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Assigned to the [[List of submarines of France|submarine service]] in 1927, he was in [[Madagascar]] in 1929. Promoted to [[Ranks in the French Navy|lieutenant de vaisseau]] in March 1930, and second officer in charge of the [[list of submarines of France|submarine]] [[List of submarines of France|''L'Aréthuse'']] from 1931 to 1934. In August 1934, he assumed command of [[List of submarines of France|submarine]] [[List of submarines of France|''Sirène'']]. In 1936, he commanded submarine [[List of submarines of France|''Souffleur'']] until 1938,<ref name="DicoCompagnons"/> prior to the [[List of submarines of France|submarine]] being sunk off the coast of [[Beirut]] on 25 June 1941.
Assigned to the [[List of submarines of France|submarine service]] in 1927, he was in [[Madagascar]] in 1929. Promoted to [[Ranks in the French Navy|lieutenant de vaisseau]] in March 1930, and second officer in charge of the [[list of submarines of France|submarine]] [[List of submarines of France|''L'Aréthuse'']] from 1931 to 1934. In August 1934, he assumed command of [[List of submarines of France|submarine]] [[List of submarines of France|''Sirène'']]. In 1936, he commanded submarine [[List of submarines of France|''Souffleur'']] until 1938,<ref name="DicoCompagnons"/> prior to the [[List of submarines of France|submarine]] being sunk off the coast of [[Beirut]] on 25 June 1941.


The following year, he made way to [[Indochina]] where he served as liaison agent to Singapour attached to the British, right at the beginning of [[World War II|Second World War]]. He remained even still when he survived the armistice in May 1940.<ref name="DicoCompagnons"/>
The following year, at the beginning of [[World War II|Second World War]], he was appointed to [[Indochina]] to serve as liaison agent to Singapour attached to the British. He was still there in May 1940.<ref name="DicoCompagnons"/>


=== Free French naval forces ===
=== Free French naval forces ===

Revision as of 23:58, 18 March 2019

Jean-Marie Querville
Querville in 1942 as a Capitaine de frigate in the FNFL
Born9 January 1903
France
Died30 December 1967 (64 years of age)
Allegiance France
Service / branch French Navy
Years of service1921 - 1962
RankAdmiral
Commandssubmarine La Sirène
submarine Le Souffleur
submarine La Junon
1st submarines Div. FNFL
1st Frigate Div.
Escorteur of the « Chama » group
Suffren Cruiser
French Navy in Tonkin
Naval Division of Extreme-Orient
French Navy in Central Africa
Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean
4th Region Maritime Prefect
French Navy Inspector general
Battles / warsRif War
World War II
Indochina War
AwardsGrand officier de la Légion d'honneur
Compagnon de la Libération
Croix de guerre 1939-1945
Croix de Guerre des TOE

Jean-Marie Querville, was a French Navy officer of the Free French Naval Forces, a Compagnon de la Libération, became the Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean, then Maritime Prefect, following as an inspector general of the Marine Nationale and Admiral.

Military career

Entered into the École navale in 1921. He then served on the SMS Regensburg and participated to the 1925 Rif Campaign in Morocco.[1] Enseigne de 1reclasse on 25 October, he obtained in May 1926 his brevet as a transmission officer, and navigated on the torpilleur (Template:Lang-fr), the Matelot Blanc (Template:Lang-fr).[2]

Assigned to the submarine service in 1927, he was in Madagascar in 1929. Promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau in March 1930, and second officer in charge of the submarine L'Aréthuse from 1931 to 1934. In August 1934, he assumed command of submarine Sirène. In 1936, he commanded submarine Souffleur until 1938,[1] prior to the submarine being sunk off the coast of Beirut on 25 June 1941.

