Commemorations

In the national memory, the 1st Free French Commando Marine Fusiliers Battalion, known as “Commando Kieffer”, is synonymous with Ouistreham on June 6, 1944. This symbol has overshadowed its other major feat of arms: Flushing, November 1, 1944. In 1974, René Goujon was already lamenting this in Cols bleus: “How many French people know where Flushing is? In any case, almost no one in our country knows that Frenchmen died in combat in this small Dutch port on the island of Walch

Every year, numerous commemorative ceremonies are held across Normandy, on all the D-Day landing beaches. This report focuses on the events that pay tribute to the Free French Commandos—the Kieffer Commandos, known as "the 177"—who landed on Sword Beach alongside No. 4 Commando

Each February 28, the "Amicale National des Fusiliers Marins et Commandos" (ANFMC) organizes a commemorative ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe. By rekindling the flame of the "Soldat Inconnu", the association honors the memory of Charles Trépel, his comrades-in-arms, as well as all the "Naval fusiliers and Commandos" who were killed or went missing during overseas operations.