The Fall of Darlan
One of the most notable changes in the empire as a consequence of the Tuareg revolt was the sacking of Admiral Darlan.
Darlan had long been a key political figure in both the Fourth Republic and the Third Empire and had even come within a hair’s breadth of being selected as Prime Minister by the Emperor. His record as a veteran of the Weltkrieg, and his position as
Amiral de la flotte, effectively in charge of all naval matters, made him a highly influential figure throughout imperial France.
However, despite his position within the cabinet, Darlan had long been at odds with De Gaulle. Darlan was fully aware of the military might of the Commune and feared that De Gaulle’s policy of aggressively expanding the army would only provoke the Communards into launching an attack that the nascent empire could not hope to defeat. Recently declassified documents reveal that Darlan and De Gualle clashed incessantly in cabinet meetings over this issue and there is no doubt that the two men became bitter opponents. Darlan seeing De Gaulle as an impetuous young upstart and De Gaulle seeing Darlan as a cowardly, senile old man.
During the Tuareg Revolt, with Dakar and its shipyards cut off from the capital through Tuareg Revolt on land and the Gibraltar Naval base by sea, Darlan witnessed the weakening of De Gaulle’s position and increased dissatisfaction with him as Prime Minister.
On the 16th of July Darlan made his move.
In a passionate article in a friendly newspaper, Darlan condemned De Gaulle for “recklessness” and made it clear that the “madness of aggressive provocation” could only lead to the destruction of the empire and the triumph of the Commune.
However, Darlan had made a critical error. The same morning that his article was published news arrived from the south of a crushing victory over the Guineans. De Gaulle’s position was suddenly strengthened. Moreover, Darlan had fatally underestimated the degree of rapport between De Gaulle and Napoleon IV. The Emperor had long given his full backing to military expansion and so Darlan’s criticism of the government and De Gaulle could only be interpreted as a direct criticism of the Emperor himself.
At De Gaulle’s urging the Emperor sacked Darlan from the government, stripped him of his rank and forcibly retired him from the navy – on a mere Captain’s pension. Darlan rapidly became a persona non-grata within Algiers and was forced to seek refuge in Dakar where his old naval friends were somewhat more sympathetic.
Darlan never truly got over his sacking and still expected that all those around him treated him with all the pomp and circumstance he felt was his due. Up until his death in 1958 he would write letters to everyone from the Mayor of Dakar to the Emperor explaining the treachery and danger of De Gaulle and making ridiculous demands. The archives of the Imperial Household reveal that, on one occasion, Darlan wrote a letter demanding 200 Imperial Guardsmen to escort him on a visit to Tunis.
Meanwhile, the fall of Darlan offered De Gaulle the chance to put someone he trusted in charge of the navy. The Emperor accepted his recommendation and appointed Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu became as the new
Amiral de la flotte.
D’Argenlieu was a Naval Chaplain who had been granted special dispensation to become a combat officer by his religious superiors due to the shortage of naval officers in the National French navy. He had risen rapidly through the ranks in the years since the establishment of the Fourth Republic in 1920. He was the logical, uncontroversial choice to replace Darlan and was perfectly happy to go along with De Gaulle’s military strategy.
Bolstered by the removal of his rival, and the final crushing of the Tuareg Revolt, De Gaulle had a free hand to press on with his military expansion plans, announcing the creation of two new divisions of the
Légion étrangère shortly before Christmas.
This was to prove a wise decision – for the world was beginning the ever quickening march to war.