Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies . In the Commonwealth nations and the United States , a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet , or fleet admiral.
132-521: Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ lwi ɡzavje fʁɑ̃swa daʁlɑ̃] ; 7 August 1881 – 24 December 1942) was a French admiral and political figure. Born in Nérac , Darlan graduated from the École navale in 1902 and quickly advanced through the ranks following his service during World War I. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1929, vice admiral in 1932, lieutenant admiral in 1937 before finally being made admiral and Chief of
264-714: A Greek Christian, known as George of Antioch , who previously had served as a naval commander for several North African Muslim rulers. Roger styled George in Abbasid fashion as Amir of Amirs , or Amīr al-Umarāʾ, with the title becoming Latinized in the 13th century as ammiratus ammiratorum . The Sicilians and later the Genoese took the first two parts of the term from their Aragon opponents and used them as one word, amiral . . The French gave their sea commanders similar titles while in Portuguese and Spanish
396-735: A Mediterranean strategy as he stated that France was secure behind the Maginot Line and should in the event of war go on the offensive against Italy in order to secure command of the sea in the Mediterranean. In particular, Daladier who was now serving as premier, was greatly impressed with Darlan's Mediterranean strategy. On 30 November 1938, demonstrations were organised by the Fascist regime in Italy demanding that France cede Nice, Corsica and Tunisia to Italy, which brought France and Italy to
528-589: A close with no major land battles involving British troops. At the meetings of the Supreme War Council, Darlan along with Maurice Gamelin supported the objections of the British against the proposed expedition to the Balkans championed by Daladier and Maxime Weygand By late 1939, Darlan complained that the blockade had too many loopholes for neutral ships carrying war material to Germany and that
660-535: A controversial deal with Darlan, recognizing him as High Commissioner of France for North and West Africa . In return, Darlan ordered all French forces in North Africa to cease resistance and cooperate with the Allies. Less than two months later, on 24 December, Darlan was assassinated by Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle , a 20-year-old monarchist and anti-Vichyiste. Darlan was born in Nérac , Lot-et-Garonne, to
792-622: A convincing alternate strategy led for Daladier to decide in favor of Darlan's recommendation. Unlike the plans for a new Salonika front, the British leaders, especially the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill , were very keen on an expedition to Scandinavia. Likewise, Darlan supported what the French called the "Baku project" of having Anglo-French bombers based in Syria and Iraq bomb
924-575: 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. Darlan graduated from
1056-744: A few dozen submarines and smaller vessels passed into German control. Darlan expected the Axis to win the war and saw it as to France's advantage to collaborate with Germany . He distrusted the British, and after the attack on Mers-el-Kébir, he seriously considered waging a naval war against Britain. Darlan came from a republican background and never believed in the Vichyite Révolution nationale ; for example, he had reservations about Pétain's clericalism . However, by 1941 Darlan had become Pétain's most trusted associate. In February 1941 Darlan replaced Pierre-Étienne Flandin as "Vice President of
1188-685: A joint Army-Navy expedition to sail via the Arctic Ocean to seize the Petsamo province of Finland recently occupied by the Red Army even though it would almost mean war with the Soviet Union out of the hope of provoking German response, which would allow French forces to occupy northern Sweden, and hence deprive the Reich of its most important source of iron. Darlan had a blasé attitude towards
1320-626: A naval construction programme designed to make the French Mediterranean fleet the dominant fleet in the western Mediterranean. In September 1938 during the Sudetenland crisis, Darlan mobilized the French Navy and placed the Marine on the highest state of alert. Expecting Italy to enter any war on the Axis side, Darlan reinforced the French Mediterranean fleet. In the fall of 1938 and the winter of 1939, Darlan continued to argue for
1452-469: A news article published by an Arabic news outlet: On 24 May 2012, in a change of command ceremony aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) , while docked at Khalifa Bin Salman Port, Bahrain , U.S. Marine Corps Gen . James Mattis , Commander, U.S. Central Command , introduced Vice Admiral Mark I. Fox as "Admiral Fox, the prince of the sea, emir of the sea – to translate 'admiral' from
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#17327732371191584-466: A post with the sling. The Phoenicians took possession of the islands in very early times; a remarkable trace of their colonisation is preserved in the town of Mago ( Maó in Menorca ). After the fall of Carthage in 146 BC, the islands seem to have been virtually independent. Notwithstanding their celebrity in war, the people were generally very quiet and inoffensive. The Romans, however, easily found
1716-459: A pretext for charging them with complicity with the Mediterranean pirates, and they were conquered by Q. Caecilius Metellus , thence surnamed Balearicus, in 123 BC. Metellus settled 3,000 Roman and Spanish colonists on the larger island, and founded the cities of Palma and Pollentia . The islands belonged, under the Roman Empire , to the conventus of Carthago Nova (modern Cartagena), in
1848-652: A province in the 19th century provincial division, which in 1983 received a Statute of Autonomy . In its later reform of 2007, the Statute designates the Balearic Islands as one of the nationalities of Spain . The official languages of the Balearic Islands are Catalan and Spanish . The archipelago islands are further grouped in western Pytiuses (the largest being Ibiza and Formentera ), and eastern Gymnesians (the largest being Mallorca and Menorca ). Many of its minor islands and islets are close to
1980-690: A result of the Spanish Civil War. On 5 August 1936, Darlan met with the First Sea Lord, Admiral Ernle Chatfield , where he expressed much concern about the prospect of Italy obtaining naval and air bases in the Balearic Islands and likewise Germany obtaining naval and air bases in the Canary Islands . Darlan argued for joint Anglo-French action to prevent the Axis powers from obtaining any bases on Spanish soil. During
2112-473: A single insular council, covering the whole of the Pitiusic Islands. The insular council of Mallorca is further subdivided into six comarques; three other comarques cover the same territory as the three remaining insular councils. These nine comarques are then subdivided into municipalities ( municipis ), with the exception of Formentera, which is at the same time an insular council, a comarca, and
2244-496: Is a local pork sausage. Lobster stew (so-called caldereta ) from Menorca , is one of their most sought after dishes. Mayonnaise is said to originate from the Menorcan city of Maó (Mahón) which also produces its own cheese . Local pastries include Ensaïmada , Flaó and Coca . Both Catalan and Spanish are official languages in the islands. Virtually all residents of the Balearic Islands speak Spanish fluently. Most of
2376-662: Is expressly defined as "of the sea, Lat. marinus, epith. of sea-gods , nymphs , etc." Though there are multiple meanings for the Arabic Amīr (أمير), the literal meaning of the phrase Amīr al-Baḥr (أمير البحر) is "Prince of the Sea." This position, versus "commander of the sea," is demonstrated by legal practices prevailing in the Ottoman Empire , whereas it was only possible for Phanariots to qualify for attaining four princely positions, those being grand dragoman , dragoman of
