The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von

The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light

Prize-winning and bestselling historian Jean Edward Smith tells the â€œrousingâ€ (Jay Winik, author of 1944) story of the liberation of Paris during World War IIâ€”a triumph achieved only through the remarkable efforts of Americans, French, and Germans, racing to save the city from destruction.

Following their breakout from Normandy in late June 1944, the Allies swept across northern France in pursuit of the German army. The Allies intended to bypass Paris and cross the Rhine into Germany, ending the war before winter set in. But as they advanced, local forces in Paris began their own liberation, defying the occupying German troops.

Charles de Gaulle, the leading figure of the Free French government, urged General Dwight Eisenhower to divert forces to liberate Paris. Eisenhowerâ€™s advisers recommended otherwise, but Ike wanted to help position de Gaulle to lead France after the war. And both men were concerned about partisan conflict in Paris that could leave the communists in control of the city and the national government. Neither man knew that the German commandant, Dietrich von Choltitz, convinced that the war was lost, schemed to surrender the city to the Allies intact, defying Hitlerâ€™s orders to leave it a burning ruin.

In The Liberation of Paris, Jean Edward Smith puts â€œone of the most moving moments in the history of the Second World Warâ€ (Michael Korda) in context, showing how the decision to free the city came at a heavy price: it slowed the Allied momentum and allowed the Germans to regroup. After the war German generals argued that Eisenhowerâ€™s decision to enter Paris prolonged the war for another six months. Was Paris worth this price? Smith answers this question in a â€œbrisk new recountingâ€ that is â€œterse, authoritative, [and] unsentimentalâ€ (The Washington Post).
Country USA
Brand Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer Simon & Schuster
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 45 b&w images and maps thru-out;
ReleaseDate 2019-07-23
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781501164927

Country	USA
Brand	Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer	Simon & Schuster
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	45 b&w images and maps thru-out;
ReleaseDate	2019-07-23
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781501164927

The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light

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