DARLAN, François (1881-1942)
Autograph quote signed « F. Darlan »
N.p., 1 May 1939, 1 p. in-8° oblong
« The Empire is only viable if it has a powerful, ardent and well-trained navy. »
Fact sheet
DARLAN, François (1881-1942)
Autograph quote signed « F. Darlan »
N.p., 1 May 1939, 1 p. in-8° oblong
Fine condition throughout
Scarce quote from Admiral Darlan written in the very early hours of the Second World War
« L’”Empire” n’est viable que s’il dispose d’une marine puissante, ardente et bien entraînée
F. Darlan »
Head of the French Navy at the start of World War II and then Minister of the Navy in the first Vichy government, François Darlan was actively involved in Marshal Pétain’s collaboration with Nazi Germany. While stationed in Algiers in 1942, he was assassinated on December 24 by two pistol bullets fired by a young French student and resistance fighter, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, aged just 20. The latter was shot two days later after a summary judgment by the Algiers court.
Provenance:
[Album amicorum] Col. Henri Reine