The History of the Free French Commandos
Family Kieffer Collection ©
Philippe Kieffer and the Birth of the Free French Commandos
1939 - 1942
Philippe Kieffer (1899–1962) holds a unique place in the history of the Free French commandos: a civilian with no military background who became the founder of the first French commando unit.
Born in Port-au-Prince and raised between Haiti and Jersey, he benefited from a cosmopolitan upbringing and was fluent in English and Spanish. After studying commerce, he pursued a successful banking career, notably as deputy director of the National Bank of the Republic of Haiti.
Returning to France in 1939, he enlisted in the Navy and served in Dunkirk and Cherbourg. Evacuated to England in June 1940, he immediately joined the Free French Forces. As an intelligence officer, naval academy English instructor, and liaison officer with the Royal Navy, he held a crucial but non-combat role—fueling his growing desire to fight.
In Portsmouth, he discovered British commandos. Impressed by their raids, he became convinced that the Free French should participate in this form of offensive action. He underwent weapons and landing training to become a naval rifleman (fusilier marin), distinguished himself through dedication, and began recruiting volunteers from the Free French Naval Forces (FNFL) with his superiors’ approval.
In spring 1942, a Franco-British agreement officially placed these volunteers under Combined Operations command. In April, Kieffer and his group joined the commando training school at Achnacarry. The grueling training forged discipline, endurance, and unit cohesion.
From this point, Kieffer was no longer just a determined volunteer—he became the creator of a new unit: French in identity but trained to British standards. The 1st Company of Fusiliers-MarinsCommandos — later nicknamed the "Kieffer Commando"—was the direct result of his vision and tenacity.
Becoming a Commando: Achnacarry, Wrexham, and the Green Beret Spirit
1942
Becoming a commando in the Free French Forces required rare determination. Volunteers recruited by Philippe Kieffer from 1942 underwent extreme training.
Becoming a commando in the Free French Forces required rare determination. Volunteers recruited by Philippe Kieffer from 1942 underwent extreme training. After preselection, they were sent to Achnacarry, Scotland, where the British had established the Commando Basic Training Centre in 1942. The instruction was designed to push each man to his limits: forced marches, obstacle courses, live-fire drills, amphibious exercises, minimal bivouacs, and sleep deprivation.
The infamous commando assault course, timed and pressured, symbolized this philosophy.
Instructors maintained a relentless pace to develop reflexes, composure, and the ability to act independently in small units.
From 1943, part of the training moved to Wrexham, Wales, where the same rigorous standards applied.
Upon completion, volunteers earned their commando badge and the right to wear the British insignia and, from late 1942, the green beret adopted by all commando units.
This training created the "Commando Spirit"—total cohesion, unwavering discipline, individual initiative, and humility. Forged in Scotland and Wales, this spirit gave French commandos their identity and prepared them for the toughest battles, from Sword Beach to Walcheren.
Imperial War Museum - IWM ©
The No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando
1942
Created in 1942, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was a unique multinational unit, combining volunteers from occupied countries. It included Belgian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Yugoslav, anti-Nazi German, and two French troops (No. 1 in 1942 and No. 8 in 1943).
Created in 1942, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was a unique multinational unit, combining volunteers from occupied countries. It included Belgian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Yugoslav, anti-Nazi German, and two French troops (No. 1 in 1942 and No. 8 in 1943).
The French were the first foreigners authorized to complete full British commando training. After a brief stint with No. 2 Commando, they joined No. 10 as it expanded, participating in missions until early 1944, when they were reassigned to No. 4 Commando for D-Day.
No. 10 deployed its contingents across multiple theatres: Belgians in Italy, Dutch in the Far East and Europe, etc. Each troop retained its national identity but operated under unified British command, making No. 10 a true inter-Allied force, akin to the future SAS Brigade.
In 1944–1945, several contingents played a major role in the Battle of the Scheldt. At Walcheren, Belgians landed at Westkapelle, and Dutch commandos were integrated into small groups, including eleven alongside the French during the assault on Flushing. This was No. 10’s largest engagement, at a high cost.
