Antoine Schwerer
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Admiral Antoine Schwerer (9 February 1862 – 3 November 1936) was a French naval officer. He served in varied roles in many parts of the world, and published a number of technical papers. He rose through the ranks to become an admiral during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914–18). After retiring in 1924 he was involved with the right-wing and monarchist League of the
Action Française ''Action Française'' (, AF; ) is a French far-right monarchist and nationalist political movement. The name was also given to a journal associated with the movement, '' L'Action Française'', sold by its own youth organization, the Camelot ...
. He was president of the League from 1930 to 1935.


Life


Early years (1862–83)

Zéphirin-Alexandre-Antoine Schwerer was born in
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
, Morbihan, on 9 February 1862. His father was Antoine Barthélemy Schvérer, a Major general of the navy (''Major général de la Marine''). He entered the
École Navale École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...
in October 1878. He graduated from the 2nd class on 1 August 1880 and from the 1st class on 5 October 1881. He was assigned to the ''Resolue'', then made a voyage to the
Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...
on the ''Flore''. He was assigned to the ''Marengo'' and then to the ''Trident''. In March 1883 he was on the ''Clorinde'', stationed at
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
.


Ensign and lieutenant (1883–1902)

Schwerer was promoted to
ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...
(''enseigne de vaisseau'') on 5 October 1883 in the port of Lorient, and was assigned to the corvette ''Eumenide''. During the
Sino-French War The Sino-French or Franco-Chinese War, also known as the Tonkin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885 between the French Third Republic and Qing China for influence in Vietnam. There was no declaration of war. The C ...
, in late 1884 he participated in the blockade of Formosa. On 1 January 1885 he was posted to the cruiser ''Rigault-de-Genouilly'' in the Far East Squadron. On 1 January 1886 Schwerer's ship was transferred to the Levant Naval Division. He was posted to the ''Albatros'' in January 1887, then was admitted to the Corps des Elèves Officiers aux Fusiliers Marins in Lorient. Schwerer was promoted to
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
(''Lieutenant de vaisseau'') on 23 June 1888. In March 1889 he was assigned to the
Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (, ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world. Its historic building is on the Left Ban ...
at the
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under Vice-Admiral Mouchez. In 1890 he was assigned to the '' Lapérouse'' on the Newfoundland station, and in 1891 transferred to ''La Clochetterie'' on the same station. In April 1892 he was on the coastguard ''Fulminant''. He taught navigation on the ''Iphigenie'' in August 1892 and again on 1 January 1894 under Jules Lefevre. He was made a knight of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
on 12 July 1893. In July 1895, during a voyage that researched terrestrial magnetism on the ''Dubourdieu'', Schwerer wrote his ''Instructions théoriques et pratiques sur l’horizon gyroscopique''. He was assigned to the Atlantic naval division under Jean Valat. In June 1896 on the ''Drôme'' he was in charge of preliminary soundings for laying a transatlantic cable between
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and Brest. In February 1897 he was appointed to the command of the ''Ardent'', stationed on the West Africa coast. In January 1898 he was appointed commander of the ''Caravan'' transport on the Newfoundland and Iceland station. On 16 October 1899 he was appointed Aide de Camp at the headquarters of the Maritime Prefect of the 3rd district in Lorient, and on 9 April 1900 was appointed Aide de Camp of the Maritime Prefect (Vice-Admiral Beaumont) of the 5th district in Toulon.


Commander and Captain (1902–1914)

Schwerer was promoted to
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
(''Capitaine de frégate'') on 1 April 1902. On 1 January 1903 he was second in command on the ironclad '' Marceau'' in trials at Toulon, under Octave Le Clerc. In July 1903 on the '' Masséna'' he was aide de camp to Admiral Léonce Albert Caillard, commander of the North Squadron. He published an article in the ''Revue Maritime et Coloniale'' defending the role of the battleship. On 10 October 1906 he was given command of the ''Cassini'' for a mission to the Baltic and the Scandinavian countries. On 7 June 1907 he was appointed to the Technical Committee of the navy. On 5 October 1908 he was assigned to teach naval tactics at the École supérieure de guerre navale, then became a lecturer at the École Supérieure de la Marine in Paris, where he gave a course on foreign navies. Schwerer was promoted to
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
(''Capitaine de vaisseau'') on 9 April 1909. On 1 January 1911 he was given command of the battleship ''
Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
'', the flag carrier of Rear Admiral Jean Gaschard, commander of a division of the 1st squadron. He was a member of the commission of inquiry appointed by
Paul Painlevé Paul Painlevé (; 5 December 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French mathematician and statesman. He served twice as Prime Minister of France, Prime Minister of the French Third Republic, Third Republic: 12 September – 13 November 1917 and 17 A ...
, president of the navy committee, after the explosions of the battleships '' Iéna'' on 12 March 1907 and '' Liberté'' on 25 September 1911. He wrote a "Report on Naval Powders" (1912). On 1 January 1912 he was assigned to the port of Lorient. In March 1912 he commanded the gunnery training school on the cruiser '' Pothuau''. His son Antoine Charles joined the navy in 1913.


