The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light

A great read - book was in Like New Shape ...

From my previous reading I understood there was a significant amount of fighting on entering Paris, but this book mostly fails to address that. I found that a little surprising, but nonetheless an interesting book.

I've read a lot of WW II history--including books about the years leading up to the war and the immediate aftermath--and always look for books rich with detail and that have a driving narrative line. This book disappointed me. The writing was very bland. The author repeated himself, for instance when he kept pointing out how good a relationship Ike and De Gaulle had. The book just didn't have the kind of detail that makes history come alive. I just finished two remarkable books about WW II, Poland 1939 and 1941: Fighting the Shadow War. Each of those was enthralling and kept me turning the pages. This one? I turned them more and more slowly with a growing sense of disappointment until I decided to return it.

This is a short book written by an eminent historian. Well-written and fast paced. Eisenhower as President let the press paint him as a slow and a naive person, but behind that facade was a cunning strategic thinker and doer. This book about his realistic actions to save Paris from Hitler's orders to destroy it show Eisenhower's political and strategic skills to accept the necessity that Paris had to be saved when that was not Roosevelt's nor the British command's desire or plan. Along the way you meet an outstanding German General and various dedicated French and Swedish officials who helped Eisenhower save Paris.

This concise book is a very easy one to read. The subject, the liberation of Paris in 1944, has been written about many times in the past. Smith makes the story come alive. Normally a biographer, Smith goes afield to relate a fascinating story. This is an excellent book if you know nothing about the liberation of Paris and excellent book for someone who needs a refresher.