Philippe Kieffer

Philippe Kieffer
Born	24 October 1899 (1899-10-24) Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Died	20 November 1962 (1962-11-21) (63) Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France
Allegiance	France  Free French Forces
Service/branch	French Navy  Free French Naval Forces
Rank	Capitaine de frégate
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Commander of the Légion d'honneur Compagnon de la Libération[1] Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (4 citations) Military Cross

Philippe Kieffer MBE MC (24 October 1899 – 20 November 1962), capitaine de frégate in the French Navy, was a French officer and political personality, and a hero of the Free French Forces.

Life and career

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to an Alsatian paternal family and an English mother, Philippe Kieffer obtained a diploma at the La Salle Extension University in Chicago.

World War II

FNFL
Naval forces of Free France
Components
Free French Naval Forces Free French Naval Air Service Commandos Marine
People
Charles de Gaulle Émile Muselier André Lemonnier Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves Philippe Auboyneau Philippe Kieffer Hubert Amyot D'Inville Jacques Bingen
Ships
Ships of the FNFL
v t e

On 2 September 1939, aged 40, he volunteered for military service. He joined the French Navy, in which he was a reserve officer, a week later. He served on the battleship Courbet, and at the headquarters of the Northern Fleet during the Battle of Dunkirk. He left for London on 19 June 1940 and joined the Free French Naval Forces (Forces Navales Françaises Libres) on 1 July 1940, the day they were founded.

Speaking fluent English, he was asked to serve as a translator and cipher officer. Impressed by the techniques of the new British Commandos, formed in 1940, Kieffer requested authorisation to set up an elite French unit on the same model. In May 1941, he obtained authorisation from Admiral Émile Muselier to found the unit of Fusiliers-Marins Commandos ("Marine Riflemen Commandos"). They undertook extremely harsh selection and training in Achnacarry, in Scotland, where a number of candidates died.^{[citation needed]} The Commando was part of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Kieffer was promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau (OF-2) on 1 July 1942. On 19 August 1942, men of the 1st Company of the 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos were engaged during the Dieppe Raid ("Operation Jubilee").

In 1943, the French Commando had grown to two troops, and was regularly used for night raids on the shores of France and the Netherlands during the preparations for the invasion of Normandy. In 1944, the 177 men of the "1er BFM Commando" were integrated into the British No. 4 Commando under Lieutenant-Colonel Dawson, part of the 1st Special Service Brigade under Brigadier Lord Lovat. Since Luxembourg did not have its own units, some Luxembourgish volunteers were incorporated in the "1er BFM Commando" and took part in the landings and battles of Normandy.^[1]

Liberation of France

On 6 June 1944, at 0731, the Bérets verts ("Green berets") landed in Ouistreham, Benouville, Amfreville and Bavent, designated as Sword Beach. Kieffer, recently promoted to capitaine de corvette (OF-3), led his men personally. The unit suffered 21 killed and 93 wounded; Kieffer himself was almost immediately wounded twice, hit by shrapnel in the leg, but refused evacuation for two days. Kieffer rejoined his unit on 14 June, in time to take part in the breakthrough towards the Seine and Honfleur.

Along with two of his men, he was among the first members of the Free French Forces to enter Paris. His 18-year-old son, who had recently joined the Maquis, was killed by German troops near Paris at nearly the same time.

End of the War and later life

By October 1944, the Commando Battalion had three companies. Kieffer led it during the attacks on Vlissingen and Walcheren to capture the port of Antwerp. He later took part in raids against occupied Dutch islands.

In 1945, he was nominated for the Consultative Assembly, and started working in the Inter-Allied Forces Headquarters. He was promoted to capitaine de frégate (OF-4) in 1954.

Kieffer died in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France on 20 November 1962 after a long illness, and was buried in Grandcamp, Calvados.

Awards and honours

French awards

• Commander of the Legion of Honour
• Compagnon of the Order of Liberation (Award #828) by decree of 28 August 1944 *[2]
• War Cross 1939–1945 with 7 citations (6 palms ? 1 bronze star)
• Volunteer combatant's cross
• Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France
• 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal with clasps "France", "Grande-Bretagne", "Libération", "Allemagne"
• Medal of a liberated France
• Insignia for the Military Wounded (wounded twice on 6 June 1944, evacuated on 8 June 1944)
• Honour medal for courage and devotion (in bronze)
• Honour medal for youth and sports (in silver)

Foreign awards

• Member of the Order of the British Empire (UK)
• Military Cross (UK) Received on 16 July 1944 from Field Marshal Montgomery^{[citation needed]}
• 1939–45 Star (UK)
• France and Germany Star (UK)
• Defence Medal (UK)

In popular culture

• Kieffer was portrayed by Christian Marquand in the film The Longest Day, in which the action against the fortified casino in Ouistreham is depicted.

See also

• FORFUSCO : the present commandos
• Naval commandos (France) where one of the 6 Commando units is named after Kieffer.

References

External links

• ww2inthehighlands.co.uk
• (in French) netmarine.net
• (in French) Ordre de la Libération
• (in French) https://web.archive.org/web/20060111005920/http://www.commandosfnfl.net/ : a web site about the Free French commandos

This page was last edited on 23 May 2024, at 03:40