Leon Gautier, Last Surviving French D-Day Commando, Dies at 100

Leon Gautier was the last surviving Frenchman who participated in the Allied invasion of Normandy, France in 1944. The town of Ouistreham, where he lived since the 1990s, has announced his death at the age of 100 Monday (July 3) in a hospital in nearby Caen.

Last of the Kieffer Commandos

Gautier was born in Rennes in the French region of Brittany. He joined the French Navy in 1940 at the age of just 17. He eventually became one of 177 Frenchmen who fought alongside the predominantly British, Canadian, and American troops during Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day. Particularly, Gautier belonged to the 1st Battalion, Marine Commando Fusiliers of the Free French forces, more known as the Kieffer Commandos after its commanding officer, Philippe Kieffer.

The Kieffer Commandos landed on Sword Beach during Overlord, which covered the towns of Ouistreham, Benouville, Amfreville, and Bavant. Before Normandy, he went to fight in Congo, Syria, and Lebanon.

Hometown Hero

By the end of the Second World War, Gautier became a pacifist, using his own wartime stories and experiences as leverage. He also admitted he had been haunted by the realities of war ever since the war ended.

"You kill people on the other side who never did anything to you, who have families, and children. For what?" he said during the celebration of his 100th birthday last year.

Meanwhile, the town of Ouistreham mourned for the death of its local hero, chief among them was the town's mayor Romain Bail, who called Gautier an "ardent defender of freedom.

"Ouistreham is very sad today," Bail added, "the loss of this father, this grandfather has orphaned us."

Gautier was last seen publicly during the 79th anniversary of the Normandy landings last June, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron.

In a tweet, Macron described Gautier and his comrades as "heroes of the Liberation" of France from the Nazi regime. "We will not forget it," he added.

Authorities in Ouistreham have not yet released any funeral details, but a special tribute ceremony is to be expected.

Tags

France, D-Day