Only a few weeks ago there were four French parachutists in life who played a role in the liberation of Drenthe. But at the end of June Alain Pignon died at the age of 100 and last Wednesday Armand Bouilloux (99) died in his hometown of Pau in France.
During Operation Amherst, 700 parachutists landed in Drenthe to conquer important intersections and thus accelerate the advance to Groningen. Bouilloux landed in April 1945 with his group near Witteveen.
“Here they heard from a German command post in Westerbork. It was located in the current Hotel Westerburcht, at the time Café Slomp”, says Henk Brink of Stichting Herdenking French Parachutists 1945. “Here was the German General Böttger, who was seriously injured in the attack.” Several Germans died in the attack, but also three French soldiers are killed. The names of these three are on the monument at the church in Westerbork.
Bouilloux was still visiting Westerbork in 2015, 70 years after the village was liberated. Brink: “It was a very nice guy. He had a nice day at the time.”
After the death of Bouilloux and Pignon, two French paratroopers are still alive: Michel Nerot and Archie Miller.