An exhausted French Resistance fighter rests against a barricade, Paris, 1944. Pinterest
French Resistance fighters duck for cover under the Triomphe Arc in Paris during the liberation of Paris. nicolasbouliane
On August 25, Dietrich von Choltitz surrendered Paris to Général Leclerc. nicolasbouliane
The surrender order, signed by von Choltitz. nicolasbouliane
Jeeps of the 2e DB approach the Invalides, in the heart of Paris. nicolasbouliane
The 2e DB, the armored vehicle division, parades through Paris, August 26, 1944. Pinterest
St Mihiel, France, Sept 1944- A German soldier, caught by the French Resistance, is led through the streets surrounded by jeers and taunts from the crowd. Pinterest
The French Resistance parade a German soldier through Paris, 1945. Pinterest
ca. 1945, Paris, France: Allied Liberation of Paris. Paris, France: American soldiers, aided by FFI men, capture and liberate France’s capital. By the hundreds, Nazi soldiers surrender and are taken, prisoners. Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
Nazi Prisoners of War marched through the Streets of Paris in celebration of the liberation. nicolasbouliane
Parisians shelter from sniper fire in the Place de la Concorde, August 26, 1944. The celebration would continue as soon as the sniper threat was neutralized. nicolasbouliane
A Free French soldier races to aid a Resistance fighter firing at a German sniper, Paris, August 1944. The sniper had opened fire during a tour of the city by Gen. Charles de Gaulle. Pinterest
French Resistance fighters aboard a Citroen Traction Avant amid jubilant scenes during the liberation of Paris, August 1944. Pinterest
Elated Parisians celebrating the end of Nazi occupation waving the American flag and a flag with the Cross of Lorraine, the flag of the Free French Forces. Pinterest
Free Parisians march through the Triomphe Arc. August 25, 1944. Pinterest
25 August 1944. Tens of thousands of Parisians come out to celebrate the end of the Occupation of Paris. Pinterest
The liberation also unfurled a wave of violence in the city. Buses that carried German prisoners were stopped by angry mobs who would drag out the passengers and beat them, sometimes to death. Collaborators rarely fared better. French prostitutes who had slept with the occupiers were publicly shamed by shaving their head in the streets, and many of them were violently beaten. Many more were lynched in the upcoming weeks. nicolasbouliane
Sources For Further Reading:
History Today – A History of the French Resistance
D-Day Overload – French resistance in Normandy: Normandy landings – D-Day
History Net – The French Resistance: How Resistant?
War History Online – Bravery: The Amazing French Resistance and D-Day
Jacobin Magazine – How France’s Vichy Regime Became Hitler’s Willing Collaborators
Smithsonian Magazine – Was Vichy France a Puppet Government or a Willing Nazi Collaborator?
History Net – The Vichy Regime’s Bizarre Final Months in a German Castle
The New Yorker – How Charles de Gaulle Rescued France
History Channel – Paris Is Liberated After Four Years of Nazi Occupation
France 24 – 75 Years On, Paris Celebrates Its Liberation from Nazis
The Guardian – An Ugly Carnival
Time Magazine – This Picture Tells A Tragic Story Of What Happened To Women After D-Day
National Interest – “Is Paris Burning?” How the Allies Liberated the City of Light from Nazi Rule
History Net – The Nazi Who Saved Paris from Destruction During World War II
All That’s Interesting – Was Nazi General Dietrich Von Choltitz Actually the Savior Of Paris?
Frommers – Places Where You Can Still See Evidence of the Nazi Occupation of Paris
