French soldiers in Paris
On the liberation of Paris ...
Fearing a Communist take-over, General Charles de Gaulle ordered Major General Jacques Philippe Leclerc to lead his French 2nd Armoured Division into Paris in order to liberate the city. Eisenhower had little option under the circumstances but to order US units to follow.
As French troops fought their way through the suburbs, the population of Paris rose in revolt against their occupiers, but it was not until late on 24 August that tanks of the French 2nd Armoured Division reached the centre of the city.
Excerpt from Operation Overlord: D-Day to Paris by Lloyd Clark
