Fighting his way out of the bloody sea of Russia, Choltitz was outstanding in both ability and courage.
Germany is really rich in talents, not only the three armored heroes, but also outstanding generals such as Loeb, Ferdinand Scherner, Model, etc. Otherwise, they would not have been able to sweep the entire Europe before Operation Barbarossa.
Although Choltitz is not well-known, he is also one of the best. He made the most correct choice at the most critical moment. All French people should be grateful to him.
When the Second Armored Division led by Leclerc approached Paris, the fighting in Paris was basically over.
The Resistance played a huge role in this process. They built barricades in the streets of Paris and fought street battles with the Germans, causing 2,100 German casualties and 11,800 surrenders at the cost of nearly a thousand casualties of the Resistance and Paris citizens.
Leclerc was in no hurry to enter Paris. This honor should be reserved exclusively for de Gaulle himself.
De Gaulle did not forget Patton. He took a flight and arrived at the field airport outside Paris at the same time as Patton on August 19, preparing to complete the entry ceremony on the morning of the 20th.
"Now is not the time to hold an entry ceremony. There are still remaining German resistance in Paris. We have definite information that the Gestapo is preparing an assassination operation. The gunmen may hide in the welcoming crowd and shoot at us. We cannot completely stop it.
." Karl reminded de Gaulle that Paris is not safe now.
From June 1940 to August 1944, the German army occupied Paris for more than four years.
Strictly speaking, the Parisians did not show strong resistance to the German occupation. The existence of the Vichy government further reduced the resistance of the French. According to the latest statistics, the number of French resistance troops exceeds 500,000. French people who can join the German servant army
The number also exceeds 200,000. The French have proven with actions that they are correct in joining if they cannot defeat them.
Paris is the center of German rule in France and the top priority of operations. There are countless Gestapo killers in Paris. If the entry ceremony is held now, no one can guarantee the safety of de Gaulle.
Patton also expressed similar concerns. De Gaulle had a high reputation in North Africa, but in France, due to the German information blockade, many French people did not even know De Gaulle's name for four years.
"No, I believe that the French people are loyal to France and the city entry ceremony is a must. The shame imposed on all French people by the Germans must be washed away by our own hands!" De Gaulle insisted, preferring to take risks.
Speaking of which, neither Barton nor Karl had any reason to object.
Then it will be held as scheduled.
According to the plan, de Gaulle's entrance ceremony will start from the Arc de Triomphe, pass through the Champs Elysees Pastoral Avenue, walk to the Place de la Concorde, and finally arrive at Notre Dame Cathedral.
This distance is not far, but there are many tall buildings along the way, so the risk is still very high, especially the explosives installed by the Germans have not been completely removed. If an explosive somewhere is detonated by the Gestapo during the ceremony, then
The fun is great.
The Second Armored Division operated overnight to completely eliminate hidden dangers along the city entry ceremony to ensure that no accidents would occur.
This was definitely inseparable from the cooperation of the Resistance Army, so Leclerc found Laurent Kleist, the leader of the Resistance Army, and asked the Resistance Army to cooperate with the actions of the 2nd Armored Division.
Laurent Kleist participated in the last world war and had already retired when World War II broke out. After the French army stopped resisting, Kleist was unwilling to fail and became the leader of the Paris Resistance Army. He had nearly 20,000 people under his command.
, and made great contributions to the recovery of Paris.
"If it is just to ensure safety, we can clear the streets. The trees on both sides of the Champs Elysées and the wide streets can provide the best cover for General de Gaulle." Kleist did not understand the significance of the entrance ceremony.
.
"No, no, no, what's the point of the entrance ceremony without the participation of Parisian citizens?" Leclerc did not agree to clear the place. There will be reporters taking pictures along the way. If the streets are empty and there is no one, it will become an international event.
joke.
De Gaulle's prestige was naturally inseparable from public opinion building. For this reason, Patton even applied for a photography team to leave a wealth of image data for De Gaulle.
Speaking of which, many people will be surprised. Although it is 44 years ago, color cameras are already available, and real-time broadcast technology has reached a new level. However, signal transmission is always a big problem. Even if Charles de Gaulle's entry ceremony is to be shown on TV, it can only be broadcast on TV.
