Admiral Philippe de Gaulle: A Distinguished Legacy

Admiral Philippe de Gaulle, son of General Charles de Gaulle, a valiant fighter during the Second World War, who had a brilliant career in the French Navy, died in Paris on the night between Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 3, at the age of 102. The announcement of his passing was made by the family with a post by his son Pierre X. Philippe de Gaulle was born in Paris on December 28, 1921, and was the first child of Yvonne Vendroux and Captain Charles de Gaulle. Contrary to a persistent legend, Philippe de Gaulle was not the godson of Philippe Pétain. But Pétain held Charles de Gaulle in high esteem. As a testament to their bond, dating back to 1912, Marshal Pétain dedicated his photo to the newborn with these words: 'To young Philippe who, I hope, will follow in his father's footsteps.' Despite a successful career in the French Navy, Philippe de Gaulle lived much of his life in the shadow of his famous father, who was the leader of Free France, then head of the French Committee of National Liberation during the Second World War, president of the provisional government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946, president of the Council of Ministers of France from 1958 to 1959, creator of the Fifth Republic and president of the French Republic from January 8, 1959, to April 28, 1969. Shortly after the death of Charles de Gaulle (November 9, 1970), Philippe was appointed rear admiral in 1971. From 1986 to 2004, he was a senator of the Rally for the Republic which later became the Union for a Popular Movement. He oversaw all the posthumous publications of the memoirs and correspondence of his illustrious parent and in 2003-2004 published the two volumes of 'De Gaulle mon père,' a biography rich in unpublished material and anecdotes that, however, raised reservations from some historians. Student of the Naval Academy of the Free French forces, during the Second World War Philippe de Gaulle participated in the air defense of Portsmouth and then in numerous operations in the Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. On August 1, 1944, he landed in the Cotentin region with the men of the Leclerc division. The 2nd armored division headed towards Paris where, on August 25, the midshipman Philippe de Gaulle received the order to negotiate the surrender of the German soldiers entrenched in the Palais-Bourbon, a mission he accomplished with coolness without firing a shot. With the Alsace campaign behind him and peace restored, Philippe de Gaulle became a carrier pilot. He participated in the wars in Indochina and Algeria before assuming various air and naval commands, including that of the Atlantic Squadron. He ended his military life in 1982 as an admiral inspector general of the Navy.