101-Year-Old Paratrooper Talks About the Special Air Service
101-year-old paratrooper Colonel Achille Muller speaks about the Special Air Service (SAS) during the Second World War. Colonel Achille Muller is the last surviving member of the Forces Françaises Libres who parachuted into Brittany as part of the elite Special Air Service (SAS) unit during D-Day in 1944.
Monsieur Colonel Achille Muller was born in Alsace in 1925 and, at 101 years old, is—as described above—the last French survivor who served in the Special Air Service and parachuted into Brittany during D-Day in 1944.
Monsieur Colonel Achille Muller is a recipient of France’s highest distinction — the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.
As part of the Special Air Service on the French side, Colonel Achille Muller participated in the following operations:
Operation Dingson: Parachute drop over Brittany during D-Day in 1944
Operation Spencer: A reconnaissance and sabotage operation along the Loire front in which Special Air Service (SAS) units disrupted the retreat of German troops
Operation Amherst (April 1945): A massive nighttime parachute operation by the Special Air Service (SAS) in the Netherlands aimed at securing strategic bridges and airfields ahead of the advancing Canadian troops
As part of our peace project “Life Wisdoms from 100-Year-Olds,” Monsieur Colonel Achille Muller shares with us:
How he was born in Alsace in 1925
His incredible escape in 1942 from occupied France to Gibraltar and England in order to join the Forces Françaises Libres and Charles de Gaulle
How he was trained as a paratrooper and in the Special Air Service (SAS)
How he parachuted into Brittany during D-Day in 1944 as a paratrooper and SAS member
How he helped liberate France and Europe as part of the Special Air Service
This unique interview with Monsieur Colonel Achille Muller was made possible especially thanks to the great support of Monsieur Oliver Vece and Pierre Péré. Merci!
We would also like to thank you, as a regular viewer of our peace project. Interviews like this with Monsieur Colonel Achille Muller are only possible because of the great appreciation and support we receive.
During the D-Day commemorations, we also had the honor of interviewing additional international witnesses of history and veterans. These interviews will be published in the coming weeks.
Only thanks to tremendous support is it possible for my mother, as camerawoman, and myself to interview 100-year-old people and Holocaust survivors as part of our peace project “Life Wisdoms from 100-Year-Olds.”
You, as a viewer, also have one of the greatest influences—alongside the families of the centenarians—through your positive appreciation in the comments, enabling us to continue interviewing many more 100-year-old witnesses of history and Holocaust survivors.
I would also like to emphasize that all interviews conducted within our peace project serve exclusively for historical documentation and learning from history.
The content reflects personal memories and is placed within a contemporary historical context.
I explicitly distance myself from any form of glorification of National Socialist ideologies, the relativization or denial of the Holocaust, as well as from any other extremist views.
Life Wisdoms from 100-Year-Olds
I — Daniel Pleunik, registered nurse — have already had the honor of interviewing more than 70 centenarians and documenting their valuable life stories and life wisdoms. (As of June 24, 2026)
I conduct these interviews with 100-year-old witnesses of history alongside my work as a nurse for three reasons:
To contribute my part to peace in the world
To help ensure that the history of the past does not repeat itself
To encourage young people, through the stories of eyewitnesses, to remain humane, respectful, and vigilant
“If you want to know the road ahead, ask those who are coming back.” — Chinese proverb.
If you find my peace project “Life Stories & Life Wisdoms from 100-Year-Old People” valuable, feel free to subscribe to my channel. I promise to treat your time and trust with appreciation and respect.
00:00:00 Preview & Thanks
00:02:46 Childhood in France & Beginning of World War II
00:17:27 Escape from German Forced Conscription – Destination: England
00:48:47 Escape Through Spain to Gibraltar
00:58:02 Escape to Gibraltar & Crossing to England
01:16:16 Paratrooper & Special Air Service Training
01:31:34 D-Day 1944 & Liberation of Brittany (Operation Dingson)
01:46:41 Liberation of France 1944 (Operation Spencer)
02:01:17 Parachute Drop Over Holland 1945 (Operation Amherst)
02:14:19 Reflections on War/Peace & Life Wisdoms