| General Building Inspector for the Reich Capital Albert Speer (March 19, 1905 – September 1, 1981), Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reich Chancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945), and architect Arno Breker (July 19, 1900 – February 13, 1991) on Trocadéro in front of the Eiffel Tower. A crouching cameraman films Hitler for the cinema newsreel. After the defeat of France and the signing of the armistice on June 22, 1940, Adolf Hitler, who was passionate about architecture and had always wanted to visit Paris had a quick visit (“Blitz Besuch”) of the city, accompanied by architects Albert Speer and Hermann Giesler (April 2, 1898 – January 20, 1987), and Arno Breker, his favorite sculptor, along with a delegation of military officers. According to Albert Speer (in his memoirs Inside the 3rd Reich) and Joseph Goebbels (in his diary), the visit took place 3 days after the armistice came into effect, on June 28. However, other sources say that the visit was on June 23. On the Esplanade du Trocadéro, a large place in front of the Eiffel Tower, just on the other side of the River Seine, the group admired the view on the tower, and several well known photographs such as this view were taken as propaganda material of Hitler’s victory over France and Western Europe. He was not able to go up to the viewing platform of the Eiffel Tower, because the French had severed the lift cables just before the German invasion. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0375.jpg |
| Image Size | 319.87 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2014 x 2862 |
| Photographer | Heinrich Hoffmann |
| Photographer Title | Heinrich Hoffmann Presse |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 23, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | Paris |
| State or Province | Île-de-France |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-242-HLB-5073(20) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database