Commando Kieffer – 177 Faces of D-Day

The book that gives a face back to the 177 heroes of Commando Kieffer!

On 6 June 1944, at dawn, the 177 French berets of the 1st Marine Fusiliers Commando Battalion landed on Sword Beach alongside the Allies. They were the only French combatants to land on the Normandy beaches. At their head, a banker turned commando: Philippe Kieffer.

Although these green berets have become national heroes over recent decades through the power of the symbol they embody, the individual stories of most of them remain little known to the general public.

Who were these men? Where did they come from? How old were they? How did they join the commandos? What became of them?

Benjamin Massieu and Jean-Christophe Rouxel set themselves an extraordinary challenge: to find the faces of these 177 French commandos and tell their stories. From official archives to private attics, assisted by many enthusiasts and the families of commandos, they uncovered truly remarkable life histories. In 2023, after nine years of research, they tracked down the last of these faces!

Far more than a catalogue of portraits or biographical records, Commando Kieffer – 177 Faces of D-Day will introduce you as never before to the human adventure behind the commemorative legend.

Benjamin MASSIEU is a History and Geography teacher and historian. He is the author of several works, including a critically acclaimed biography of Philippe Kieffer (Philippe Kieffer, chef des commandos de la France libre, 2013), awarded the medal of the Académie de Marine, a jury commendation from the literary prize of the Résistance, and the "Beau livre" prize from Marine & Océans awarded by ACORAM; Les Demoiselles aux pompons rouges (2014); Les Français du Jour J (2019), likewise praised by critics for being the first work to reveal the participation of 3,000 French soldiers in the operations of 6 June 1944; Commando Kieffer, la campagne oubliée – Pays-Bas 1944–1945 (2020); as well as a critical edition of Béret vert, the reference work written by Philippe Kieffer.

Jean-Christophe ROUXEL is passionate about the history of the French Navy. He has compiled more than 23,000 biographies of sailors, freely accessible on his website Parcours de vie dans la royale.