2508-531: Is pronounced "naúarkhēs," existed from very ancient times in Greece. While ναύαρχος may be defined as "admiral" as used by Plutarch in his Parallel Lives , the very pronunciation of ναύαρχος demonstrates that it is not a part of the etymology for the English word "admiral." The word "admiral" has come to be almost exclusively associated with the highest naval rank in most of the world's navies , equivalent to
2640-532: Is ranked differently depending on the country. Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea , near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula . The archipelago forms a province and autonomous community of Spain, with Palma de Mallorca being its capital and largest city. Formerly part of the Kingdom of Mallorca , the islands were made
2772-518: Is today Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and western Libya) but ended in defeat. Fearing reprisals, the inhabitants of the Balearics rebelled against the Almoravids and accepted Almohad suzerainty in 1187. On the last day of 1229, King James I of Aragon captured Palma after a three-month siege. The rest of Mallorca quickly followed. Menorca fell in 1232 and Ibiza in 1235. In 1236, James traded most of
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#17327732371192904-645: The Baleares . The term Balearic may derive from Greek ( Γυμνησίαι / Gymnesiae and Βαλλιαρεῖς / Balliareis ). In Latin , it was Baleares . Of the various theories on the origins of the two ancient Greek and Latin names for the islands— Gymnasiae and Baleares —classical sources provide two. According to Lycophron's Alexandra verses, the islands were called Γυμνησίαι / Gymnesiae ( γυμνός / gymnos , meaning 'naked' in Greek) because its inhabitants were often nude, probably because of
3036-426: 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 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 contre-amiral in 1929. In 1930, he served as
3168-515: The Arabic amīral ( أمير الـ ) – amīr ( أمير ) [ʔmjr] ( listen ), " king , prince , chief, leader, nobleman , lord , a governor , commander , or person who rules over a number of people" and al ( الـ ), the Arabic definite article meaning "the." In Arabic, admiral is also represented as Amīr al-Baḥr ( أمير البحر ), where al-Baḥr (البحر) means the sea . The 1818 edition of Samuel Johnson 's A Dictionary of
3300-810: The Balearic Promontory , and were formed by uplift . They are cut by a network of northwest to southeast faults . The main islands of the autonomous community are Majorca ( Mallorca ), Menorca/Minorca ( Menorca ), Ibiza ( Eivissa/Ibiza ), and Formentera, all popular tourist destinations. Amongst the minor islands is Cabrera, the location of the Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park . Neighbours: Algeria (south), Spain 's Catalonia and Valencian Community (west), France's South (north), and France 's Corsica as well as Italy 's Sardinia (east). The Balearic Islands province has
3432-784: The First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy . Darlan saw the Regia Marina as the principal threat to France, and pushed very hard for a naval expansion intended to make France the dominant power in the Mediterranean Sea . Germany had a population of 70 million while France had a population of 40 million. The numerical superiority of the Reich made it essential that the French transport a massive number of soldiers recruited in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to France to allow
3564-619: The French colonial empire , Darlan relied heavily on the personal loyalty of key army and naval officers in the colonies to head off defection to Free France . In January 1942, Darlan assumed additional government offices. But in April 1942, at German insistence, Darlan resigned his ministries, and was replaced by Pierre Laval , whom the Germans considered more trustworthy. Darlan retained several lesser posts, including that of commander-in-chief of
3696-704: The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Portugal as well as the Kingdom of Spain , to end the conflict caused by the War of the Spanish Succession —gave Gibraltar and Menorca to the Kingdom of Great Britain, Sardinia to Austria (both territories had been part of the Crown of Aragon for more than four centuries), and Sicily to the House of Savoy . In addition, Flanders and other European territories of
3828-532: The Marine . Darlan's political views were inclined towards the right, but he worked well with the centrist Daladier and the leftish Blum. After attending the Coronation of George VI , Darlan complained that protocol had left him, as a mere vice admiral, "behind a pillar and after the Chinese admiral". In 1939 he was promoted to Amiral de la flotte , a rank created specifically to put him on equal terms with
3960-664: The Minister of Marine in the Pétain administration from 16 June. On 18 June Darlan gave his "word of honour" to the British First Sea Lord , Sir Dudley Pound that he would not allow the French fleet to fall into German hands. Petain's government signed an armistice (22 June 1940) but retained control of the territories known as " Vichy France " after the capital moved to Vichy in early July. General Charles Noguès , Commander-in-Chief of French forces in North Africa,
4092-565: The Pact of Steel on 22 May 1939, and it was taken for granted in both London and Paris that should the crisis result in war that it was inevitable that Italy would enter the war on Germany's side at some point, hence Darlan's focus on the Mediterranean during the Danzig crisis. After the declaration of war in September 1939, Darlan became Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy. Darlan
François Darlan - Misplaced Pages Continue
4224-972: The Republic of Pisa , the expedition included 420 ships, a large army and a personal envoy from Pope Paschal II . In addition to the Pisans (who had been promised suzerainty over the islands by the Pope), the expedition included forces from the Italian cities of Florence , Lucca , Pistoia , Rome , Siena , and Volterra , from Sardinia and Corsica . Catalan forces under Ramon Berenguer , Hug II of Empúries , and Ramon Folc II of Cardona came from Spain and Occitan forces under William V of Montpellier , Aimery II of Narbonne , and Raymond I of Baux came from France. The expedition also received strong support from Constantine I of Logudoro and his base of Porto Torres . The crusade sacked Palma in 1115 and generally reduced
4356-641: The Treaty of Paris in 1783. However, during the French Revolutionary Wars , when Spain became an ally of France, it came under French rule. Menorca was finally returned to Spain by the Treaty of Amiens during the French Revolutionary Wars, following the last British occupation , which lasted from 1798 to 1802. The continued presence of British naval forces, however, meant that the Balearic Islands were never occupied by
4488-581: The Xueta people, who are supposedly descendants of persecuted Jews who were converts to Christianity . Each one of the four islands are administered, along with its surrounding minor islands and islets, by an insular council ( consell insular in Catalan) of the same name. These four insular councils are the first level of subdivision in the autonomous community (and province) of Illes Balears. Before administrative reform in 1977, Ibiza and Formentera formed
4620-565: The de facto independent islands occupied a strategic and profitable grey area between the competing religions and kingdoms of the western Mediterranean. The prosperous islands were thoroughly sacked by the Swedish Viking King Björn Ironside and his brother Hastein during their Mediterranean raid of 859–862. In 902, the heavy use of the islands as a pirate base provoked the Emirate of Córdoba , nominally
4752-456: The province of Hispania Tarraconensis , of which province they formed the fourth district, under the government of a praefectus pro legato. An inscription of the time of Nero mentions the PRAEF. PRAE LEGATO INSULAR. BALIARUM. (Orelli, No. 732, who, with Muratori, reads pro for prae .) They were afterwards made a separate province, called Hispania Balearica , probably in the division of
