Gabriel Auphan
| Gabriel Paul Auphan | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Marine | |
|
In office 1942–1942 |
|
| Preceded by | François Darlan |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Marie Charles Abrial |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 4, 1894 Alès, France |
| Died | April 16, 1982 (aged 87) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 French Third Republic Vichy France
|
| Service/branch |
 French Navy
|
| Rank | Admiral |
Gabriel Paul Auphan (4 November 1894, Alès – 16 April 1982) was a French admiral, chief of cabinet of Admiral Darlan under Vichy France and later Secrétaire d'État à la marine of Vichy.
A native of Alès, 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.
After the Fall of France and the rise of the Vichy regime, 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. [1] The fleet was scuttled on the 27 November.
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