I was lucky enough to exchange a few letters with "The Colonel" during his period of exile in 1993 in South Africa. I felt through these letters a man of conviction and duty. Even today, I remember the great man that Colonel Denard was. His adventure influenced generations of young people who were idealistic and adventurous, with a lively and limitless spirit. Today, it is no longer adventurers that we have as models, but soulless politicians. "Philippe Hugounenc is one of those faithful to his memory. He devotes a precise, concise and instructive book to him, written with a captivating style. This book is a synthesis of the life of the "colonel", as some liked to call him. The reader will discover the character traits of this soldier and will project himself into history through the missions he accomplished, remaining faithful to the values that his mother, whom he particularly cherished, passed on to him: courage, honour, uprightness, commitment and loyalty.