1944: Liberation of Paris
On Aug. 25, 1944,
the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division liberated
Paris from Nazi rule after four years of German occupation. Just before the
city was liberated, Adolf Hitler ordered Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz to destroy the
city’s landmarks, and burn the city down. The German commander
refused to carry out the order. This photo, taken by Jack Downey, shows crowds
lining the Champs-Élysées as Allied tanks pass through the Arc de Triomphe.
No comments:
Post a Comment