Alexandre Lofi

Alexandre Lofi also known as Alex Lofi, born February 21, 1917 in Dudweiler, Saarland, Germany, died March 7, 1992 in Cuers, Var, was a French naval officer who fought in the Second World War. A marine rifleman, he joined the Free French Naval Forces in June 1940, before joining the Kieffer commandos, with whom he landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944. He went on to fight in the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of the Netherlands. He was a Companion of the Liberation.

Sailing to England following General de Gaulle's appeal, he joined the Free French Forces1 on June 27, 1940 at London's Olympia. He was then assigned to the first, then second (when it was created) marine fusilier battalion, with which he left for Cameroon in October 1940, where he defended the coast for a year, until October 1941. He was promoted to crew officer 2nd class 4 and left with his battalion to defend the coast of Lebanon, from November 1941 to December 1942.

In June 1943, he volunteered to join the 1st fusiliers marins commandos battalion, better known today as the commandos Kieffer, named after its creator Commander Philippe Kieffer. After a spell at the British commando training center in Scotland, he took charge of a section and then a company of these French commandos. He was one of the 177 Frenchmen who landedin Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944 on Sword Beach. He was in charge of the 8th company of the battalion tasked with taking the casino at Ouistreham, which had been fortified by the Germans. In the following days, he replaced the battalion commander, Captain Kieffer, who had been wounded in action, and took part in the defense of the bridges over the River Orne.

He then distinguished himself during the Battle of Normandy in the fighting in the Épine1 sector at Goustranville on August 20, 1944. During a night attack, he captured a strong enemy mortar position and was wounded by shrapnel from a grenade1. The position was captured and many German soldiers were taken prisoner1. He distinguished himself again on November 1, 1944, during the Dutch campaign, during the Allied attack on Vlissingen1. The Allies, who had liberated Antwerp and needed its port close to the front, were unable to use it, as the banks of the Scheldt downstream were still in German hands. The Allied command therefore decided to liberate them, in what came to be known as the Battle of the Scheldt.

The Allies launched an assault on the island of Walcheren at the entrance to the estuary (Operation Infatuate) and Alexandre Lofi, leading his company, succeeded in taking one of the island's redoubts, a key position in the German defensive system at Walcheren, despite the enemy's numerical superiority. His company took a hundred prisoners, including the redoubt commander. With the commander of the 4th British commando, to which the 1st French BFM was attached, he received the surrender of the German garrison on the island, which he had negotiated in German, with the garrison commander handing over his pistol (now on display at the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération in Paris).

He continued fighting in Holland until the German surrender on May 8, 1945, and ended the war with the rank of 1st class crew officer

Source Wikipedia
Photo credit Jean-Marc Pascolo

Alexandre Lofi also known as Alex Lofi, born February 21, 1917 in Dudweiler, Saarland, Germany, died March 7, 1992 in Cuers, Var, was a French naval officer who fought in the Second World War. A marine rifleman, he joined the Free French Naval Forces in June 1940, before joining the Kieffer commandos, with whom he landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944. He went on to fight in the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of the Netherlands. He was a Companion of the Liberation.Sailing to England following General de Gaulle's appeal, he joined the Free French Forces1 on June 27, 1940 at London's Olympia. He was then assigned to the first, then second (when it was created) marine fusilier battalion, with which he left for Cameroon in October 1940, where he defended the coast for a year, until October 1941. He was promoted to crew officer 2nd class 4 and left with his battalion to defend the coast of Lebanon, from November 1941 to December 1942.In June 1943, he volunteered to join the 1st fusiliers marins commandos battalion, better known today as the commandos Kieffer, named after its creator Commander Philippe Kieffer. After a spell at the British commando training center in Scotland, he took charge of a section and then a company of these French commandos. He was one of the 177 Frenchmen who landedin Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944 on Sword Beach. He was in charge of the 8th company of the battalion tasked with taking the casino at Ouistreham, which had been fortified by the Germans. In the following days, he replaced the battalion commander, Captain Kieffer, who had been wounded in action, and took part in the defense of the bridges over the River Orne.He then distinguished himself during the Battle of Normandy in the fighting in the Épine1 sector at Goustranville on August 20, 1944. During a night attack, he captured a strong enemy mortar position and was wounded by shrapnel from a grenade1. The position was captured and many German soldiers were taken prisoner1. He distinguished himself again on November 1, 1944, during the Dutch campaign, during the Allied attack on Vlissingen1. The Allies, who had liberated Antwerp and needed its port close to the front, were unable to use it, as the banks of the Scheldt downstream were still in German hands. The Allied command therefore decided to liberate them, in what came to be known as the Battle of the Scheldt.The Allies launched an assault on the island of Walcheren at the entrance to the estuary (Operation Infatuate) and Alexandre Lofi, leading his company, succeeded in taking one of the island's redoubts, a key position in the German defensive system at Walcheren, despite the enemy's numerical superiority. His company took a hundred prisoners, including the redoubt commander. With the commander of the 4th British commando, to which the 1st French BFM was attached, he received the surrender of the German garrison on the island, which he had negotiated in German, with the garrison commander handing over his pistol (now on display at the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération in Paris).He continued fighting in Holland until the German surrender on May 8, 1945, and ended the war with the rank of 1st class crew officerSource WikipediaPhoto credit Jean-Marc Pascolo