Figure 1.--Paris was the centrr of German occupation opertions. It was also where Field Marshl von Rundstedt would have his headquaters in 1944 as the Germans were preparing to defeat the anticipated Allied invasion. Rundstedt unlike Rommel had never experienbced Allied air poowe. He wanted to keep the German Pannzers back fromn the beaches, close to Paris and attack after the Allies had landed. These street signs were directions for the German toops to find facilities in Paris. OKW/Reifenlager is the Wehrmacht tire wareghouse. france with its large automobile indutry was a mhor producer of tires. Sanitätsparl we thin is a health pool. Luftwaffe-Laxarett is the Air Force hospital. Heeres Kraftfahr-Park means someying like Army motor pool. Deutsches Rotes Fruz mens Gern Red Cross.

Paris perhaps more so than any other capital is the soul of the country. The French nation essentially grew up around the city. The French language is the language that Parisians spoke. Other languages were spoken in he provinces. Paris was a center of European culture. it became known as the 'city of lights'. In the Franco-Prussian war, Paris resisted the Germans, months after the French Army was defeated (1870-71). In World War, the Germans were stopped. The decisive battle for Paris was fought at the Marne and the German defeat there ended the best chance the Germans had to win the War (1914). Paris mobilized for war after the Germans and Soviets invaded Poland (September 1939). The War seemed very distant at the time and Parisians seemed safe behind the Maginot Line. The Germans launched their Western Offensive (May 1940) and within weeks entered Paris without a fight (June 1940). This was in sharp contrast to the Polish defense of Warsaw. This was more important than it might seem. If the French had not surrendered to the Germans at the time, the Germans could not have launched either the Battle of Britain or have an opportunity to invade. The British would have had months to prepare, not a few weeks. Many say that without the Channel, The British would have meekly surrendered like the French. They see Churchill's defiant words as mere bluster. Perhaps, but one historian thinks there was a difference. [Roberts, 268-69.] The Germans occupied Paris (June 14). The French moved the capital to Vichy. Paris was governed by the German military and German military and civilian agencies and companies moved in. The City of Lights went dark. A curfew was in effect from 9 PM in the evening until 5 AM in the morning; at night the lights went out. Rationing of food, tobacco, coal and clothing was imposed (September 1940) and got progressively worse. Paris students demonstrated and were brutally suppressed (November 1940). The Paris taxis disappeared--there was no gas. The streets were no longer congested--for the same reason. Shortages of fuel, both gas and coal affected production. All over NAZI occupied Europe production plummeted, having a huge impact on the potential German war economy. Food and consumer goods grew more and more scarce and the prices escalated as production declined and the Gerrman seizing much of what was produced. A million Parisians fled the city for the provinces, where food was more available and there were fewer Germans. The French press and radio was strictly censured by the Germans. Jews were forced to wear the Yellow Juif Star and then began to disappear as the Germans and Vichy police rounded them up (July 1942). As German repression increased, clandestine groups were formed and networks created. General Charles de Gaulle broadcasted inspirational messages from London. Slogans appeared on walls and an underground press. There were attacks on the Germans, but German reprisals were unbelievably barbaric. Thus attacks on the Germans were rare, especially in Paris. The Resistance focused on espionage and attacking collaborators and infrastructure. After the Germans began conscripting French workers many began forming partisan bands in the countryside. The Allies landed in Normandy (June 1944), The French Resistance in Paris rose up (August 19). The partisans seized the police station and began attacking the Germans. Hitler ordered the city destroyed. Unlike cities in the East, however, the German commander refused to comply. This would have got him shot, but he wisely surrendered to the Allies. Liberation came a few days later when French and American tanks entered the city (August 25). The following day, General de Gaulle led a triumphant parade down the Champs-Élysées. An entire Aamerican division moved down the Champs-Élysées on the way to the front. De Gaulle organized a free French government in Paris, basically preventing the communits from seizing power.

Sources

Roberts, Andrew. A History of the English Speaking People Since 1900 (Harper Collins: New York, 2007), 736p.

Created: 8:38 PM 8/22/2022
Last updated: 8:39 PM 8/22/2022