The following year, at the beginning of Second World War, he was appointed to Indochina to serve as liaison agent to Singapour attached to the British. He was still there in May 1940.[1]

Free French naval forces

With his mind made up, he joined the United Kingdom in September 1940. Designated as a Capitaine de corvette, he was part of the État-major (general staff headquarters) of the Free French Naval Forces (FNFL) attached to a bureau in London.[1]

He assumed in February 1941 the command of submarine Junon.[1] Five months later, in July 1941, he was promoted to Capitaine de frigate. The following month, in August 1941, he was entrusted with the command of the 1st Submarine Division of the Free French Naval Forces, composed of submarine Minerve, the submarine Rubis and submarine Junon, making off an elite formation.[1]

Still under his direct command, Junon continued on with the most perilous unconventional missions, by surveying the fjords off the coast of Norway where the adversary's cruisers and battleships hided, transported specialized combatants, members of the resistance and agents, while also mounted naval charges attacking enemy ships. Among his assignments was the transportation in a fjord, British and Norwegian Commandos in charge of dealing with the Norwegian heavy water sabotage, in September 1942. The operation was a success, Querville acquired then a reputation of being a specialist of difficult missions.[1]

Designated as Compagnon de la Libération on 12 January 1943, he was assigned to the particular État-major of général de Gaulle and became a counsel member of the Ordre de la Libération. He commanded still again Junon on a new mission in March 1943, and then executed a mission in Algiers.

He assumed in November 1943 the command of frigate L'Aventure which was launched on 30 November, and commanded the ensemble of the 1st Division of Frigates.[1] At the head of this frigate division, he participated to the Normandy landings in June 1944, commanding various Escorteurs (Template:Lang-fr) contingents of the U.S. designated American disembarking Group « Chama » on Omaha Beach. While fulfilling his escort role between the United Kingdom and France, he escorted 102 naval convoys. On the night of 22 June, the convoy which he was escorting was torpedoed by a squadron of Junkers Ju 88. Querville underlined his response by bringing down one or two of the adversary planes, prompting the remainder to flee the scene.[1] He then partook to the blockade of the Saint-Nazaire pocket (Template:Lang-fr), again onboard L'Aventure, until April 1945. Since 1939, he had navigated a total of 34 months in operations.[1]

After-war; Admiral

Following the war, he was designated as Capitaine de vaisseau in July 1945. He received in Indochina the command of the Suffren Cruiser. During the Indochina War, he commanded the French Navy in Tonkin from 1948 to 1950. He accumulated three citations.[1]

Promoted to Contre-Amiral, he was the major general of the port at Brest starting from March 1951. He then made way to Vietnam, designated as the Commandant of the Naval Division of the Extreme-Orient. Reassuming command of the French Navy at Tonkin, he earned two new citations. He maintained post until March 1955.[1]

Querville was named Vice-Amiral in 1956. He received the command of the French Navy in Central Africa. Designated later as Squadron vice-admiral in 1959, he assumed the function of Commander-in-Chief for the Mediterranean.[1] At a critical moment, he proved again his « courage » and « présence d'esprit de corps ».[3] He then became the Maritime Prefect of the 4th Region in Algeria.[1]

He was designated as the inspector general of the French Navy when he was promoted to the highest rank, that of Admiral in October 1962. He went on later to expected retirement.[1]

Admiral Querville passed away on 30 December 1967.

Decorations

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o (Trouplin 2010).
  2. ^ Taillemite, 2002, Dictionnaire des marins français, 2002, p=437
  3. ^ L'amiral Querville 1968, p. 1532

Sources

  • Jean-Marie Querville, Vladimir Trouplin, Dictionnaire des Compagnons de la Libération, Bordeaux, Elytis, 2010 [1]
  • « Querville (Jean-Marie) », dans Étienne Taillemite, Étienne Taillemite, Dictionnaire des marins français, Dictionnaire des marins français, éditions Tallandier, Paris, May 2002, 1982, 437-438, ISBN 2-84734-008-4, Taillemite2002.
  • L'amiral Querville, Revue de la France libre, Fondation de la France libre volume 4, 1968, p 1532 [2]
  • Jean-Marie Querville [3], Ordre de la Libération, 10 March 2016