The history of No. 10 underscores that Allied special operations were a multinational effort: from 1942 to 1945, commandos from many nations shared the same training, green beret, and risks.
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The Dieppe Raid
August 19, 1942
The Dieppe Raid marked the first operational engagement of French commandos. On August 15, 1942, with the French troop still a small, newly formed group, Kieffer was ordered to provide fifteen volunteers. Divided into three groups, they were integrated into the Allied force with limited but precise missions.
The Vourch group of seven men, deployed off Dieppe, was to land with the Canadians and gather intelligence from civilians. German fire was so intense that no French commando reached the beach.
The Wandelaer group of five men, tasked with supporting the attack on the Berneval battery, suffered the first French commando losses: Moutaillier was killed, and César was captured (later escaping spectacularly to reach London in June 1943).
The Baloche group of three men, integrated into Lord Lovat’s No. 4 Commando, participated in destroying the Varengeville battery—the only French detachment to fully complete its mission. Baloche received the first Military Medal awarded to a Frenchman.
For the Free French, Dieppe was not a show of force but a symbolic and experimental participation. Their combat performance impressed the British and fully legitimized Kieffer’s project. Despite the high cost for the Canadians, the operation became a founding moment: first death, first decoration, first real engagement. It was in memory of Dieppe that Lord Lovat requested the integration of French commandos into No. 4 Commando for the Normandy landings.
A Unit Eager for Action
1942 - 1943
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After Dieppe, the morale of the French commandos abruptly waned. Despite proving their worth, the French troop of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando entered a period of inaction that deeply marked its history.
By summer 1942, Kieffer commanded nearly 70 men, but no major operation was planned in Western Europe, and the foreign contingents of No. 10 remained marginal in Allied priorities. For months, no mission was assigned to them.
This wait caused deep frustration. Many volunteers had hoped to fight quickly and saw this inactivity as a disappointment. Departures multiplied: eight men by the end of 1942, then fifteen in January 1943, including a third from the first commando training course.
Kieffer had to maintain the unit "by sheer willpower." He relentlessly sought reinforcements, sustained cohesion through rigorous training, and explored new opportunities. Franco-British staff even considered opening the unit to airborne operations: several commandos underwent a short parachute course for a planned raid on the submarine facilities in Lorient, which was ultimately abandoned.
It was only in 1943, with the arrival of new volunteers from the Navy and Army, that numbers doubled. Yet no mission was assigned to them before the winter of 1943–1944.
This long period of waiting, filled with doubt and uncertainty, was one of the unit’s most difficult moral trials. It forged a cohesion and discipline that would prove crucial when they were finally selected to participate in the preparation for D-Day.
Reconnaissance Raids
1943 - 1944
The winter of 1943–1944 marked the true entry of French commandos into Allied special operations. After over a year of waiting, they finally participated in a series of small coastal raids aimed at testing German defences, gathering intelligence, and maintaining psychological pressure — nocturnal missions requiring mobility and stealth.
Following the participation of Commando Casalonga in the Forfar Beer raid alongside the British in September 1943, the Hardtack series of raids began in December 1943 and January 1944, targeting the French, Belgian, and Dutch coasts.
Several French groups took part. Objectives varied: reconnoitering suspicious sectors, capturing German guards, verifying the calibre and position of batteries, or confirming that certain beaches were unsuitable for landing. Conditions were often extremely difficult. Several raids were canceled or aborted before landing, but they provided the French with valuable experience.
These operations were followed by Premium, on the night of February 27–28, 1944, the last reconnaissance raid entrusted to the French. Led by Lieutenant Charles Trépel, it aimed to survey the coast of Wassenaar in the Netherlands, a sector used by British intelligence and where the Germans were building V2 launch sites. The entire team of six men disappeared under unclear circumstances, and their bodies were not found until 1945. This loss ended the reconnaissance raids.
In total, 14 French commandos were killed or missing. The unit, now tested and hardened, was soon engaged in preparing for D-Day.
