Philippe Auboyneau
| Philippe Auboyneau | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
9 November 1899 Constantinople |
| Died | 22 February 1961 (aged 61) Paris |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Naval officer |
Philippe Auboyneau (9 November 1899, Constantinople – 22 February 1961) was an officer in the French Navy. As an admiral, he was commander of the Free French naval forces in the Pacific and the Mediterranean during the Second World War. He was awarded the Ordre de la Libération for his service to the country.
He was born in Constantinople, where his father was director of the Ottoman Bank. He entered the École navale in 1917 aged 17. From March to November 1918 he took part in patrols along the English Channel as an ensign on board the torpedo boat Typhon. He then served in the Middle East and the Far East for ten years, commanding the hydrographic vessel Alidade, then the gunboat Doudart de Lagrée on the Yangtze.
After some time in France in the Naval Ministry, he entered the École de guerre navale, leaving it as deputy chief of staff for France's Atlantic torpedo-boat fleet. As a captain, he was then made deputy chief of staff to France's Far East naval forces at Saigon, where he found himself on the declaration of war in 1939. He was then charged with several liaison missions to the Royal Navy.
At the time of France's surrender, he was a liaison officer on board HMS Warspite and played an important role in the delicate negotiations between Admiral Andrew Cunningham and Admiral René-Émile Godfroy. He was the main architect of the Gentlemen Agreement signed between the two admirals, which decided on the status of the French squadron in Alexandria. He then travelled to London to join the forces of Free France, arriving on 20 July 1940.
He was sent to command the destroyer Triomphant, which he re-armed. After several missions in the Atlantic, he was promoted to capitaine de vaisseau and made commander of Free France's naval forces in the Pacific, remaining on board the Triomphant as his flagship. He was in Australia at the time of Japan's entry into the war and took part in several operations in the South Pacific with the Australian fleet, most notably a raid near a Japanese naval base to evacuate the garrisons of the Nauru Island and Ocean Island.
...
Wikipedia