4884-553: The sling . As slingers , they served as mercenaries, first under the Carthaginians , and afterwards under the Romans . They went into battle ungirt, with only a small buckler , and a javelin burnt at the end , and in some cases tipped with a small iron point; but their effective weapons were their slings, of which each man carried three, wound round his head (Strabo p. 168; Eustath.), or, as seen in other sources, one round
5016-481: The "deal with Darlan" was misunderstood by the critics at the time as an opportunistic improvisation and claimed Darlan had been in talks with American diplomats for months about switching sides, and when the opportunity came, did so promptly. American historian Robert Paxton on the contrary considers it is a thesis "based on too many post-war pleas to be credible": archives showing Darlan making every effort to discourage and then thwart Allied action. The cease-fire and
5148-475: The "deal" were condemned by the Vichy government. Pétain stripped Darlan of his offices and ordered resistance to the end in North Africa, but was ignored. The Germans were more direct: German troops occupied the remaining 40% of France on 11 November. However, the Germans initially paused outside Toulon , the base where most of the remaining French ships were moored. Only on 27 November did the Germans try to seize
5280-611: The "good" French Jews while being silent against the Nazi measures against the "bad" immigrant Jews, protesting against laws that stripped the property away from French Jews while supporting the same laws against immigrant Jews. In memo, Darlan wrote that his aim towards the "Jewish Question" was to "not bother the old French Jews". As a prominent figure in the Vichy government, Darlan repeatedly offered Hitler active military cooperation against Britain. Hitler, however, distrusted France and wanted it to remain neutral during his planned attack on
5412-532: The 1295 Treaty of Anagni . The tension between the kingdoms continued through the generations until James' grandson James III was killed by the invading army of Peter's grandson Peter IV at the 1349 Battle of Llucmajor . The Balearic Islands were then incorporated directly into the Crown of Aragon. In 1469, Ferdinand II of Aragon ( king of Aragon ) and Isabella I of Castile (queen of Castile ) were married. After their deaths, their respective territories (until then governed separately) were governed jointly, in
François Darlan - Misplaced Pages Continue
5544-464: The 1930s that France was accepting too many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe whom he accused of causing crime and economic problems. At a cabinet meeting, Darlan stated: "The stateless Jews who have thronged to our country in the last fifteen years do not interest me. But the others, the good old French Jews, have a right to every protection we can give them. I have some, by the way, in my own family". Darlan tended to be opposed to Nazi measures against
5676-555: The Allies needed a more aggressive approach. In particular, Darlan noted that because of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact that Germany had access to all of the vast natural resources of the Soviet Union, which rendered the Anglo-French naval blockade rather ineffectual. The Soviet Union was self-sufficient in virtually all of the natural resources needed to sustain a modern industrial economy, and German-Soviet trade defeated
5808-509: The Arabic to English;" On 04 Feb 2021, in an announcement of his coronavirus -related death, the Arabic news website Saudi 24 News referred to Admiral Edmond Chagoury by the title "Prince of the Sea." One alternate etymology proposes that the term admiral evolved, instead, from the title of Amīr al-Umarā ʾ (أمير الأمراء). Under the reign of the Buyid dynasty (934 to 1062) of Iraq and Iran ,
5940-570: The Atlantic coast, and was greatly disenchanted at the sluggish pace of the peace talks as he learned the partition of France imposed by the armistice was going to last years instead of a few months. Like many other French people at the time, Darlan adhered to a division in outlook towards les Israélites (the term for the assimilated French Jews who had embraced the French language and culture) and les Juifs (the rather derogatory term for Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe). Darlan had complained in
6072-469: The Atlantic ports (which Germany would soon occupy) to steam to French overseas possessions, out of reach of the Germans, although not necessarily of the Italians. Despite Darlan's assurance, Churchill had remained concerned that Darlan might be overruled by the politicians, and this concern was not allayed by Darlan becoming a government minister himself. Darlan repeatedly refused British requests to place
6204-685: The Balearic Islands in Catalan is Illes Balears , while in Spanish, they are known as the Islas Baleares . The ancient Greeks usually adopted local names into their own language, but they called the islands Γυμνησίαι / Gymnesiai , unlike either the native inhabitants of the islands, the Carthaginians, or the Romans, who called them Βαλεαρεῖς , with the Romans also calling them
6336-403: The Balearic Islands is dated to the 3rd millennium BC , around 2500-2300 BC from the Iberian Peninsula or southern France, by people associated with the Bell Beaker culture . Little is recorded about the inhabitants of the islands during classical antiquity, though many legends exist. The story, preserved by Lycophron , that certain shipwrecked Greek Boeotians were cast nude on the islands,
6468-533: The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Churchill devoted nearly an entire page into praising Darlan's character with the clear implication he was a worthy alliance partner in North Africa. The British historian David Reynolds noted that Churchill's picture of Darlan tended to change as a way to justify whatever policy he was pursuing towards France. Admiral The word admiral in Middle English comes from Anglo-French amiral , "commander", from Medieval Latin admiralis , admirallus . These evolved from
6600-416: The British flag in the event of an armistice. Darlan promised Churchill at the Briare Conference (12 June) that no French ship would ever come into German hands. Even on 15 June he was still talking of a potential armistice with indignation. Darlan appears to have retreated from his position on 15 June, when the Cabinet voted 13–6 for Camille Chautemps ' compromise proposal to inquire about possible terms. He
6732-419: The Council" (prime minister). He also became Minister of Foreign Affairs , Minister of the Interior , and Minister of National Defence , making him the de facto head of the Vichy government. On 11 February he was named Pétain's eventual successor, in accordance with Act Number Four of the constitution. Darlan was primarily concerned with negotiating the peace treaty that was supposed to be followed up after
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#17327732371196864-453: The East depend upon mastery of the Mediterranean. But above all, the Mediterranean constitutes the only communication line with our Central European allies by which material may reach them". In contrast to Darlan, General Maurice Gamelin had argued for a rapprochement with Italy as he argued that a naval arms race would take away francs from the French Army. Blum and Daladier chose the course advocated by Darlan and in December 1936 approved of
6996-460: The English Language , edited and revised by the Rev. Henry John Todd , states that the term "has been traced to the Arab. emir or amir, lord or commander, and the Gr . ἄλιος , the sea, q. d. prince of the sea . The word is written both with and without the d, in other languages, as well as our own. Barb. Lat. admirallus and amiralius. V. Ducange. Barb. Græc. ἄμηρχλιος. V. Meursii Gloss. Græco-Barbarum, edit. 1610. p. 29. Fr. admiral and amiral. Dan.