Preparing for D-Day
April 1, 1944
After the winter 1943–1944 reconnaissance raids, the French commandos of the 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers-Marins Commandos were officially detached from No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando and, in April 1944, attached to No. 4 Commando of Lord Lovat’s 1st Special Service Brigade. Lovat, who had fought alongside them at Dieppe, requested their integration for D-Day.
At Bexhill, the garrison town of No. 4 Commando, training focused on amphibious preparation: embarkation and disembarkation under fire, beach progression, obstacle destruction, urban combat, and coordination with engineering teams. Full-scale exercises were conducted in Scotland to replicate expected D-Day conditions, though no official information was provided.
Meanwhile, the unit was reinforced with final recruits, and the French reorganized according to British directives, with heavy machine gun, medical, radio, and transport sections.
On May 25, 1944, the brigade was moved to Titchfield camp, placed under secrecy, and briefed on their mission using maps with altered toponymy.
The mission was now clear: land on heavily defended beaches, eliminate coastal defences, and link up with British paratroopers to establish a bridgehead.
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Le N°4 Commando
1940 - 1946
Created in 1940, No. 4 Commando was one of the most experienced British commando units. Initially designed for limited raids against the occupied coast, it quickly became a formidable assault force capable of complex operations.
It participated in the Lofoten raid in 1941, Operation Abercrombie at Hardelot, and played a central role in Dieppe in August 1942. Under Lord Lovat’s command, it successfully neutralized the Varengeville battery—the only complete success of an otherwise costly operation. Three French commandos operated with this detachment during the raid.
This experience made No. 4 Commando a reference unit. When the Allies prepared for D-Day, it was chosen to integrate the two French troops of the 1st BFMC. The official announcement was made on March 27, 1944, as No. 4 Commando prepared to join the 1st Special Service Brigade for the Normandy assault.
No. 4 Commando’s mission was to land in the first wave at Sword Beach. Its objectives were precise: neutralize the fortified positions at Ouistreham, destroy coastal defenses, and advance toward the bridges over the Orne to support British paratroopers around Pegasus Bridge. The unit remained engaged for 82 days in Normandy, suffering over 50% casualties, before being withdrawn from the front in September 1944.
Later attached to the 4th Special Service Brigade, No. 4 Commando participated in the Scheldt campaign and the liberation of Walcheren in autumn 1944, before being integrated into the occupation force in Germany. It was disbanded in 1946 along with all British Army commando units.
D-Day and the Normandy Campaign
June 6 – August 1944
On June 6, 1944, at 7:55 AM, the French commandos landed with No. 4 Commando on Sword Beach, sector Queen Red, at Colleville-sur-Orne, on the edge of Ouistreham.
Arriving 30 minutes after the first engineering elements and just before the rest of the brigade, the two French troops cleared the sector’s defences, though not without difficulty. Their next mission was to advance toward Bénouville to link up with British paratroopers holding the bridges over the Orne—the junction was achieved in the afternoon, as planned.
From the night of June 6–7, the commandos dug in around Le Plain–Amfreville and began a war of attrition: artillery fire, enemy infiltrations, and night patrols. On June 10, a violent German counterattack from Bréville cost the unit 29 men, including three killed, but the line held. Kieffer, wounded twice on June 6, was evacuated and returned to the front on July 16, with Lofi acting as interim commander.
In June and July, harassment patrols multiplied, with new losses, sometimes due to friendly fire in the darkness. On July 26, the commandos left Bréville for the edge of the Bavent Wood, a mined and regularly bombarded sector.
From August 16, the German retreat accelerated: attack on Bavent, crossing the Dives at Robehomme, combat at La Ferme de l’Épine on August 20, then advance to Saint-Maclou, reached on August 25. There, in early September, nearly three months of the Normandy campaign ended, during which only 24 of the original 177 commandos from June 6 had not been wounded.
Walcheren and the Dutch Campaign
1944 - 1945
After a brief stay in England in September 1944, the French commandos were deployed in October 1944 in the operation to reopen access to the port of Antwerp. The objective was Walcheren Island, a German fortress blocking the Scheldt Estuary.
