July 3 () –
The last survivor of the group of French soldiers who participated in the Normandy landings, Léon Gautier, has died this Monday at the age of one hundred, barely a month after participating in the commemorative events for the anniversary of one of the most important events of World War II, which occurred on June 6, 1944.
The Caen Memorial, which commemorates the battle fought in the area, has confirmed on Twitter the death of Gautier, “the last member of the Kieffer commando” who was still alive. In total, more than 170 French soldiers participated in the landing, as recalled by the president, Emmanuel Macron.
“We will not forget them”, promised the president, who also echoed some words pronounced by Gautier himself: “We are not heroes, we were only doing our duty”.
The last veteran enlisted in the Navy in 1940, at the age of 17, and left for London. Three years later, he voluntarily joined the units that Commander Philippe Kieffer was beginning to form, under whose command he reached Sword Beach, located in the town of Colleville-Montgomery, in northern France.
