Jorge Sanjinez Lenz
Jorge Sanjinez Lenz was a Peruvian veteran who participated as a military volunteer in World War II, on the side of the Allies for the liberation of Europe from the Axis powers. He enlisted in the Piron Brigade in the Free Belgian forces.
Early years
He was born on January 24, 1917, in Moquegua, Peru. His childhood passed through periods in his country and in Bolivia.Second World War
In December 1942, in the midst of the Second World War, Sanjinez attended the Belgian embassy in Lima to enroll in the rebel camp that the government of the European country was promoting, along with other governments in exile, to end the Nazi occupation. The then President of Peru, Manuel Prado Ugarteche, accepted his decision and authorised Sanjinez.He left on a Chilean ship, from Port of Callao, bound for New Orleans, and from there to New York, and then to Canada, where he started his military training at No.42 Canadian Army Educational Training Centre - Joliette, in Quebec. Months later, Sanjinez was relocated to the South of England, where further training was provided, in preparation to what would be the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare.
His participation began in August 1944, in the Battle of Normandy, then in the Dutch campaigns. Sanjinez said that during his stay on the Western Front he knew death directly:
Sanjinez also had an active and recognized participation with the Piron Brigade in the campaigns towards the liberation of France, Belgium and Netherlands.