High command (1914–24)

Schwerer was made Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy on 20 May 1914 under Rear Admiral Louis-Joseph Pivet. After the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914–18), on 6 August 1914 Schwerer and
Prince Louis of Battenberg Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven (24 May 185411 September 1921), formerly Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was a British naval officer and German prince related by marriage to the British royal family. Although ...
signed a convention in London on the division of responsibilities between the two navies. The convention confirmed the terms of the
Entente Cordiale The Entente Cordiale (; ) comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and the French Third Republic, French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Fr ...
, and placed France in command of all naval operations in the Mediterranean. Malta and Gibraltar would both be treated as French naval bases. In the event that Austria entered the war France would act against its naval forces, and would at minimum prevent them passing the
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. On 4 May 1915 Schwerer was given command of the flotilla of fluvial gunboats, then on 28 May 1915 he was given command of the batteries of fluvial gunboats. He was cited by the army for his role in Belgium and Champagne. On 4 November 1915 he was appointed Chief of Staff to Admiral
Marie-Jean-Lucien Lacaze Marie-Jean-Lucien Lacaze (22 June 1860, Pierrefonds, Oise – 23 March 1955, Paris) was a French admiral, minister of Marine, préfet maritime and académicien. Biography Lacaze was born in Pierrefonds, Oise to a physician of Réunion, wher ...
, Minister of the Navy. He was promoted to
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...
(''Contre-Amiral'') on 5 November 1915. On 4 June 1917 he was given command of the ocean and channel patrols, with the duties of protecting convoys and fighting submarines. He made the
aviso An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication. The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an ...
''Somme'' his flagship. He was promoted to
Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
(''Vice-Amiral'') in June 1918. In July 1919 Schwerer was a member of the Supreme Council of the Navy and Inspector General of Military Personnel of the Fleet. In July 1921 he was appointed Maritime Prefect at Brest. In July 1922 he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Atlantic frontier at Lorient. He left active service in February 1924.


Last years (1924–1936)

In his memoirs, published in 1933, Schwerer states that he rejected the
French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...
in favour of royalism at an early age. After his retirement in 1924 Schwerer devoted himself to the royalist League of the Action francaise, becoming one of the movement's most active leaders. He became president of the League in 1930, succeeding
Bernard de Vésins Count Bernard de Vésins (13 March 1869 – 6 July 1951) was a French soldier, essayist, practicing Catholic and right-wing Action Française militant. He was hostile to Freemasons, Jews and socialists, whom he considered to be working together in ...
in difficult circumstances. He was a talented orator. At the December 1931 congress, "greeted by loud acclamation", he gave a full presentation of "the general situation of France", external, financial, economic, interior and religious. He concluded with a passionate statement, Antoine Schwerer was forced by illness to retire to Brittany in 1935. He was succeeded as head of the League by François de Lassus. He died in
Grand-Fougeray Grand-Fougeray (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France. Geography The river Chère forms most of the commune's southern border. Population Inhabitants of Grand-Fougeray are called ''Fulkériens' ...
, Ille-et-Vilaine, on 3 November 1936.


Decorations

Schwerer was an Officer of the
Royal Order of Cambodia The Royal Order of Cambodia (, ; ) was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use as an order of chivalry in the present-day Kingdom of Cambodia. History Colonialism On 8 February 1864, the king founded the Royal Orde ...
, Officer of the
Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...
and Officer of the
Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...
(Russia). He was decorated by Admiral
Tōgō Heihachirō , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. As Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, he successfully confine ...
with the
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
. He was a Knight of the Spanish Naval Order of Merit and a Commander of the
Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...
(Denmark). On 9 July 1907 he was made an Officer of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. In March 1909 he was made a Knight of the
Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...
(Japan). On 10 July 1917 he was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour. He was awarded the
Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
in December 1918 and the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour on 10 July 1920.


Publications

Publications by Antoine Schwerer included: * * * * * * * *


Notes


Sources

* * * * *


External links

* Birth/death certificates, Legion of Honour etc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwerer, Antoine Zéphirin-Alexandre 1862 births 1936 deaths École Navale alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Companions of the Order of the Bath French Navy admirals 20th-century French military personnel People affiliated with Action Française 19th-century French military personnel