The last surviving member of the French resistance force that withstood a German advance in a key battle in the north African desert in World War II has died aged 103, authorities announced.

Paul Leterrier fought in the 1942 battle of Bir-Hakeim in Libya with the Free French Forces who had evaded the German occupation of the country.

Leterrier, who joined up with the Free French in 1941 following the Nazi occupation of France, had in 2024 participated alongside President Emmanuel Macron in the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy that marked the start of the German retreat from Europe.

“At 103 years old, Paul Leterrier… has joined his comrades who fell for France on the battlefield where together they fought to save our homeland,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on

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