Émile Muselier
Encyclopedia
Emile Henry Muselier was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces
(Forces navales françaises libres, or FNFL) during World War II
. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of Vichy France
by adopting the Cross of Lorraine
, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French. After entering the French Naval Academy (École Navale
) in 1899, he embarked on a brilliant and eventful military career. He ran unsuccessfully in the legislative elections of 1946 as vice-president of the Rally of Republican Lefts
(Rassemblement des gauches républicaines), and then entered private life as a consulting engineer before his retirement in 1960. He is buried in the cemetery of St. Pierre, at Marseilles.
, which overlapped with a stay in Toulon
. He also fought in Yser
, Belgium as the head of a troop of marine fusilliers.
Muselier received his first real command, of the aviso
Scape, in April 1918. This was followed by the command of the destroyer
Ouragan in 1925, that of armoured cruiser Ernest Renan
in 1927, then battleship
Voltaire
in 1930, and Bretagne
in 1931.
In 1933, Muselier, by then promoted to rear-admiral, became Major-General of the port of Sidi-Abdalah in Tunisia
, where he wrote social commentaries such as "La Mie de Pain" ("the breadcrumb"). In 1938, he received command of the Navy and the defence sector of the city of Marseilles.
Muselier had previously been attached to the cabinets of Painlevé
and Clemenceau
, then became chief of staff of the naval delegation to Germany.
On 10 October 1939 Muselier was promoted to vice-admiral by Admiral Darlan
, himself a former fellow student of the École Navale
. Darlan retracted the promotion as of 21 November, following libelous charges ranged against Muselier. A similar incident occurred when Muselier was under the orders of General de Gaulle
, whom he had rejoined as of 30 June 1940. He was, however, quickly cleared of the suspicions of treason which the British levelled at him on the base of false documents; this prompted the British Government to apologise.
(Capitaine de Vaisseau
) Thierry d'Argenlieu and the ship Voisin, before leaving on a mission to Alexandria
in order to attempt a coup d'état
in Syria
.
In 1940, the Vichy regime sentenced Muselier to death in absentia and confiscated all of his possessions. In 1941, it forfeited his French citizenship.
Under orders of General De Gaulle, Muselier led the conquest of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
on 24 December 1941, unloading three French corvettes and the submarine cruiser Surcouf
from Halifax
and installing the enseigne de vaisseau Alain Savary
as Commissaire of Free France. This feat of arms angered Roosevelt. De Gaulle had initially declined the suggestion of invasion made by Muselier, but had desired to affirm French sovereignty after learning of Canadian and British desires for the archipelago. This eventually led the admiral to resign of his post of Commissaire.
Not especially loyal to De Gaulle, Admiral Muselier was let down two years later, in Algiers
, because of serious political divergences. Preferring to answer under General Giraud
, he served as the transitory civil and military person in charge for Algiers in June 1943, and had even appeared to act as the head of an anti-Gaullist putsch, before General De Gaulle became head of the French Committee of National Liberation (Comité français de la Libération nationale) on 3 June.
After having been the chief of the naval delegation to the military Mission for German Affairs, he retired from the navy in 1946.
Free French Naval Forces
Les Forces Navales Françaises Libres were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Emile Muselier.- History :...
(Forces navales françaises libres, or FNFL) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of 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...
by adopting the Cross of Lorraine
Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French. After entering the French Naval Academy (École Navale
École Navale
The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy.The academy was founded in 1830 by the order of King Louis-Philippe...
) in 1899, he embarked on a brilliant and eventful military career. He ran unsuccessfully in the legislative elections of 1946 as vice-president of the Rally of Republican Lefts
Rally of Republican Lefts
The Rally of Republican Lefts was an electoral alliance during the French Fourth Republic composed of the Radical Party, the Independent Radicals, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance and several conservative groups...
(Rassemblement des gauches républicaines), and then entered private life as a consulting engineer before his retirement in 1960. He is buried in the cemetery of St. Pierre, at Marseilles.
Early career
Muselier's career started with a campaign in the Far East, several others in the Adriatic, one in AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, which overlapped with a stay in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. He also fought in Yser
Yser
The Yser is a river that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and flows into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort.-In France:The source of the Yser is in Buysscheure, in the Nord département of northern France...
, Belgium as the head of a troop of marine fusilliers.
