He was one of the first Frenchmen to set foot on a Normandy beach on June 6, 1944. Enlisted in the Free French Forces and trained by the British army, Léon Gautier was a part of the historic Allied fleet on D-Day. He landed with the 177 volunteers of the first French commando in history, known as the Kieffer commando. He was 22 years old.

Decades later, as television cameras followed him and military decorations covered his living room, he shared his story with journalist and author Jean-Charles Stasi. He gave a longer conversation than usual. One in which the last French survivor of D-Day told his version of a day that changed history.

Léon Gautier died on July 3, 2023, aged 100.

✅ Subscribe to our YouTube channel now (and ring the bell for notifications 🔔) 👉 http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...

For more of our coverage on French and international new, culture and opinion, visit our website: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/