Background

August 20th in History: Paris Liberated from Nazi Control

Background:

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On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy.

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The goal of the invasion was to liberate France from Nazi occupation and open a second front against Germany.

Paris Liberated:

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August 19, 1944:

French and American forces launched an offensive towards Paris.

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August 20, 1944:

Resistance fighters inside the city rose up and began fighting the German garrison.

German commander General Dietrich von Choltitz surrendered after receiving a direct order from Adolf Hitler to destroy the city.

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August 25, 1944:

Liberation Day: General Charles de Gaulle entered Paris and paraded down the Champs-Élysées amid jubilant crowds.

Significance:

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The liberation of Paris was a major turning point in World War II.

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It boosted Allied morale and weakened German resolve.

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It also marked the beginning of the liberation of the rest of France.

Other Notable Events on August 20th:

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• 1170: The Great Fire of Trondheim, Norway, destroys the city.
• 1808: The Peninsular War begins in Spain, an uprising against French occupation (see Peninsular War).
• 1892: The first issue of The Yellow Kid, the first American comic strip, is published.
• 1968: Warsaw Pact forces invade Czechoslovakia to suppress the Prague Spring (see Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia).
• 2011: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Sirte, Libya (see Death of Muammar Gaddafi).