Veteran Johannes Börner has passed away
On June 6, 2014, in Ouistreham, the embrace between German veteran Johannes Börner and French veteran Léon Gautier became a symbol of reconciliation on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Photo: IAN LANGSDON / POOL / AFP
May 23, 2018: Death of German veteran Johannes Börner, symbol of Franco-German reconciliation
Author: EF
Source: France 3 Normandie
« On June 6, 2014, German veteran Johannes Borner’s embrace with Léon Gautier touched the hearts and minds of those watching the D-Day anniversary. The two men, enemies in 1944, had become friends and symbolized Franco-German reconciliation.
Born on July 5, 1925, he was 18 years old in June 1944. A corporal in the German paratroopers, he and his company were called to the Normandy front to drive the Allies back into the sea. Having settled in Normandy after 1944, this adopted Ouistreham native became friends with French veteran Léon Gautier. He died this Sunday [Editor’s note: May 20, 2018]. »
2018 news of the Normandy landing beaches