7128-496: The French Army to face the Wehrmacht on equal terms, and as such it was considered essential that France have command of the sea-lanes in the western Mediterranean. Dalan argued that the pro-German orientation of Italian foreign policy made it likely that Italy would enter another world war on the side of Germany and that as such France needed a strong Mediterranean fleet to defend the sea-lanes linking Algeria to France in order to win against Germany. French decision-makers believed given
7260-435: The French Navy's representative at the London Naval Conference , and in 1932 he was promoted to vice-amiral . Subsequently, in 1934, he took command of the Atlantic Squadron at Brest . He was promoted to vice-amiral d'escadre in 1936. In 1936, he went to London on an unsuccessful mission to persuade the Admiralty that greater Anglo-French naval co-operation was needed given the way that Germany and Italy had aligned as
7392-419: The French armed forces. On 5 November 1942, Darlan went to Algiers to visit his son, who was hospitalised. Coincidentally, the day after his arrival, 8 November, the Western Allies invaded French North Africa . During the night of 7–8 November, the main group of Algerian resistance (led by two cousins, Roger Carcassonne in Oran and José Aboulker in Algiers) seized control of Algiers in anticipation of
7524-459: The French during the Napoleonic Wars . The islands saw limited fighting in the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War , with Menorca and Formentera staying loyal to the Republican Spanish Government , while the rest of the Balearic Islands supported the Spanish Nationalists . The Republican forces recaptured Ibiza early in the conflict, but were unable to take control of Majorca in the Battle of Majorca in August 1936, an amphibious landing aimed at driving
7656-409: The French fleet should remain focused on the Mediterranean with the majority of the French fleet to be stationed at the naval bases at Toulon, Mers El Kébir and Bizerte with only one squadron to be based at Brest on France's Atlantic coast as the Royal Navy was to take responsibility for the rest of the North Atlantic and the North Sea. Germany and Italy had signed an offensive-defensive alliance known as
7788-400: The French to seize the Italian colony of the Dodecanese islands , for a bombing campaign against Italian cities and for invasions from Tunisia into Libya and France into Italy itself. During the Danzig crisis , Darlan went to London on 8 August 1939 to meet the First Sea Lord, Admiral Dudley Pound , to discuss plans should the crisis end in a war. It was agreed at the Darlan-Pound meeting that
7920-425: The French; the Colombians; and the Ecuadoreans, numbering at 5,437. At the Census of 1 January 2021, the population had increased to 1,183,415 inhabitants. Roman Catholicism is, by far, the largest religion in Balearic Islands. In 2012, the proportion of Balearicians that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 68.7%. Xueta Christianity is a syncretic religion on the island of Majorca , Spain followed by
8052-535: The Germans became suspicious of Darlan's opportunism and malleable loyalties as his obstructionism mounted. He refused to provide French conscript labour. After Allied forces captured French Syria and Lebanon in June–July 1941 , and the German invasion of the USSR stalled before Moscow by December 1941, Darlan moved away from his policy of collaboration. Because he reported only to Pétain, Darlan exercised broad powers, although Pétain's own entourage (including Weygand) continued to wield considerable influence. In running
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#17327732371198184-448: The Iberian Peninsula by the rival Almohad Dynasty of Marrakech in 1147. Muhammad ibn Ganiya, the Almoravid claimant, fled to Palma and established his capital there. His dynasty, the Banu Ghaniya , sought allies in their effort to recover their kingdom from the Almohads, leading them to grant Genoa and Pisa their first commercial concessions on the islands. In 1184, an expedition was sent to recapture Ifriqiya (the coastal areas of what
8316-403: The Interior and Minister of National Defence, making him the de facto head of the Vichy government. In April 1942, Darlan resigned his ministries to Pierre Laval at German insistence, but retained his position as Commander-in-Chief of the French Armed Forces. Darlan was in Algiers when the Allies invaded French North Africa in November 1942. Allied commander Dwight D. Eisenhower struck
8448-405: The Islands' residents knew how to speak Catalan (either Balearic or mainland) and 93.1% could understand it. The 2011 census, using slightly different phrasing, reported that 63.4% could fluently speak and 88.5% could understand Catalan. Other languages, such as English , French , German and Italian , are often spoken by locals, especially those who work in the tourism industry. Circa 2016
8580-412: The Nationalists from the island and reclaiming it for the Republic. After the battle, Nationalist forces re-took Ibiza in September 1936. Menorca would be occupied by the Nationalists in February 1939 after the Battle of Menorca . The cuisine of the islands can be grouped as part of wider Catalan , Spanish or Mediterranean cuisines. It features much pastry, cheese, wine, pork and seafood. Sobrassada
8712-436: The Naval Staff in 1937. In 1939, Darlan was promoted to admiral of the fleet, a rank created specifically for him. Darlan was Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy at the beginning of World War II. After France's armistice with Germany in June 1940, Darlan served in Philippe Pétain 's Vichy regime as Minister of Marine, and in February 1941 he took over as Vice-President of the Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of
8844-410: The Soviet Union. Darlan negotiated the Paris Protocols of May 1941 with Germany, in which Germany made concessions on prisoners of war and occupation terms, and France agreed to German bases in French colonies. This last condition was opposed by Darlan's rival, General Maxime Weygand , and the Protocols were never ratified, though Weygand was dismissed at German insistence in November 1941. However,
8976-453: The Spanish Civil War, the Front populaire government of Léon Blum leaned into a pro-Republican neutrality while Italy had intervened on the side of the Spanish Nationalists, leading to acute Italo-French tensions. Blum stated that Darlan "thinks exactly as I do" about a potential Italian naval threat to France, and selected him as the next chief of staff of the Marine to replace the pro-Italian Admiral Georges Durand-Viel. In addition, Darlan
9108-429: The Spanish Crown were given to Austria. The island fell to French forces, under Armand de Vignerot du Plessis in June 1756 and was occupied by them for the duration of the Seven Years' War . The British re-occupied the island after the war but, with their military forces diverted away by the American War of Independence , it fell to a Franco-Spanish force after a seven-month siege (1781–82) . Spain retained it under
