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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 family, Philippe Kieffer obtained a diploma at the ''École des Hautes Études Commerciales'' (School of Higher Business Studies) and became a bank director in New York City. 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 Forces Navales Françaises Libres ("Free French Naval Forces") 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 Emile 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. The Commando was part of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Kieffer was promoted to ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' 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.〔Raths, Aloyse 2008 - Unheilvolle Jahre für Luxemburg - Années néfastes pour le Grand Duché p. 357-358〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Philippe Kieffer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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