Emile Muselier
| Émile Henry Muselier | |
|---|---|
The Admiral in 1941
|
|
| Born |
17 April 1882 Toulon, France |
| Died | 2 September 1965 (aged 83) |
| Allegiance |
 France Free French Forces
|
| Service/branch |
 Free French Naval Forces
|
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Grand Officier of the Légion d'Honneur Compagnon de la Libération Croix de Guerre |
Émile Henry Muselier (Marseilles, 17 April 1882 – Toulon, 2 September 1965) was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces (Forces navales françaises libres, or FNFL) during World War II. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of Vichy France by adopting the Cross of Lorraine, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French. After entering the French Naval Academy (École Navale) in 1899, he embarked on a brilliant and eventful military career. He ran unsuccessfully in the legislative elections of 1946 as vice-president of the Rally of Left Republicans (Rassemblement des gauches républicaines), and then entered private life as a consulting engineer before his retirement in 1960. He is buried in the cemetery of St. Pierre, at Marseilles.
Muselier's career started with a campaign in the Far East, several others in the Adriatic, one in Albania, which overlapped with a stay in Toulon. He also fought in Yser, Belgium as the head of a troop of marine fusilliers.
Muselier received his first real command, of the aviso Scape, in April 1918. For his service in World War I, Muselier was awarded the Navy Cross.
This was followed by the command of the destroyer Ouragan in 1925, that of armoured cruiser Ernest Renan in 1927, then battleship Voltaire in 1930, and Bretagne in 1931.
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