9240-428: The United Nations were supposed to be fighting for”. On the afternoon of 24 December 1942, French anti-Vichyiste and monarchist Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle shot Darlan in his headquarters; Darlan died a few hours later. Bonnier de La Chapelle (aged 20), the son of a French journalist, was part of a pro-monarchist group that wanted to restore the pretender to the French throne , the Count of Paris . De La Chapelle
9372-422: The Vichy army continued, and no one heeded Giraud, who had no official status. To bring a quick end to the resistance and secure French co-operation, the Allies put a lot of pressure on Darlan, who released a general cease-fire (including Morocco) after two days (on 10 November). But the Americans wanted the active assistance of French forces in North Africa. Only after nine more days, once Hitler had sent troops into
9504-471: The armistice and saw the "Jewish Question" in France as a bargaining tool for a better peace treaty with the Germans. Darlan expected the Reich to win the war, and saw safeguarding French interests in the expected German-dominated postwar world as his main duty. Upon entering office, Darlan had wanted to swiftly sign a peace treaty that would see the Germans end their occupation zone in northern France and along
9636-776: The armistice called for the demobilisation and disarmament of the ships of the French Navy under German supervision in their home ports (mostly in the German-occupied zone). As the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill pointed out, this meant that French warships would be fully armed when they came under German control. At Italian suggestion, the armistice terms were amended to permit the fleet to stay temporarily in North African ports, where they might potentially be seized by Italian troops from Libya. Darlan ordered all ships then in
9768-416: The army rank of general . However, this was not always the case; for example, in some European countries prior to the end of World War II , admiral was the third highest naval rank after general admiral and grand admiral . The rank of admiral has also been subdivided into various grades, several of which are historically extinct while others remain in use in most present-day navies. The Royal Navy used
9900-463: The attack on Mers-el-Kébir in 1940. Later on in The Hinge of Fate , Churchill portrayed the "deal with Darlan" in 1942 as a distasteful, but necessary measure to allow the success of Operation Torch. At that point his picture of Darlan changed into a honorable, but misguided French patriot whose principle sin was his Anglophobia, which Churchill put down to an ancestor of Darlan's having been killed at
10032-471: The biggest islands, such as Es Conills, Es Vedrà, Sa Conillera, Dragonera, S'Espalmador, S'Espardell, Ses Bledes, Santa Eulària, Plana, Foradada, Tagomago, Na Redona, Colom, L'Aire, etc. The Balearic Front is a sea density regime north of the Balearic Islands on the shelf slope of the Balearic Islands, which is responsible for some of the surface-flow characteristics of the Balearic Sea . Located in
10164-462: The blockade of Germany. Initially, Darlan had supported the British who believed that a naval blockade along with strategical bombing would be sufficient to defeat the Reich without any major land battles. The British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain , believed that a combination of blockade and strategical bombing would induce the Wehrmacht generals to overthrow Hitler and thus bring the war to
10296-585: The brink of war. The acute crisis in Franco-Italian relations in the winter of 1938-1939 served to reinforce Darlan's arguments within the French government for an offensive strategy against Italy.. At a meeting of the defense chiefs in January 1939, Darlan stated in the event of a war the Marine should sever the sea-lanes linking Italy to its colony of Libya while French warships should bombard Naples , La Spezia , and Pantelleria . Darlan also called for
10428-550: The coasts of the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland were raided by Turkish privateers under the command of the Ottoman admiral, Hayreddin Barbarossa . The Balearic Islands were ravaged in 1558 by Ottoman corsair Turgut Reis , and 4,000 people were taken into slavery . The island of Menorca was a British dependency for most of the 18th century as a result of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht . This treaty—signed by
10560-476: The colours red, white, and blue, in descending order to indicate seniority of its admirals until 1864; for example, Horatio Nelson 's highest rank was vice-admiral of the white. The generic term for these naval equivalents of army generals is flag officer . Some navies have also used army-type titles for them, such as the Cromwellian "general at sea". While the rank is used in most of NATO countries, it
10692-555: The definition of Amīr (أمير), as given in Edward William Lane 's Arabic-English Lexicon , concurs, in part, with Minsheu's definition, stating that the term means "One having, holding, or possessing, command; a commander; a governor; a lord; a prince, or king." While other Greek words of the period existed to indicate "belonging to the sea," or "of the sea," the now obsolete Gr. ἄλιος mentioned in Johnson's Dictionary
10824-535: The discriminatory status of Jews, restore the Crémieux Decree , or emancipate Muslims. There were numerous and obvious indications that the American public did not support its government’s Vichy policy, that it saw Vichy’s true colors, and that it even supported de Gaulle’s Free France movement: even an American official admitted that this episode amounted to “a sordid nullification of the principles for which
10956-409: The empire under Constantine . The two largest islands (the Balearic Islands, in their historical sense) had numerous excellent harbours, though rocky at their mouth, and requiring care in entering them (Strabo, Eustath.; Port Mahon is one of the finest harbours in the world). Both were extremely fertile in all produce, except wine and olive oil. They were celebrated for their cattle, especially for
11088-599: The fleet , and the voivodees of Moldavia and Wallachia . Those Phanariots who attained the princely position of dragoman of the fleet served under the Ottoman admiral having administration of the Aegean islands and the Anatolian coast. Modern acknowledgement of the phrase Amīr -al-Baḥr (أمير البحر) meaning "Prince of the Sea" includes a speech made in an official U.S. military ceremony conducted in an Arabic port, and
11220-752: The formerly unoccupied zone , and under extreme pressure from the Americans, did Darlan agree that French troops in North Africa should help to defend Tunisia against rapidly arriving German reinforcements. Dwight D. Eisenhower , the Allied commander on the spot, recognized Darlan as commander of all French forces in the area as well his self-nomination as High Commissioner of France in Africa (head of civil government) for North and West Africa on 14 November and Vichy forces in French West Africa joined
