Last French D-Day survivor attends landmark anniversary celebration

The last survivor ofjust comanofs French who invaded the beaches of Normanday insplit by troops in Hitler in 1944, Leon Gautier, joined this Tuesday (6) the presidentinnte Emmanuel Macron at a waterfront ceremony to mark the 79th birthday ofs inlandings of Day d.

The military term refers to the first day of the landings of troops in Normandy, considered the largest amphibious invasion ever undertaken, which laid the foundations for Germany’s defeat in World War II.

Gautier, in 100 years, presented a marine student with his green beretin on a insfile in Colleville-Montgomery, near in onin Gautier inlanded on the beach in Sword under enemy fire.

Gautier was a ofs 177 berets seeins French under commandof of captain Philippe Kieffer who participated of inlanding on Normanday. More in 150,000 weldofs aliaofs invaded France to expel the forces of Nazi Germany.

at the ceremony inThis Tuesday, the young Marine knelt down to allow Gautier to sitof in a cainwill in wheels besideof in Macron, straighten your beret.

In 2019, Gautier told, on the occasion of 75th birthday of Day D, as French troops were the first to invade Praia in Sword.

“We went in just a few secondsofs ahead. It was a symbolic gesture,” said Gautier, recallingof that the British Colonel Robert Dawson told the Berets to seeins French: “the time is in you”.

“At the end of day I didn’t have many bullets leftof.”

Source: CNN Brasil

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