 27 November.
In August 1944, Marshal Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
sent Auphan to offer Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
that Auphan should succeed Pétain at the head of the Vichy regime, which would thus be recognized as France's legitimate government. The proposal was turned down.
Post-war
After the Liberation, during the "Épuration légaleÉpuration légale
The Épuration légale was the wave of official trials that followed the Liberation of France and the fall of the Vichy Regime...
" in 1946, he was tried and sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to a life-time of forced labour, dégradation nationale
Dégradation nationale
The dégradation nationale was a sentence introduced in France after the Liberation. It was applied during the épuration légale which followed the fall of the Vichy regime....
and confiscation of his property.
He surrendered himself in 1955, and was sentenced to 5 years of prison with probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
, 5 years of dégradation nationale.