11352-455: The head, one round the body, and one in the hand. (Diodorus) The three slings were of different lengths, for stones of different sizes; the largest they hurled with as much force as if it were flung from a catapult; and they seldom missed their mark. To this exercise, they were trained from infancy, in order to earn their livelihood as mercenary soldiers. It is said that the mothers allowed their children to eat bread only when they had struck it off
11484-504: The importation of the precious metals—so that those of them who served as mercenaries took their pay in wine and women instead of money. The Roman Diodorus Siculus described their marriage and funeral customs (v. 18 book 6 chapter 5), noting that Roman observers found those customs peculiar. In ancient times, the islanders of the Gymnesian Islands ( Illes Gimnèsies ) constructed talayots , and were famous for their skill with
11616-495: The invasion. They prepared with Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie to support the expected Allied landings and met with General Mark Clark in Vichy Morocco , who provided them with weapons. They also captured Darlan. The Allies had anticipated little response from French forces in North Africa, and instead expected them to accept the authority of General Henri Giraud , sent from France to take charge. But opposition from
11748-713: The island's governor Abd Allah ibn Aglab rebelled and established the independent Taifa of Mallorca . For centuries, the Balearic sailors and pirates had been masters of the western Mediterranean. But the expanding influence of the Italian maritime republics and the shift of power on the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim states to the Christian states left the islands vulnerable. A crusade was launched in 1113. Led by Ugo da Parlascio Ebriaco and Archbishop Pietro Moriconi of
11880-531: The island's overlords, to invade and incorporate the islands into their state. However, the Cordoban emirate disintegrated in civil war and partition in the early eleventh century, breaking into smaller states called taifa . Mujahid al-Siqlabi , the ruler of the Taifa of Dénia , sent a fleet and seized control of the islands in 1015, using it as the base for subsequent expeditions to Sardinia and Pisa . In 1050,
12012-528: The islands for the Romans. Imperial power receded precipitately in the western Mediterranean after the fall of Carthage and the Exarchate of Africa to the Umayyad Caliphate in 698, and in 707 the islands submitted to the terms of an Umayyad fleet, which allowed the residents to maintain their traditions and religion as well as a high degree of autonomy. Now nominally both Byzantine and Umayyad,
12144-460: The islands had 1,107,220 total residents; the figures of Germans and British respectively were 20,451 and 16,134. Between 2016 and 2017 people from other parts of Spain moved to the Balearics, while the foreign population declined by 2,000. In 2007 there were 29,189 Germans, 19,803 British, 17,935 Moroccans, 13,100 Ecuadoreans, 11,933 Italians, and 11,129 Argentines. The numbers of Germans, British, and South Americans declined between 2007 and 2017 while
12276-503: The islands to Peter I, Count of Urgell for Urgell, which he incorporated into his kingdom. Peter ruled from Palma, but after his death without issue in 1258, the islands reverted by the terms of the deal to the Crown of Aragon . James died in 1276, having partitioned his domains between his sons in his will. The will created a new Kingdom of Mallorca from the Balearic islands and the mainland counties of Roussillon or Montpellier , which
12408-467: The islands, ending their period as a great sea power, but then withdrew. Within a year, the now shattered islands were conquered by the Berber Almoravid dynasty , whose aggressive, militant approach to religion mirrored that of the crusaders and departed from the island's history as a tolerant haven under Cordoba and the taifa . The Almoravids were conquered and deposed in North Africa and on
12540-486: The islands’ name), some say they went naked only in the summer, some that they wore only sheepskins—until the Phoenicians arrived and provided them with broad-bordered tunics. Other stories have it that the inhabitants lived in hollow rocks and artificial caves, that their men were remarkable for their love of women and would trade three or four men to ransom one woman, that they had no gold or silver coin, and forbade
12672-465: The larger islands, including Cabrera , Dragonera , and S'Espalmador . The islands have a Mediterranean climate , and the four major islands are all popular tourist destinations. Ibiza, in particular, is known as an international party destination, attracting many of the world's most popular DJs to its nightclubs . The islands' culture and cuisine are similar to those of the rest of Spain but have their own distinctive features. The official name of
12804-664: The largest-increasing populations were the Moroccans, Italians, and Romanians. Circa 2017 there were 1,115,999 residents of the Balearics; 16.7% of the islands' population were foreign (non-Spanish). At that time the islands had 23,919 Moroccans, 19,209 Germans, 16,877 Italians, and 14,981 British registered in town halls. The next-largest foreign groups were the Romanians; the Bulgarians; the Argentines, numbering at 6,584;
12936-675: The longest coastline of any provinces in Spain, with a length of coastline 1,428 kilometres. The islands can be further grouped, with Majorca, Menorca, and Cabrera as the Gymnesian Islands ( Illes Gimnèsies ), and Ibiza and Formentera as the Pityusic Islands ( Illes Pitiüses officially in Catalan), also referred to as the Pityuses (or sometimes informally in English as the Pine Islands). Many minor islands or islets are close to
13068-417: The mostly balmy year-round climate. However, Strabo thought that Gymnesiai probably referred to the light equipment used by the Balearic troops γυμνῆται / gymnetae . Most of the ancient Greek and Roman writers thought that the name of the people, ( βαλεαρεῖς / baleareis , from βάλλω / ballo : ancient Greek meaning 'to launch') was based on their skill as slingers . However, Strabo thought
13200-696: The movement. Eisenhower then reached an agreement with Darlan on 22 November to political and military co-operation. The "Darlan deal" proved highly controversial, as Darlan had been a notorious collaborator with Germany, as de facto head of the Vichy government between February 1941 and June 1942: he negotiated the Paris Protocols with Hitler, that granted the Germans military facilities in Syria , Tunisia , and French West Africa . He advocated military neutrality and collaboration with Germany, both economically and politically, in exchange for compensation from
