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With the breakthrough at Falaise accomplished in late August of 1944 and its pocket closed, the Allies focused on the biggest target in France that remained to captured. Paris, the city known for its countless lights remained in German hands.

    Paris was important for numerous reasons, but during late August in the heat of the fighting there was reasoning that the Allies would not take the city easily but that the Germans would hold on to Paris and fight to the very end. Running outside the city the Germans had defensive positions set along the Marne and Oise Rivers, and in addition to these positions the Germans had good ground from which they could strike back at the Allies when they saw the chance. The Allies believed if they made a hard and fast advance toward Paris, the Germans might destroy the city, thus they proceeded with caution.1    

Paris was under the command of German General Dietrich von Choltitz. He had been a commander on the battlefield in Normandy and had overseen a corps of German troops. But now, he was immediately taken out of his commanding role on the battlefield and was put in charge of guarding and holding Paris on the orders of Hitler. In Paris Choltitz had over twenty thousand German troops under his command and he was ready to fight in positions outside Paris when the word was given. There were also five thousand additional Germans on standby orders and were given the task of ensuring the bridges running through Paris were destroyed so as to stop the Allies from entering the city temporarily.2 

  While in charge of Paris, Choltitz was given one simple command: destroy Paris. This was to be taken directly and referred to everything in and around Paris. Nothing was to be left standing and thus fall into the hands of the Allies. This order was given directly by Hitler and was sent to Choltitz and on paper Choltitz’s order was clear “Paris must not fall into the hands of the enemy except as a field of ruins”.3

   For the French capturing Paris was more important to them than to the other Allies, and they wanted to be first in entering the city. (France had suffered dearly in the past four years of the war, but now they would seek to capture Paris to get revenge on the Germans.) It was toward the end of August that the French forces in Normandy were in position and ready to make an attack toward Paris.  The French 2nd Armored Division had been selected to attack toward and into Paris and was led by Major General Jacques Philippe Leclerc. This division gained combat experience within the past year of the war, and they were ready to take the fight to the Germans.4

    The French had Paris in their sights, and they believed it was only a matter of time before all of France would be liberated once Paris was taken and thus start a celebration. It was not just the French 2nd Armored Division that was ready to attack, but also the French Resistance within Paris had been at work causing confusion and chaos to the Germans in minor ways and ensured that sabotage was under way. The French were focused on removing the Germans from France altogether. To do this they attacked the Germans from the shadows, and they had different means to do this from sabotage to destroying communications, to attacking the Germans from unexpected places.5 

    The French Resistance was led by General Pierre Koening. In conjunction to the Allied advance and the plans that had been set up with how the Allies would work alongside the French (prior to landing), French resistance teams throughout France soon came under control of SHEAF and were later placed under de Gaulle’s control.6 

    It soon became a question for the Allies, that if Paris was not taken quickly, that a revolt might filter through the streets of Paris and amongst its citizens who were hoping and longing for liberation. With a revolt, a political change could occur (something that the Allies did not want to deal with currently). A revolt could also lead the Germans to focus their efforts against the FFI and keep them from working with the Allies. By mid-August, the FFI was on the move through Paris and showed no fear against the Germans stationed inside.7 

    Early fighting occurred between the FFI and the Germans in and around Paris. Choltitz knew little about it and was surprised by news that the French resistance was at work relatively early. The fighting came in small amounts and occurred through numerous parts of Paris. With reports coming in about fighting flaring up through Paris, Choltitz acted. Different sites in Paris were set with explosives. A variety of buildings were rigged such as Les Invalides, Palais du Luxembourg, Palais Bourbon, Quai d’Orsay, and Ministère de la Marine. These sites would explode should the Germans be surprised by an Allied entry into Paris.8 

    With fighting taking place through Paris, efforts were made to try to avoid a serious loss of life that could easily come. Among one of those that did not like the fighting that was taking place, was a man named Raoul Nordling who was the counselor general to Sweden. Almost immediately he gathered a group of dignitaries and tried to step in and have the Germans cease from fighting. His first course of action in this process was to meet with Choltitz.9 

    On August 20, Nordling over the telephone persuaded the Germans under Choltitz’s command to put a cease fire together and hold their fire against the Allies. Choltitz agreed. Nordling thought that the Germans might be divided amongst themselves because of the cease fire and be unable to cohesively fight as one unit if they had to. Later that day the fighting on both sides came to a stop. However, by the following day, the fighting resumed once more. By late in the afternoon on August 21, the FFI began to resist, resuming what had already been started, and thus dropped the cease fire, as FFI members organized defenses. A cease fire that had been set in place for only a short time now ended. It looked as though there might be hard fighting ahead as Nordling and others feared.10 

Meanwhile the Allies decided that Paris would have to be taken to secure the rest of France, thus routing German forces toward Germany. Up to this point, the city of Paris was left untouched, no serious damage or fighting had yet come to the City of Lights and the Allied advance had moved around the city not wanting to take the German defenders head on for the time, at least not yet. But that would no longer be the case. The Americans planned out an attack on the city, and they would make their way toward Paris in the process, among the leading elements that would attack Paris were French forces.11 

The attack on Paris was agreed upon on August 22. Bradley reported that Gerow’s V Corps, now in position to make an attack, would lead the way and go for Paris. Within the V Corps was the French 2nd Armored Division with the American 4th Division. They went for Paris, shortly after an armistice was started only to be canceled, and at the same time the French and the Americans shied away from serious fighting that could easily hinder their progress. They would try to move around strong resistance as much as possible until they were required to meet that resistance and deal with it.12 

    On August 22, preparations were finished to attack Paris, and Leclerc got the orders from Gerow to enter “…into the city this afternoon”.13 The French forces from the 2nd Armored Division would finally make their way to Paris and begin to fight to regain the city. That same day though, Eisenhower mentioned to the Combined Chiefs of Staff, “If the enemy tries to hold Paris with any real strength, he would be a constant menace to our flank”.14 There was a concern that Paris would need to be captured at an early stage, for if the Germans had time to set up a defense, then they could be able to hold out if possible. If the Germans managed to get out into the open, then it could be possible that they could do harm to the Allies’ rear.