On November 1, 1944, the French of the 1st BFMC landed at Flushing with No. 4 Commando. The assault took place under extremely difficult conditions: destroyed dykes, flooded areas, dense resistance, and close-quarters combat in the streets.
The commandos advanced house by house to seize the town. Losses were heavy, and the battle remained one of the unit’s most violent engagements. After two days of fighting, Flushing fell, and the unit advanced to the other end of the island, where it received the German surrender on November 8, 1944.
The battalion remained stationed in the Netherlands during the winter of 1944–1945. It was reinforced by a large group of young volunteers. From January 1945, the commandos conducted several coastal raids against the still-occupied island of Schouwen.
The 1st BFMC remained in the Netherlands until spring 1945, tasked with surveillance, dike control, and support for British units. Walcheren and the winter raids marked the last operational engagements of the French commandos.
Guard Duty at the Recklinghausen Camp
June 1945
The German capitulation of May 8, 1945 did not immediately bring an end to the activities of the 1st BFMC. While Commander Kieffer was making repeated efforts in Paris to ensure the future of the commandos, the battalion—placed under the interim command of Alexandre Lofi—was deployed to Recklinghausen, north of the Ruhr, to guard Civilian Internment Camp No. 91.
The prisoners were suspected of war crimes: former guards from Buchenwald, Dachau, and Belsen, torturers, and officials of the Nazi regime. The commandos’ role was strictly limited to guard duty; investigations were conducted by other authorities.
The rule of non-fraternization with the civilian population was enforced with full strictness. The experience left a lasting impression on the men. In a letter to his mother dated June 9, 1945, Lieutenant Guy Hattu described these prisoners who, from SS generals to ordinary torturers, “snap to attention with heels clicking before even the most junior private”: “One would like to find in them some dignity, some sense of greatness in their criminal minds. Not even that… Beings concerned only with saving their own skins—grotesque and low.”
The mission was short-lived. British and American authorities considered the discipline imposed by the French to be too severe.
On June 20, the order was given to return to England via Ostend.
Recklinghausen marked the final engagement of the 1st BFMC: not a battle of arms, but a direct confrontation—by men emerging from five years of war—with the reality of the crimes they had fought against.
The Memory of the Free French Commandos
1945 - Present
The memory of the 1st BFMC/Kieffer Commando took time to emerge: after 1945, only local ceremonies existed. This limited recognition was not due to de Gaulle’s hostility toward the commandos but to his refusal to commemorate June 6, symbolizing a landing conducted without France.
Family Kieffer Collection ©
The memory of the 1st BFMC/Kieffer Commando took time to emerge: after 1945, only local ceremonies existed. This limited recognition was not due to de Gaulle’s hostility toward the commandos but to his refusal to commemorate June 6, symbolizing a landing conducted without France.
From 1947 to 1960, remembrance remained largely regional. A turning point came in 1954, when President René Coty paid tribute to the commandos at Colleville-Montgomery. In 1962, The Longest Day popularized Kieffer’s figure and permanently inscribed the commando in the collective imagination, even without official state recognition of D-Day.
The real transformation occurred in 1984, when François Mitterrand organized the first major international ceremonies. To represent France on June 6, the 1st BFMC was highlighted, beginning a memorial hegemony: the commandos gradually became "the French face" of D-Day.
From the 1990s, this dynamic accelerated: documentaries, testimonies, and books. In 2004, the controversy over the French Legion of Honour (Légion d’Honneur) revealed the unit’s symbolic importance, now a national myth celebrating the idea of a voluntary and combative France.
Since 2008, with the creation of the Commando Kieffer within the French Navy, and the commemorations of 2014 and 2019, this memory has occupied a central place. It reflects less the raw history than the nation’s current use of this chapter of the Free French.
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Call for Testimonies
The Association des Familles de Commandos de la France Libre works to restore the full history of these men, beyond just June 6, 1944. Testimonies and family archives help keep alive the memory of all the men who served in the unit between 1942 and 1945.
If you have stories, documents, or memories to share, please contact us. Your contribution is invaluable in preserving their legacy.
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