A D-Day veteran who protected troops during the Normandy landings has revealed he tried to send his Russian medal for bravery back to Moscow after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Alec Penstone, 99, who was a sailor with the Arctic Convoy during the Second World War, said Putin should be “taken off this earth” because of atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people.
Mr Penstone made the comments to The Telegraph before a parade on Thursday at Gold Beach in Normandy, one of five stormed by Allied troops 80 years ago in the June 6 1944 landings.
His efforts on board HMS Campania, an escort aircraft carrier which took part in the Arctic Convoys to Russia, earned him the Russian Medal of Ushakov for bravery, which is even signed by Putin.
Mr Penstone said: “I would willingly give [the medal] back but they stopped me from doing it. A bravery award signed by Putin of all people. I’m disgusted and disappointed.
“He wants taken off this earth and the sooner the better. I’ve never said anything like that before but it will be a pleasure when I know that he’s dead. And all his tribe as well.”
‘We were fighting for our way of life’
The war hero said Putin’s behaviour threatened the way of life he, and so many others, fought and died for in the Second World War.
Mr Penstone said: “We were fighting for our country, our way of life, we didn’t want Hitler over everything. We lost Europe, we were determined to get it back. I lost too many friends to see that happen again.”
Today, Mr Penstone still wears the Ushakov medal on his lapel, much to his disdain. He explained his friends would not let him return it, which he tried to do in February 2022, when Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s President, said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. The number of civilian casualties is believed to be around 30,457.
A crucial role
On D-Day, the teenaged Penstone played a crucial role as his ship’s crew searched for U-boats, swept the seabed for mines and listened out for torpedoes.
Mr Penstone, who operated below deck, spoke with pride as he remembered his involvement in the Normandy landings. Operation Overlord is regarded as the largest amphibious invasion in military history and resulted in the deaths of more than 4,000 Allied troops.
For Mr Penstone, who despite his old age was seen dancing and singing Auld Lang Syne at Thursday’s celebrations, returning to Normandy to commemorate this momentous day is of vital importance.
“It is important to me because I lost so many friends,” he said. “I will come back for as long as I can.”