Muselier received his first real command, of the aviso
Aviso
An aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....
Scape, in April 1918. This was followed by the command of the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Ouragan in 1925, that of armoured cruiser Ernest Renan
French cruiser Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan was an armoured cruiser of the French Navy, named in honour of philosopher Ernest Renan.-Design and history:- External links :* *...
in 1927, then battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Voltaire
French battleship Voltaire (1909)
The Voltaire was a Danton-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the French Navy.During the First World War, she was hit by two torpedoes launched by the UB-48, but survived thanks to the compartments of her hull...
in 1930, and Bretagne
French battleship Bretagne
The Bretagne was a battleship of the French Navy, and the lead ship of her class. She was named in honour of the French region of Brittany, and was built by Arsenal de Brest...
in 1931.
In 1933, Muselier, by then promoted to rear-admiral, became Major-General of the port of Sidi-Abdalah in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, where he wrote social commentaries such as "La Mie de Pain" ("the breadcrumb"). In 1938, he received command of the Navy and the defence sector of the city of Marseilles.
Muselier had previously been attached to the cabinets of Painlevé
Paul Painlevé
Paul Painlevé was a French mathematician and politician. He served twice as Prime Minister of the Third Republic: 12 September – 13 November 1917 and 17 April – 22 November 1925.-Early life:Painlevé was born in Paris....
and Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
, then became chief of staff of the naval delegation to Germany.
On 10 October 1939 Muselier was promoted to vice-admiral by Admiral Darlan
François Darlan
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French naval officer. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar...
, himself a former fellow student of the École Navale
École Navale
The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy.The academy was founded in 1830 by the order of King Louis-Philippe...
. Darlan retracted the promotion as of 21 November, following libelous charges ranged against Muselier. A similar incident occurred when Muselier was under the orders of General 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....
, whom he had rejoined as of 30 June 1940. He was, however, quickly cleared of the suspicions of treason which the British levelled at him on the base of false documents; this prompted the British Government to apologise.
Role in the Free French
On 1 July 1940, General de Gaulle named Muselier commander of the Free French naval forces and, provisionally, commander of the air force; these roles were later confirmed in 1941 with the creation of the Conseil national. The same day, Admiral Muselier wrote his own appeal, addressed to sailors and pilots. He assembled an embryonic General Staff with Ship-of-the-Line CaptainShip-of-the-Line Captain
Ship-of-the-line captain is a rank that appears in several navies...
(Capitaine de Vaisseau
Ranks in the French Navy
The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels....
) Thierry d'Argenlieu and the ship Voisin, before leaving on a mission to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in order to attempt 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...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
In 1940, the Vichy regime sentenced Muselier to death in absentia and confiscated all of his possessions. In 1941, it forfeited his French citizenship.
Under orders of General De Gaulle, Muselier led the conquest of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France. It is the only remnant of the former colonial empire of New France that remains under French control....
on 24 December 1941, unloading three French corvettes and the submarine cruiser Surcouf
Surcouf (N N 3)
Surcouf was a French submarine ordered to be built in December 1927, launched on 18 October 1929, and commissioned in May 1934. Surcouf—named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf—was the largest submarine ever built until surpassed by the Japanese I-400s. Her short wartime career was marked...
from Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and installing the enseigne de vaisseau Alain Savary
Alain Savary
Alain Savary was a French Socialist politician, deputy to the National Assembly of France during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party and a government minister in the 1950s and in 1981, when he was nominated by President François Mitterrand as Minister of National...
as Commissaire of Free France. This feat of arms angered Roosevelt. De Gaulle had initially declined the suggestion of invasion made by Muselier, but had desired to affirm French sovereignty after learning of Canadian and British desires for the archipelago. This eventually led the admiral to resign of his post of Commissaire.
Not especially loyal to De Gaulle, Admiral Muselier was let down two years later, in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, because of serious political divergences. Preferring to answer under General Giraud
Henri Giraud
Henri Honoré Giraud was a French general who fought in World War I and World War II. Captured in both wars, he escaped each time....
, he served as the transitory civil and military person in charge for Algiers in June 1943, and had even appeared to act as the head of an anti-Gaullist putsch, before General De Gaulle became head of the French Committee of National Liberation (Comité français de la Libération nationale) on 3 June.
After having been the chief of the naval delegation to the military Mission for German Affairs, he retired from the navy in 1946.