13332-490: The mules of the lesser island; they had an immense number of rabbits, and were free from all venomous reptiles. Amongst the snails valued by the Romans as a diet was a species from the Balearic Isles called cavaticae because they were bred in caves. Their chief mineral product was the red earth, called sinope , which was used by painters. Their resin and pitch are mentioned by Dioscorides . The population of
13464-517: The name was of Phoenician origin. He observed that it was the Phoenician word for lightly armoured soldiers, which the ancient Greeks called γυμνῆτας / gymnetas . The root bal arguably suggests a Phoenician origin; Strabo, in Volume III, Book XIV of his Geography suggests that the name comes from the Phoenician balearides . The Balearic Islands are on a raised platform called
13596-437: The native speakers of Spanish in the islands have family roots elsewhere in Spain. Catalan is designated as a llengua pròpia , literally own language in its statute of autonomy. The Balearic dialect features several differences from standard Catalan. Typically, speakers of Balearic Catalan call their own language with a name specific to each island: Mallorquí , Menorquí , Eivissenc , Formenterenc . In 2003 74.6% of
13728-534: The numerical superiority of Germany that just as in the last world war that France would need a massive number of troops from the Maghreb in order to have a chance of victory, and without soldiers from the Maghreb France was doomed. In addition, Darlan argued: "A significant part of the British and French supplies and in particular, almost all the oil extracted from the French, British and Russian oil fields in
13860-433: The occupier. General de Gaulle and his Free France organization were outraged; so were the pro-Allied conspirators (Géo Gras Group) who had seized Algiers. Many of them were jailed by Darlan for months. Some high American and British officials objected, and there was furious criticism by newspapers and politicians. Roosevelt defended it (using wording suggested by Churchill) as 'a temporary expedient, justified only by
13992-592: The oil fields in Baku in Soviet Azerbaijan as a way to cut Germany off from Soviet oil. Darlan also supported plans for French submarines to be sent into the Black Sea to sink Soviet oil tankers. Darlan was immensely proud of the French navy which he had helped to build up, and after Axis forces defeated France (May–June 1940), on 3 June he threatened that he would mutiny and lead the fleet to fight under
14124-526: The person of their grandson, the Emperor Charles V . This can be considered the foundation of the modern Spanish state, albeit a decentralized one wherein the various component territories within the united crowns retained their particular historic laws and privileges. The Balearic Islands were frequently attacked by Ottomans and Barbary pirates from North Africa; Formentera was even temporarily abandoned by its population. In 1514, 1515 and 1521,
14256-406: The prospect of a war with the Soviet Union, arguing that since the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact that it made little difference if France were at war with the Soviet Union or not. The plans for a Scandinavian expedition drew strong opposition from Maurice Gamelin who argued that best place for French manpower was in defending France from the expected German invasion. However, Gamelin's inability to produce
14388-642: The purposes of the naval blockade. Starting in December 1939, Darlan started to advocate an Anglo-French expedition to Scandinavia to seize the Swedish iron mines that supplied the Germany with high-grade iron that was used to make steel (the Reich had no high-grade iron mines of it own). Darlan argued that it was impetrative to strike before Germany and the Soviet Union signed another economic agreement that would allow Germany to have access to Soviet iron, saying
14520-472: The same. Germ. ammiral. Dutch, admirael or ammirael. Ital. ammiraglio. Sp. almirante. Minsheu, in his Spanish Dictionary, says 'almiralle is a king in the Arabian language.' Amrayl is used by Robert of Gloucester, in the sense of a prince, or governour." The quote from John Minsheu 's Dictionarie in Spanish and English (1599), given in Johnson's Dictionary, has been confirmed as being accurate. Additionally,
14652-462: The ships, but all capital ships were scuttled, and only three destroyers and a few dozen smaller ships were captured , mostly fulfilling Darlan's promise in 1940 to Churchill. Darlan refused to repeal the most aggressive laws and measures of the Vichy regime, which resulted in political prisoners remaining in concentration camps of the South. Justifying himself on military grounds, he refused to abolish
14784-414: The stress of battle'. In a secret session, Churchill persuaded an initially skeptical House of Commons. Eisenhower's recognition of Darlan was right, he said, and even if not quite right, it meant French rifles pointed not at Allies, but at Axis soldiers: "I am sorry to have to mention a point like this, but it makes a lot of difference to a soldier whether a man fires his gun at him, or at an enemy..." At
14916-458: The time to deprive Germany of its access to Swedish iron was now. Darlan was one of the main advocates of a Scandinavian expedition, arguing to seize the Swedish iron mines would cause collapse of the German economy no later than the spring of 1941. By January 1940, Darlan had convinced Daladier that the expedition to Scandinavia would win the war for the Allies. In January 1940, Darlan called for
15048-512: The time, Churchill saw Darlan rather than de Gaulle as the better French ally, saying in the same speech that "de Gaulle is no unfaltering friend of Britain". On 26 November 1942 Churchill told the Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden that "Darlan has done more for us than de Gaulle" while Oliver Harvey wrote in his diary: "P.M. is getting more and more enthusiastic over Darlan". American historian Arthur Funk maintained that
15180-631: The title of Amīr al-Umarāʾ, which means prince of princes, came to denote the heir-apparent , or crown prince . This alternate etymology states that the term was in use for the Greco-Arab naval leaders (e.g. Christodulus ) in the Norman-Arab-Byzantine culture of Norman Sicily , which had formerly been ruled by Arabs, at least by the early 11th century. During this time, the Norman Roger II of Sicily (1095–1154) employed
15312-551: The two islands is stated by Diodorus at 30,000. The part of the Mediterranean east of Spain, around the Balearic Isles, was called Mare Balearicum , or Sinus Balearicus . The Vandals under Genseric conquered the Islands sometime between 461 and 468 during their war on the Roman Empire . However, in late 533 or early 534, following the Battle of Ad Decimum , the troops of Belisarius reestablished control of
15444-471: The west of the Mediterranean Sea , the Balearic Islands have mostly typical hot-summer Mediterranean climates ( Köppen : Csa) with some high altitude areas having a Warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csb) in the island of Majorca. The semi-arid climate ( Köppen : BSh and BSk) is also found in the Balearic Islands, mostly on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera but also in the southern part of Majorca. The earliest known evidence of inhabitation of
