The French Commando Who Brought His Dogs to Sword Beach

Captain Philippe Kieffer, leading the Free French 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos on D-Day, brought two dogs — a German Shepherd named 'Cesar' and a Scottish Terrier named 'Patsy' — which were trained to detect mines. Kieffer was a civilian who had learned about the fall of France while on holiday in London, joined the Free French, and trained as a commando specifically for the liberation of his home country. He reportedly wept upon landing on Sword Beach at precisely 07:30 on June 6, 1944, the moment he had been preparing for since France's fall in 1940. His unit was the first French formation to land on French soil since the armistice of June 22, 1940. Of the 177 French commandos who landed that day, 112 were awarded the Croix de Guerre.