It's a video broadcast.
"In that case, we must try our best to ensure that all those participating in the city entry ceremony must be reliable people." Kleiste had a slight headache, but it was not impossible to complete. The French still have a good way of playing formalism.
It is said that after France stopped resisting and Mustache came to Paris, Vichy France also held a welcome ceremony for Mustache. The scene——
All I can say is that Mustache is very satisfied and his vanity is greatly satisfied.
Now that de Gaulle has returned to Paris, if the grandness of the welcome ceremony is not as grand as the mustache, then how can de Gaulle be embarrassed?
"Then take action immediately. No matter what, we must fill every gap in the Champs Elysées -" Leclerc is pressed for time. It is still very challenging to complete these preparations overnight. Clay
Ste can only do his best.
In fact, it’s not that difficult, the key is execution.
The Gestapo's killers have a trace to follow. First, they exclude those who cooperated with the Germans during the Vichy France period, then they exclude those who usually make extreme remarks, and finally those with unstable personalities——
Kleist thought about it again and again, and finally decided to exclude all adult males, so only women and children were eligible to participate in the welcome ceremony.
Women are easy to deal with. In the city of Paris, beautiful women are indispensable at any time.
Children are also easy to take care of. In a city with millions of people, tens of thousands of students can be mobilized from schools.
Leclerc is not idle either.
The distance from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde is a little more than two kilometers. Although the distance is not far, it is located in the essence of Paris with many buildings along the way. The 2nd Armored Division must control all the commanding heights along the way and leave no chance to the Germans.
Not just from the commanding heights, Leclerc gave precise orders to every building, every window, and even every sewer entrance, leaving no blind spots.
So this evening, the Champs Elysées was very busy.
Needless to say, all shops were closed. Every window along the way was controlled by soldiers of the Second Armored Division. Soldiers were stationed on top of all buildings. Leclerc was worried that the Germans would use long-range weapons such as mortars, so the security zone was expanded.
Go a few blocks away.
"What mistake did I make, why are you arresting me?" The owner of an apartment next to the Elysee Palace did not want to leave his home.
"It's not an arrest, I just hope you can cooperate with our work." The sergeant of the 2nd Armored Division was polite, but he didn't seem to have enough confidence.
This is also understandable. Parisians regard all French people outside Paris as country bumpkins, who are born with a low head.
Especially the people who live next to the Elysée Palace are definitely not rich or noble, and they may be important people like members of Congress. In peacetime, a sergeant is not even qualified to talk to these important people.
Of course, if he is really a member of Congress, there is nothing to feel guilty about. After all, the members of Congress in Vichy France are all traitors.
"Ask your commander to come to me, I don't want to talk to you -" The house owner keenly felt the sergeant's inferiority complex, and his mood suddenly rose.
The sergeant smiled slightly, and several Second Armored Division soldiers around him tightened their rifles.
This is simply a lack of understanding of the situation. Strictly speaking, Paris has not yet been recaptured by the Allies, so it is normal if any accidents occur during this process.
"Gather your family together, leave here immediately, and gather at the designated location. Do not try to resist, otherwise you will be punished as a traitor!" The officer leading the team was very angry. During the German rule, the homeowner would never be so tough.
The tough ones died. There were also quite a few concentration camps set up by the Germans in France. The Germans did not just burn Hebrews in Poland.
This night, this scene was repeated frequently on the Champs Elysées. All residents along the route were forced to leave, and service staff from dozens of hotels were also gathered, especially those young and beautiful waiters. They would appear at the front to welcome the crowd.
Row.
"Let your people wear the most gorgeous clothes and welcome General de Gaulle with the greatest enthusiasm. You have to cause me any trouble, otherwise you are finished!" The young captain did not have a good attitude towards the hotel manager, because the hotel manager did not
Uncooperative.
"You can't do this. Do you know who the owner of this hotel is? This hotel has never closed since it opened!" The hotel manager was very arrogant, and it seemed that he was really confident.
The captain did not quarrel and raised his hand to call a few soldiers to pick up the hotel manager and carry him away.