15576-487: The whole fleet in British custody (or in the French West Indies ). He attempted to get the British to release French warships and gave a version of the armistice terms inconsistent with what the British knew from other sources to be the case. The British lacked confidence that Darlan was being straight with them (one government adviser minuted that he had 'turned crook like the rest') and believed that, even if he
15708-510: The word changed to almirante . As the word was used by people speaking Latin or Latin-based languages it gained the "d" and endured a series of different endings and spellings leading to the English spelling admyrall in the 14th century and to admiral by the 16th century. It is important to note that the etymology of a word does not suggest the antiquity of the word as it may have appeared in other languages with entirely different pronunciations. The Greek ναύαρχος, for instance, which
15840-479: Was Churchill's adviser to Eisenhower at the time of the assassination, wryly described Darlan's service and death by saying, "Once bought, he stayed bought." In his memoirs of the World War Two entitled The Second World , Churchill at first portrayed Darlan in volume 2, Their Finest Hour , as an especially devious and dishonest figure, a corrupt schemer whose word was not to be trusted as a justification for
15972-409: Was a soft-spoken, cautious administrator who sought out advice from his subordinates and deferred to his minister for major policy decisions, Darlan was an extremely self-confident, resolute admiral who monopolized every aspect of the Marine ". Salerno described Darlan as a conservative French nationalist who was committed to preserving France as a great power via a programe of building more warships for
16104-461: Was an intolerable threat. Through Blum did not take up Darlan's suggestion, he did approve of him as an admiral with strong anti-Italian views, which he considered to be a refreshing contrast to Durand-Viel who advocated a Franco-Italian alliance. Blum's decision in October 1936 to appoint Darlan as the next chief of the naval staff over a number of admirals who had more seniority and combat experience
16236-432: Was arrested immediately, tried and convicted the next day, and executed by firing squad on 26 December. Darlan was unpopular with the Allies – he was considered pompous, having asked Eisenhower to provide 200 Coldstream Guards and Grenadier Guards as an honor company for the commemoration of Napoleon 's victory at Austerlitz . It was said that "no tears were shed" by the British over his death. Harold Macmillan , who
16368-479: Was considered by Blum to be loyal to the republic and Darlan had spoken in favor of the Front populaire social reforms. Darlan had attracted attention within the Marine in the fall of 1936 with his advocacy of France seizing the Balearic Islands to put a stop to the Italian naval and air bases under construction there as he argued that the prospect of Italian naval and air attacks from the Balearics on French shipping
16500-676: Was controversial. He was appointed Chief of the Naval Staff from 1 January 1937, at the same time promoted to amiral . Darlan was close to Blum and the Defense Minister Édouard Daladier . As head of the Navy he successfully used his political connections to lobby for a building programme to counter the rising threat from the Kriegsmarine and Regia Marina . The American historian Reynolds Salerno wrote: "While Durand-Viel
16632-511: Was dismayed at the armistice but accepted it partly (he claimed) because Darlan would not let him have the French fleet to continue hostilities against the Axis powers. Churchill later wrote that Darlan could have been the leader of the Free French, "a de Gaulle raised to the tenth power", had he defected at this time. De Gaulle's biographer Jean Lacouture described Darlan as "the archetypal man of failed destiny" thereafter. The terms of
16764-632: Was evidently invented to account for the name Gymnesiae ( Ancient Greek : Γυμνήσιαι ). In addition, Diodorus Siculus writes that the Greeks called the islands Gymnesiae because the inhabitants were naked (γυμνοί) during the summer time. Also, a tradition holds that the islands were colonized by Rhodes after the Trojan War . The islands had a very mixed population. Several stories describing them as having unusual habits. Some have it that they went naked year-round (a folk etymology claims this inspired
16896-417: Was finished so there was no point in continuing to fight, and he was concerned that if there was no armistice Hitler would invade French North Africa via Franco 's Spain. That evening Paul Reynaud , feeling he lacked sufficient cabinet support for continuing the war, resigned as Prime Minister , and Philippe Pétain formed a new government with a view to seeking an armistice with Germany . Darlan served as
17028-541: Was left to his son James II . However, the terms of the will specified that the new kingdom be a vassal state to the Crown of Aragon , which was left to his older brother Peter . Chafing under the vassalage, James joined forces with the Pope Martin IV and Philip III of France against his brother in the Aragonese Crusade , leading to a 10-year Aragonese occupation before the islands were restored in
17160-546: Was opposed to Daladier's plans for a revived Salonika front . At a meeting of the Anglo-French Supreme War Council on 22 September 1939, Darlan sided with the British in opposing Daladier's plans to take the Armée du Levant from Beirut to Thessaloniki with the aim of opening a second front in the Balkans as a way to aid Poland. Darlan argued that the plans for a new Salonika Front would distract from
17292-808: Was sincere, he could not deliver on his promise. This belief led to the British Attack on Mers-el-Kébir (Operation Catapult), where, on 3 July 1940 the Royal Navy attacked the French fleet. The plans for "Catapult" had been drawn up as early as 14-16 June. Darlan was at his house at Nérac in Gascony on 3 July, and could not be contacted. Thereafter, French forces loyal to Vichy (most of them under Darlan's command) fiercely resisted British moves into French territory, and sometimes co-operated with German forces. However, as Darlan had promised, no capital ships fell into German hands, and only three destroyers and
17424-430: Was willing to accept an armistice provided the French fleet was kept out of German hands. On 16 June Churchill's telegram arrived agreeing to an armistice (France and Britain were bound by treaty not to seek a separate peace) provided the French fleet was moved to British ports. This was not acceptable to Darlan, who argued that it would leave France defenceless. That day, according to Jules Moch , he declared that Britain
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