A native of Alès, Gard, Auphan was a student at the École navale; promoted to capitaine de vaisseau in 1936, he had a career in the cabinets of the ministries Georges Leygues and François Pietri.
Georges Bizet | Georges Cuvier | Centre Georges Pompidou | Georges Simenon | Georges Bataille | Georges Clemenceau | Paul Georges Dieulafoy | Georges Perec | Georges Duhamel | Georges de La Tour | Georges Schwizgebel | Georges Pouchet | Georges Pompidou | Jean-Georges Vongerichten | Hurricane Georges | Georges Seurat | Georges Moustaki | Georges Méliès | Georges Jeanty | Georges Sadoul | Georges Mandel | Georges Cottier | Georges Carpentier | Georges Canguilhem | Georges Brassens | Georges Besse | Georges Vanier | Georges Duby | Georges Doriot | Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès |
When it did, important ships based in Dakar were obtained: the modern battleship Richelieu, the heavy cruiser Suffren, light cruisers Gloire, Montcalm, Georges Leygues, and a few destroyers, including cruiser-sized Le Fantasque class destroyers.