Jean L'Herminier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 January 1902  Fort-de-France (France) |
| Died | 7 June 1953 (aged 51) Paris |
| Resting place | Batignolles Cemetery |
| Occupation | Officer of the French Navy |
| Family | Jeanne L'Herminier |
| Awards |
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| Position held | sea captain (French submarine Casabianca, 1942–) |
Jean L'Herminier (25 July 1902 - 7 June 1953) was a French naval officer, most notable for his command of the Redoutable-class submarine Casabianca .
Born into a naval family in Fort-de-France, he studied at the Collège Stanislas de Paris before joining the École navale in 1921 and choosing to serve on submarines. He became second in command of the new Redoubtable-class submarine Persée in 1932 and was badly wounded on 26 September that year when its motors exploded during trials. In 1934 he was put in command of the 600 tonne submarine Orphée, followed in 1936 by the 1200 tonne submarine Morse.
At the time of the German offensive in May 1940 he was navigation officer of the Montcalm, a post he had held since 1938. With her he took part in the evacuation of Namsos in Norway. After France surrendered, he remained loyal to Philippe Pétain's new Vichy government, fighting aboard the Montcalm in the defence of Dakar against a Free French and British attack. In November 1940 he took command of another Redoubtable-class submarine, the Sidi-Ferruch
He fell ill in January 1942 and removed from the Sidi-Ferruch and assigned to command the Casabianca, yet another Redoubtable-class vessel. On 27 November 1942, when German forces broke into the naval port at Toulon, the Casabianca was "de relève" (i.e. with personnel and equipment available) rather than "en gardiennage d'armistice" (under armistice caretaking). Low on fuel, the crews of the oil-powered surface ships in the port were unable to escape and therefore had no option but to scuttle rather than be seized, but the diesel-powered submarines were able to sortie almost immediately. Jean L'Herminier chose to sail and break out for the open sea, but was unsure whether to obey his orders from admiral Darlan to scuttle in deep water or to join the Free French naval forces. He discussed the matter with his officers and crew, who favoured the latter option, and so L'Herminier sailed for Algiers, under the control of British and American forces since Operation Torch, which had opened on 8 November that year. Just after the scuttling his sister Jeanne joined the French Resistance - her collection of silhouette drawings of others deported to concentration camps with her such as de Gaulle's niece and Juliette Greco's sister are now in the musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de la citadelle de Besançon.
At Algiers the submarine was assigned to coordinate with the first resistance networks on Corsica as part of Operation Pearl Harbour, with a view to a French landing. It provided permanent logistical support to the first four agents on the island (Toussaint and Pierre Griffi, Laurent Preziosi and Roger de Saule), notably resupplying the maquis with weapons and then commander commandant Paulin Colonna d'Istria, put in charge of coordinating with the resistance to enable landings by special forces. On 13 September 1943 it landed the first Free French soldiers on Corsica, 109 men of 1st Shock Parachutist Battalion, at Ajaccio, the first city in mainland France to be liberated. The liberation of Bastia on 4 October completed the liberation of Corsica. L'Herminier was promoted to frigate captain in August 1943 but refused to relinquish command until the liberation of Corsica was complete, even after being diagnosed with several thrombosis, leading to the amputation of both legs.
He went to the US for medical treatment from August 1944 to July 1946, but still remained on extraordinary duties and represented the navy on the administrative committee of the Office national des anciens combattants (ONAC). He was promoted to capitaine de vaisseau in December 1945 and made a Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur on 28 October 1952. He wrote two books of memoirs, Casabianca and Entre ciel et mer, dying in Paris aged 51. He is buried in the 17th division of cimetière des Batignolles in Paris.
Case Anton was the military occupation of France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally-independent state and the disbanding of its army, but it continued its existence as a puppet government in Occupied France. One of the last actions of the Vichy armed forces before their dissolution was the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon to prevent it from falling into Axis hands.
Casabianca (Q183) was a Redoutable-class submarine of the French Navy. The class is also known as the "1500-ton class" and were termed in French de grande patrouille. She was named after Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca. Launched in 1935, she entered service in 1936. She escaped from Toulon during the scuttling of the fleet there on 27 November 1942, and continued in service with the Allied forces. Casabianca, commanded by Capitaine de frégate Jean L'Herminier, had a role in the liberation of Corsica, and was an important link between occupied France and the Free French government based in Algiers.
The scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon was orchestrated by Vichy France on 27 November 1942 to prevent Nazi German forces from seizing it. After the Allied invasion of North Africa, the Germans invaded the territory administered by Vichy under the Armistice of 1940. The Vichy Secretary of the Navy, Admiral François Darlan, defected to the Allies, who were gaining increasing support from servicemen and civilians. His replacement, Admiral Gabriel Auphan, guessed correctly that the Germans intended to seize the large fleet at Toulon, and ordered it scuttled.
Bévéziers (Q179) was a Redoutable-class submarine of the French Navy. The class is also known as the "1500-ton class" and were termed in French French: « de grande patrouille». She was named after the 1690 Battle of Beachy Head, known in France as the Bataille de Bévéziers.
The Free French Naval Forces were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier.
The Redoutable-class submarines were a group of 31 submarines built between 1924 and 1937 for the French Navy. Most of the class saw service during the Second World War. The class is also known in French as the Classe 1 500 tonnes, and they were designated as "First Class submarines", or "large submarine cruisers". They are known as the Redoutable class in reference to the lead boat Redoutable, in service from 1931 to 1942. The class is divided into two sub-class series, Type I, known as Le Redoutable and Type II, Pascal.
The Submarine Forces of France are one of the four main components of the French Navy. The force oversees all French submarines regardless of role.
The Italian occupation of Corsica refers to the military occupation by the Kingdom of Italy of the French island of Corsica during the Second World War, from November 1942 to September 1943. After an initial period of increased control over the island, by early spring 1943 the Maquis had begun to occupy the hinterland. In the aftermath of the Armistice of Cassibile, the Italian capitulation to the Allies, some Italian units sided with German troops sent to replace the Italian garrison and some defected to the Maquis and Free French Forces.
André-Georges Lemonnier was a French admiral.
The Persée was a Redoutable-class submarine in the navies of the French Third Republic and Vichy France. Belonging to the M6 series, it was launched in 1931. The vessel was damaged by an explosion while undergoing sea trials off the coast of France, killing two aboard and wounding several others. Based at Brest at the onset of the Second World War, Persée joined in the search for the German merchant fleet still at sea. The vessel joined the Vichy France Navy and transferred first to Casablanca then Dakar. Persée was attacked at Dakar where the submarine was torpedoed on the surface by a British ship. The vessel was set afire and sank, with the entirety of the crew rescued save one.
Paulin Colonna d'Istria was a French Gendarmerie officer, awarded the Compagnon de la Libération after playing a major part in the liberation of Corsica.
Archimède was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1932. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then in the navy of Vichy France until November 1942. She then returned to the Allied side, operating as part of the Free French Naval Forces. She was one of only five – along with Argo, Casabianca, Le Centaure, and Le Glorieux — out of the 31 Redoutable-class submarines to survive the war. She remained in French Navy service after World War II, and was decommissioned in 1952.
Sfax was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1936. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940 and then in the navy of Vichy France until a German submarine mistook her for an Allied submarine and sank her in December 1940.
Le Conquérant was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1936. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then in the navy of Vichy France. She was sunk in November 1942.
Le Tonnant was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1937. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then in the navy of Vichy France. She was scuttled in November 1942.
Sidi Ferruch was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1939. She participated in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from 1939 to June 1940, then in the navy of Vichy France. She was sunk in November 1942.
Agosta was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1937. She participated in World War II on the side of the Allies until she was scuttled in 1940.
Ouessant was a French Navy Redoutable-class submarine of the M6 series commissioned in 1937. She participated in World War II on the side of the Allies until she was scuttled in 1940.
Aurore (Q192) was a French Navy submarine, the lead ship of the Aurore-class. She served in the naval forces of Vichy France during the early years of World War II and was scuttled in November 1942.
Calypso (Q126) was a Circé-class submarine in commission in the French Navy from the late 1920s until 1942. She saw service in World War II, first on the side of the Allies from September 1939 to June 1940, then in the forces of Vichy France. After being seized by Nazi Germany in December 1942 and transferred to Italy, she was sunk in January 1943.
