Full Description
In July 1944 of World War II (1939-1945), Operation Cobra broke the stalemate in Normandy and sent the Allies racing across France. The Allied commanders ignored Paris in their planning for this campaign, considering that the risk of intense street fighting and heavy casualties outweighed the city's strategic importance. However, Charles de Gaulle persuaded the Allied commanders to take direct action to liberate his nation's capital. Steven J Zaloga first describes the operations of Patton's Third Army as it advanced towards Paris before focusing on the actions of the Resistance forces inside the city and of the Free French armored division that fought its way in and joined up with them to liberate it on August 24. De Gaulle could then proclaim, Paris liberated! and one of the world's loveliest cities had survived Hitler's strident command that it should be held at all costs or reduced to rubble.
Table of Contents
Introduction 7 (11)
The strategic situation
Opposing Commanders 11(14)
Wehrmacht
Free French forces
US Army
Opposing Plans 18(7)
German plans
US plans
French plans
Opposing Forces 25(10)
German Army
US Army
French Army
French resistance
The Campaign 35(53)
Race for the Seine
A simmering Paris summer
The revolt begins A change of plans
To the barricades!
The advance of the 2e Division Blindee
Liberating Paris
Consecration
The German reaction
Aftermath 88(3)
The Battlefield Today 91(2)
Further Reading 93(2)
Index 95
