| A member of the Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur (FFI- “French Forces of the Interior”), a civilian in a double-breasted suit operating a 7.65 millimeter (.309 caliber) MAS-38 submachine gun, and a soldier of the Deuxième Division Blindée Française (“French Second Armored Division”) armed with a United States-supplied M1 30 caliber (7.62 millimeter) Carbine. They are defending 1 of the many makeshift barriers during the liberation of Paris. Coming under sniper fire, they are trying to determine where the Nazi German assassin is in order to return fire. August 25, 1944, began for Robert Capa (October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) with a race into Paris at 0900 Hours, just behind the armored car of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (November 22, 1902 – November 28, 1947) Commanding Officer of the Deuxième Division Blindée Française. Almost immediately they were surrounded by adoring Parisians, who crowded LeClerc’s armor and climbed aboard. Nazi German resistance was still active and opened fire. There was heavy resistance between Hótel des Invalides and the Palais-Bourbon. Yet, that night, the City of Lights was illuminated for the 1st time in 4 years. Capa could hear the French anthem, the Marseillaise, all night. The next day, Capa photographed French General Charles De Gaulle (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970) marching down the Champs-Élysées. Again, snipers opened fire. It was at this time that this image was exposed. Note the bullet holes in the restaurant’s glass door. 1 of the exterior lamps has been shot off. There is damage to the doorway. In this view, the French maquis appear to believe the sniper fire is coming from in front of them; in subsequent views Capa took, the civilian with the MAS-38 took aim at targets behind him. All Nazi German resistance was eliminated or surrendered within a few hours. Paris was liberated. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0492.jpg |
| Image Size | 4.07 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 7792 x 5785 |
| Photographer | Robert Capa |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 26, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Paris |
| State or Province | Île-de-France |
| Country | France |
| Archive | International Center for Photography |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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