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

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Prize winning and bestselling historian Jean Edward Smith tells the rousing Jay Winik, author of 1944 story of the liberation of Paris during World War II 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 Eisenhower 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 Hitler s orders to leave it a burning ruin In The Liberation of Paris, Jean Edward Smith puts one of the most moving moments in the history of the Second World War 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 Eisenhower s decision to enter Paris prolonged the war for another six months Was Paris worth this price Smith answers this question in a brisk new recounting that is terse, authoritative, and unsentimental The Washington Post. Free Read [ The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light ] Author [ Jean Edward Smith ] – kino-fada.fr I was surprised that this book was so short 204 pages and wondered how the author could capture one of the great moments of WWII in such truncated form Somehow he did but it is somewhat lacking in some of thedetailed issues that arose as the Allies determined the strategy for rescuing Paris with the least destruction to one of the most historic cities in Europe This lack of theminute activities does not, however, affect the overall enjoyment of the book.Paris had been declared I was surprised that this book was so short 204 pages and wondered how the author could capture one of the great moments of WWII in such truncated form Somehow he did but it is somewhat lacking in some of thedetailed issues that arose as the Allies determined the strategy for rescuing ... The Liberation of Paris How Eisenhower, De Gaulle, and Von Choltitz Saved the City of Light was a well researched and riveting examination of the liberation of Paris in the closing months of World War II as the allies swept across France causing the retreat of the German forces Jean Edward Smith has focused on the pivotal roles that three courageous men played in the preservation and liberation of Paris Charles de Gaulle led provisional government and the French Resistance against Nazi The Liberation of Paris How Eisenhower, De Gaulle, and Von Choltitz Saved the City of Light was a well researched and riveting examination of the liberation of Paris in the closing months of World War II as the allies swept across France causing the retreat of the German forces Jean Edward Smith has focused on the pivotal roles that three courageous men played in the preservation and liberation of Paris Charles de Gaulle led provisional government and the French Resistance against Nazi Germany during the war De Gaulle was concerned that France would fall under Communist rule and imp...This book takes agranular look at an aspect of WWII, the liberation of Paris After briefly covering the fall of France and the German Occupation in 1940 and after it comes to events around the D day invasion and the breakout to the rest of France and how the liberation of Paris was to be handled It was through smart moves by de Gaulle and Eisenhower and the German Commander of Paris Choltitz who realized the war was lost in Paris and ignored and undermi...Forreviews and bookish posts please visit Liberation of Paris How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light by Jean Edward Smith takes place during World War II and tells the title story in context of the war and politics Mr Smith is a prize winning historian.Adolf Hitler, as one of the many villainous things he did over his life, was to order the commander of occupied Paris, Dietrich von Choltitz, to destroy the city at all costs Forreviews and bookish posts please visit Liberation of Paris How Eisenhower, de Gaulle,...This is a tremendous book It is small, only 205 pages, but it is packed with a great deal of information about the events leading up to the German surrender of Paris The volume covers essentially the same story as does the old movie Is Paris Burning I learned a great deal about the widespread acceptance of German occupation by the people of Paris and the nature of the collaborationist Vichy regime Von Cholitz, the German commander, comes across as a noble character, and Swedish envoy Raul This is a tremendous book It is small, only 205 pages, but it is packed with a great deal of information about the events leading up to the German surrender of Paris The volume covers essentially the same story as does the old movie Is Paris Burning I learned a great deal about the...This easy but educational historical read was wonderful, especially coming on the heels of our visit to Paris which we hold in high esteem I found what von Choltitz did to be so admirable, brave and just.The author of this book died only last week but left a legacy of histories well recognized for their insight and valuable historic information This slim volume is no exception.I knew very little about the circumstances surrounding the surprising surrender of Paris without a fight The reason for the surrender was amazingly simple Many Frenchmen doubted the wisdom of the government s going to war The right admired Hitler and Nazi Germany For them, the war was indefensible The left, though The author of this book died only last week but left a legacy of histories well recognized for their insight and valuable historic information This slim volume is no exception.I knew very little about the circumstances surrounding the surprising surrender of Paris without a fight The reason for the surrender was amazingly simple Many Frenchmen doubted the wisdom of the government s going to war The right admired Hitler and Nazi Germany For them, the war was indefensible The left, though they despised Nazi totalitarianism, did ...I enjoyed this book in many ways, since I thought I learned some interesting things about the liberation of Paris and World War II Nonetheless, I found the writing boring and thought it lacked any sense of story It s one thing to lay out all the facts about the liberation of Paris as they occurred, but it s another to convey a sense of place and time in history and I didn t think Smith did that here.The book also felt rushed to me At slightly over 200 pages, we go from the occupation of I enjoyed this book in many ways, since I thought I learned some interesting things about the liberation of Paris and World War II Nonetheless, I found the writing boring and thought it lacked any sense of story It s one thing to lay out all the facts about the liberation of Paris as they occurred, but it s another to convey a sense of place and time in history and I didn t think Smith did that here.The book also felt r...Although I usually read nonfiction slowly, The Liberation of Paris proved one of those books that caught my interest early and refused to let me quit reading until I was finished Jean Edward Smith born October 13, 1932 is a biographer and the John Marshall Professor of Political Science at Marshall University 1 He is also professor emeritus at the University of Toronto after having served as professor of political economy there for thirty five years Smith is also on the faculty of the Although I usually read nonfiction slowly, The Liberation of Paris proved one of those books that caught my interest early and refused to le...I had read Is Paris Burning by Collins and Lapierre when it was published in 1965 and thought it would be interesting to read another version of the story written with a half century of additional perspective and research This book is an easy read for a complicated subject There are very few history books where a Nazi general comes off as the good guy In this case, von Choltitz, who was in charge of Wehrmacht operations in Paris, deliberately stalls definitive orders from Hitler to fight I had read Is Paris Burning by Collins and Lapierre when it was published in 1965 and thought it would be interesting to read another version of the story written with a half century of additional perspective and research This book is an easy read for a complicated subject There are very few history books where a Nazi general comes off as the good guy In this case, von Choltitz, who was in charge of Wehrmacht operations in Paris, deliberately stalls d...

The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light
  • 19 March 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 256 pages
  • 1501164929
  • Jean Edward Smith
  • The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light