Generally speaking, capital cities are not major objectives of warfare. Sure, you could say that they are the seat of government, and if an aggressor takes the capital, then it takes over the power base. But governments are people and those people often have the common sense to flee the capital before it is captured. Rarely do these cities have any real military reason to be taken. However, despite not having a military objective (like a port city, for instance), there is often a psychological reason for capturing them.

On the reverse side of the coin, rarely is there any reason for a liberator to free a capital city from the invaders. At least, not right away. Often times these cities are full of citizens who have endured years of hardship and liberating them will require the army that does so to leave a lot of troops behind to maintain order. Not only that, but the supplies needed to keep the citizens fed are those that cannot be used for the army to further push out the invaders.

This is pretty much the way it was regarding Paris in 1944. The Germans were on the run and had little in the way of occupying forces in the city itself, as any real combat troops were pulled out to face the Allied onslaught. American generals Eisenhower and Bradley did not want to send supplies needed for troops to civilians and so had made plans to bypass the city.

However, in warfare, things don't always turn out as planned. The French had a strong voice in Charles DeGaulle and though he was not well liked by most of his Allied partners, he was very much a patriot and wanted to see his capital city freed of Germans. It also helped that the commander of German troops in Paris realized that when the war was over, France and Germany would have to deal with each other, and so constantly resisted orders from Hitler to 'turn the city into smoking rubble'.

Then there was the French resistance movement. This was actually a number of splintered groups that included a large number of communists, and it was imperative to DeGaulle that these people not gain the upper hand in determining post war politics. These groups knew that the Allies were near and were determined to oust the Germans.

So we had a mix of forces working towards liberation of the city in one of those quirks of warfare that in the end, created a great deal of good will between the French and the American Army. The French under LeClerc were the first to enter the city and with the backing of the US and the work of the resistance, were able to oust the Germans with little loss of life. Thanks to the German commander, the city was spared the ravages of others that were liberated, such as befell Warsaw.

Author Steven J. Zaloga covers the subject with his usual thoroughness and in a style that in eminently readable. In line with other books in the Campaign series, there is an introduction that provides the strategic situation at the time, then a look at opposing commanders, plans and forces. Then he goes into the details of the campaign, which covers the majority of the book. Then the aftermath and what can be seen of the battleground today.

All of this is superbly illustrated not only by the artwork of Howard Gerrard, but also by the selection of period photographs.

This all makes a superb book on the subject. One that I found most enjoyable and I know you will as well.

It is a superb book on the subject and one that all students of American history should have in their libraries. I can recommend to you without reservation.

May 2008

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