| Parisians celebrated long into the night at the Arc de Triomphe when Paris was liberated. Allied troops led by French General Jacques Leclerc (November 22, 1902 – November 28, 1947) marched into Paris on August 24, 1944, liberating the city from the Nazi Germans who had occupied it since June 1940. Although ordered by Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Recihchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) to leave Paris a smoldering ruin, Paris’ military governor Major General der Infantrie Dietrich von Choltitz (November 9, 1894 – November 5, 1966) lied to his superiors and left the city’s landmarks intact. By noon of August 25, the French tricolor was again flying over the capital. Crowds of jubilant Parisians, some of whom are shown here celebrating before the Arc de Triomphe that evening, rejoiced in their freedom. As word moved through the city of the German surrender, citizens sought their own justice against collaborators by conducting thousands of summary executions. Meanwhile, the military operation wound down, with 15,000 German prisoners of war captured in Paris and another 4,200 killed or wounded. The process of retribution and reconciliation would go on for years, but for now a celebratory mood took hold. Chairman of the Provisional Government of the French Republic Charles De Gaulle (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970) entered the city in the late afternoon of August 25, declaring Paris liberated by the French while barely mentioning the Allied forces, which had lost 50,000 troops since June 6. As de Gaulle cemented his hold on the political leadership of France, American GIs, French troops, and resistance fighters hunted the remaining snipers and holdout defenders around the city. It was clear on the evening of August 25 that not only had the Germans been defeated, but so too had the Communists; they had hoped to take control of Paris before De Gaulle arrived. But he had rallied Paris and all of France to his cause, and the Communists realized they had to join him too. De Gaulle deserved the credit. For most Parisians, the issue that evening was not Communism but enjoying their new freedom. The Germans were gone, and Paris was open as it had not been for 4 years. The celebrations went on long into the night. Photo by Ralph Morse (October 23, 1917 – December 7, 2014). | |
| Image Filename | wwii2120.jpg |
| Image Size | 3.98 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4674 x 6574 |
| Photographer | Ralph Morse |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 25, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Paris |
| State or Province | Île-de-France |
| Country | France |
| Archive | Musée de la Libération de Paris |
| Record Number | 1999.118 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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