Time was running out, it was already getting slightly brighter, and there was really no time to explain.
There is still a problem. The welcome ceremony will definitely include the flags of various countries, especially the flag of Free France.
Leclerc and Kleist were unprepared. There were many flags of the French Republic and many British flags, but neither of them were suitable to appear at the welcome ceremony. Leclerc requested that only two flags be displayed, one
It is the flag of Free France and the flag of Southern Africa.
The flag of Southern Africa is easy to handle, and the tricolor flag is not difficult to make. As long as the color is suitable, you can cut it as you like. The key is the flag of Free France. De Gaulle's ambitions are lofty and his aesthetics cannot be flattered. There is no time to make the required flag overnight.
"I don't care what method you use, when the general appears at the Arc de Triomphe, I will see at least a thousand Free French flags!" Leclerc was so anxious that he was furious. The entry ceremony was expected to be held at eight o'clock in the morning, but now it will definitely be postponed.
"Sorry General, I really can't do it -" Kleist complained. Wouldn't it be better to have a tricolor flag like in southern Africa? It has to be fancy.
"This is not a request, this is an order!" Leclerc's eyes were crazy to kill, and he did not allow any flaws in the city entry ceremony.
In fact, it’s not impossible.
Paris, a city that has been famous for thousands of years, is so rich in resources. There are tens of thousands of college students. Time is tight and there is no time to elaborate. Even if you draw a rough picture, you will not see any flaws from a distance. There is no reporter who is not interesting.
Hold the camera close to get a close shot.
But even if they painted, there would be no time to collect a thousand Free French flags by eight o'clock.
Leclerc personally called de Gaulle and asked him to postpone the entry ceremony.
"There are some minor problems that will be solved soon." De Gaulle was not in a hurry. He needed a perfect entrance ceremony, and it would be no problem even if it was postponed for a few hours.
This postponement was pushed to three o'clock in the afternoon.
De Gaulle finally became impatient and did not even eat at noon.
Barton had no appetite either, but he still forced himself to eat. He didn't want to come to Paris, but de Gaulle couldn't resist de Gaulle's hospitality.
De Gaulle had a clear purpose. Even if he gained goodwill among the French, without the support of southern Africa, France would not be able to recover easily.
If possible, De Gaulle even wanted to invite Roque to attend the city entry ceremony.
It's a pity that please don't move.
Roque doesn't have time to come to Paris.
Although Operation Overlord has its flaws, overall it has completed its mission and it is time to make the next step.
The Allied forces launched Operation Overlord to open up the European battlefield. The first step was to complete landings on the European continent.
Now that this problem has been basically completed, the next step is to attack the German mainland and compete with the Russians for time.
Many problems were exposed during Operation Overlord, especially the internal cooperation among the Allied forces.
Dealing with the old, weak, sick and disabled in France, the Allies could still win despite many problems.
After invading Germany, the Allied forces will face the powerful Russians and the more tenacious German army.
If the Allied forces are still like this now, the consequences will be self-evident.
By August, the U.S. election had reached a critical moment. In order to build momentum, Roosevelt invited Winston and Rock, as well as Bearded and other allied leaders to hold a meeting in Washington to discuss the next military action.
Both Rock and Winston accepted Roosevelt's invitation. The bearded man declined on the grounds of military emergency. What he actually wanted to do was invite allied leaders to Moscow for a meeting.
Coincidentally, Rock thought the same way.
If possible, who would want to travel a long way? Roque is also an old man, so he can be lazy if he can.
This issue is still under discussion. After de Gaulle holds an entry ceremony, he will also go to Washington, Moscow, or Pretoria to attend the meeting.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Leclerc finally called de Gaulle and asked de Gaulle to go to the Arc de Triomphe to hold an entry ceremony.
De Gaulle wore a military uniform and appeared in front of the Paris people with a tough attitude, hoping to leave a good impression on the Paris people.
Patton and de Gaulle went together, also in military uniform.
The difference is that de Gaulle also wore the major general badge of the French Republic on his military uniform, while Patton's rank was marshal.
De Gaulle thought for a while and did not remind Patton.
