The Invasion of Normandy on June 6th, 1944 led to the liberation of many European cities, but the liberation of Paris on August 25th, 1944 was one of the most celebrated.
Adolf Hitler had ordered the Commander of Paris, General Dietrich von Cholitz, to defend the city to the last man and destroy key sections of it so that it could only fall into enemy as a ‘field of ruins’, but von Cholitz knew a lost cause when he saw one, and was not about to go down in history as the man who destroyed the City of Light. He dragged his feet over carrying out the Führer’s orders and by the time a French armored division closed in, backed by Allied troops, few Germans were displaying the level of dedication to the task that Hitler was expecting. Von Cholitz surrendered to representatives of a provisional government and the tricolore flag of France once more flew over its capital.
Footage of the liberation can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ7nXdWVtRo
