Leon Gautier, the only surviving member of an elite French battalion that participated in the 1944 D-Day assault with American and other Allied soldiers to liberate Normandy from Nazi rule, has passed away.
He was 100. Romain Bail, the mayor of Ouistreham, an English Channel coastal town where the Allies landed on June 6, 1944, and where Gautier spent his final years, made the announcement of Gautier’s passing on Monday.
The Information was not made public.
A unique memorial service is anticipated. Gautier, a well-known character in the country, had a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron last month as part of the commemorations for the 79th anniversary of D-Day.
He and his Kieffer Commando unit teammates were among the first waves of Allied soldiers to breach the fortified beaches of Nazi-occupied northern France, starting the liberation of western Europe.
In steadily falling numbers, the commandos remained on the front lines for 78 days straight.
Only two dozen of the 177 people who waded ashore on the morning of June 6, 1944, avoided death or serious injury, with Gautier being one of them.
Later, after falling off a train, he hurt his left ankle, which made him miss much of the remainder of the battle.
For the remainder of his lengthy life, his ankle remained excruciatingly swollen.
French Capt. Philippe Kieffer’s commandos made sure that France had accomplishments to be proud of too, after the disgrace of its Nazi occupation, when some opted to cooperate with Adolf Hitler’s army in the vast D-Day invasion force consisting primarily of American, British, and Canadian soldiers.
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