Admiral Darlan

François Darlan
Darlan in Algiers, 13th November 1942
81st Prime Minister of France (as Vice-President of the Council) Head of State and nominal Head of Government : Philippe Pétain
In office 9 February 1941 – 18 April 1942
Preceded by	Pierre Étienne Flandin
Succeeded by	Pierre Laval
Personal details
Born	Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan 7 August 1881 Nérac, France
Died	24 December 1942(1942-12-24) (aged 61) Algiers, French Algeria
Military service
Allegiance	French Third Republic  Vichy France  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	French Navy
Years of service	1902–1942
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet

Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan (7 August 1881 – 24 December 1942) was a French Admiral and political figure. He was Admiral of the Fleet and commander in chief of the French Navy in 1939 at the beginning of World War II. After France signed an armistice with Nazi Germany in 1940, Darlan served in the pro-German Vichy regime, becoming its deputy leader for a time. When the Allies invaded French North Africa in 1942, Darlan was the highest-ranking officer there, and a deal was made, giving him control of North African French forces in exchange for joining their side. Less than two months later he was assassinated.

Darlan was born in Nérac, Lot-et-Garonne, to a family with a long connection with the French Navy. His great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar. His father, Jean-Baptiste Darlan, was a lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Jules Méline. Georges Leygues, a political colleague of his father who would spend seven years as Minister of the Marine, was Darlan's godfather.

He graduated from the École Navale in 1902. During World War I he commanded an artillery battery that took part in the Battle of Verdun. After the war Darlan commanded the training ships Jeanne d'Arc and the Edgar Quinet, receiving promotions to Frigate Captain in 1920 and Captain in 1926.

Thereafter Darlan rose swiftly. He was appointed Chef de Cabinet to Leygues and promoted to Rear Admiral in 1929. In 1930 he served as the French Navy's representative at the London Naval Conference and in 1932 he was promoted to Vice Admiral. Subsequently in 1934 he took command of the Atlantic Squadron at Brest before being appointed Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 January 1937. As head of the Navy he successfully used his political connections to lobby for building program to counter the rising threat from the Kriegsmarine and Regia Marina.