Liberation of Paris 1944
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 19 August 1944 – 25 August 1944 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1944 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | World War II era (1939–1945) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Operation Overlord | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Allies of World War II, Amado Granell, Charles de Gaulle, Dietrich von Choltitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Free France, French Milice in Vichy, French Resistance, Georges Bidault, Henri Rol-Tanguy, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Nazi Germany, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Raymond O. Barton, United Kingdom, Vichy France | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 48.8735, 2.2964 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Liberation of Paris (French: Libération de Paris) was a battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germany since the signing of the Armistice of 22 June 1940, after which the Wehrmacht occupied northern and western France.
Given Paris's role as capital, military expediency was weighed against symbolic and political objectives at both the planning and operational levels. SHAEF sought to bypass the city to conserve resources and hasten a strategic thrust toward the Rhine. General Charles de Gaulle argued that French sovereignty should be restored quickly to avoid the kind of occupation government imposed on Allied-occupied Italy. British and American commanders stipulated that any French division leading the advance consist of white personnel; the Allies selected General Philippe Leclerc's 2nd Armoured Division as the only formation that could be reorganised to meet the condition. Delayed by combat and poor roads, Leclerc ultimately disobeyed his orders and rushed a vanguard ahead to secure the capital after the Resistance revolted against the occupation.
Following weeks of labour stoppages that had paralysed occupying authorities, the battle began on 19 August, with the French Forces of the Interior—the military structure of the French…
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Liberation of Paris (revision 1375254748), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Paris (845) 845 · 4 km
- Siege of Paris (885–886) 885 · 4 km
- Battle of Paris (1814) · 4 km
- Siege of Paris (1870–1871) 1870 · 4 km
- Siege of Paris (1429) 1429 · 4 km
- Siege of Paris (1590) 1590 · 4 km
Other battles of the Operation Overlord
- Battle for Brest 1944
- Battle for Caen 1944
- Battle of Bréville 1944
- Battle of Carentan 1944
- Battle of Cherbourg 1944
- Battle of La Haye-du-Puits 1944
- Falaise pocket 1944
All 8 battles of the Operation Overlord →
Browse more: battles in France · Europe · World War II era battles