Contributed to the Liberation of Paris in 1944
Could Not Receive Liberation Medal Due to Father's Opposition
Philippe de Gaulle, admiral and son of General Charles de Gaulle, the first president of the French Fifth Republic, passed away on the 13th (local time), AFP reported. He was 102 years old.
According to reports, Yves de Gaulle, son of Admiral Philippe de Gaulle, announced that his father passed away overnight at the Paris Invalides National Hospital, where he had been staying for two years.
Born in 1921, Philippe de Gaulle was attending the Naval Academy of the Free French Forces when he was called by his father to join the war effort in 1940, participating in numerous operations in the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. In August 1944, as part of the 2nd Armored Division, he secured the surrender of German troops stationed in Paris. He later described himself as "the son of a head of state who fought the hardest among all, including those of the Soviet Union."
In recognition of his achievements, Philippe de Gaulle was later awarded the War Cross and the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. However, he did not receive the Liberation Medal because General de Gaulle, who became the head of the provisional government after France's liberation in 1944, refused to award his son. At the time, General de Gaulle reportedly told his son, "I could not make you my comrade of liberation. Nevertheless, everyone knows that you were my first comrade of liberation."
Philippe de Gaulle also participated in the Indochina War and the Algerian War, and ended his military career in 1982 as a naval inspector admiral. Afterwards, he entered politics and served as a senator from 1986 to 2004.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, "As a naval officer, admiral, and senator, he never lost his courage and honor. The nation expresses its condolences to his family."
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