First-class soldier: From WWII vet to Israeli special forces trailblazer
Born in French Algeria, Norbert Beyrard, 1925-2017, headed the IDF’s first special forces unit after serving in World War II with a Free French battalion of the British Special Air Service.
Norbert Beyrard (third from right) poses with fellow Free French paratroopers behind German lines in France, in 1944(photo credit: SAS-FFL)ByBERNARD EDINGER