    Then on August 23, Leclerc struck out toward Paris, and by late in the day two leading elements of French troops were on the move. From the north French troops went past Rambouillet (before being occupied a short time later), while in the south French troops reached Limours. Shortly thereafter, Leclerc entered Rambouillet and learned of reports about enemy defenses that were set in place along the southwestern parts of the city. Reports also stated that German tanks, mines, and anti-tank weapons were set up during Leclerc’s advance.15 

    Leclerc’s forces at last entered the outskirts of Paris early on August 24 before working their way into the heart of the city.16 During the day reports went back and forth between American and French generals over the progress being made. These progress reports updated the situation including Leclerc’s action in attacking early that morning and he kept up the progress. However, by mid-day Leclerc’s progress slowed down, and he did not take any chances by bombing the southern zones of Paris, rather he chose to be cautious in advancing through Paris.17

    By nightfall on August 24, Leclerc’s advance did not move with serious intentions, but he decided to make one last move before holding up for the night.18 He sent three Sherman tanks and sixteen half-tracks en route through the back roads of southern Paris. They went along the Avenue d’Italie and Gare d’Austerlitz. Parisians saw the procession of tanks, and to their astonishment they discovered that these tanks were not led by Americans but rather the French, and with that they became excited and cheerful and spread the word that their own countrymen had arrived.19

    On Friday August 25, Leclerc sent his whole division into the heart of Paris. Around noon American forces from the 4th Division’s 12th Infantry working with the French 2nd Armored, made it to Notre Dame. Small pockets of fighting broke out as Parisians witnessed the Allies dueling against the Germans. By 12:30 p.m. flags were out, and the French flag was soon flown from atop the Eiffel Tower. A little less than an hour later, the French flag flew on the Arc de Triomphe.20

    German troops were caught by the fighting and surrendered to the French and American forces. Remarkably in one event, five hundred Germans surrendered to one American soldier who was from the US Signal Corps. Elsewhere in other locations through the city the fighting came to an end, and German troops continued to surrender in the masses to the Allies.21

    Choltitz was found and taken prisoner while he was staying at the Meurice Hotel. Upon his capture he was then transported to another building housing the local government where he met with Leclerc. Around 3:00 p.m. on the twenty-fifth, Choltitz signed the terms of surrender. This was followed later in the day with the signing of an order for all the Germans in Paris to stop fighting. At one last spot, the Palais du Luxembourg, German troops fought once more, only to surrender later that day, over seven hundred counterparts secured the city.22

What started on June 6, when the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy was completed on August 25, at least the first objective the Allies had in mind. Paris was finally liberated. However, the fighting was not yet over, and the struggle to push east toward the German boarder was yet to be accomplished. The battle for gaining possession of France was over, the next goal was to continue toward Germany.23 

    To celebrate the momentous occasion, three days after Paris was secured, on August 28, the Americans from the 28th Division marched down the Champs-Elysees. It was a joyous time for the Allied troops and the Parisian citizens. Those in attendance included Eisenhower, Bradley, and a variety of other Allied generals gathered to celebrate this victory that had come through a hard-fought battle in the summer of 1944.24

     Through it all losses were heavy on both sides. Since June 6, the Americans had sustained 134,000 casualties, while the British and Canadians had 91,000 troops killed in combat. The French forces had taken 24,000 losses. As for the Germans they sustained over 400,000 soldiers killed across the fields of Normandy, and they had also lost over 4,000 panzer tanks as well as other artillery pieces destroyed.25 

Notes

 1. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, pp.590-591.

 2. MacDonald, The Mighty Endeavor, p.354.

 3. Ibid., p.354. 

 4. Atkinson, pp.171-172.

 5. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, p.594.

 6. Ibid., p.595.

 7. Ibid., p.595.

 8. Keegan, Six Armies in Normandy, p.293.

 9. Ibid., p.293.

 10. Ibid., p.294. 

 11. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, p.606. 

 12. Wilmot, p.430. 

 13. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, p.607. 

 14. Atkinson, p.175. 

 15. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, pp.608-610.

 16. D’Este, Patton, p.575.

 17. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, pp.612-613.

 18. Ibid., p.615.

 19. Atkinson, p.175.

 20. Ibid., p.176.

 21. Ibid., p.177. 

 22. Ibid., p.177. 

 23. Ibid., p.181.

 24. Ibid., p.185. 

 25. Ibid., pp.181-182.

Works Cited

Atkinson, Rick. The Guns at Last Light. New York:  Henry Holt, 2013.

Blumenson, Martin. Breakout and Pursuit. Atlanta GA.: Whitman Publishing, 2012.

D’Este, Carlo. Patton: A Genius for War. New York: HarperPerennial, 1995.

Keegan, John. Six Armies in Normandy. New York: Viking Press, 1982.

MacDonald, Charles B. The Mighty Endeavor: American Armed Forces in the European Theater in World War II. New York: Da Capo Press, 1969.

Wilmot, Chester. The Struggle for Europe. Connecticut: Konecky & Konecky, 1952.