Eleven Days in August: The Liberation of Paris in 1944

This account of the liberation of Paris in 1944 takes the reader from the early hope of June-July, through the main events of August, and on to the restoration of the city in later months. The German Army marched into Paris on the 14th June 1940 and occupied the city for the next four years; during which time the population of the city were oppressed, exploited and suffered rationing and shortages. In London, General Charles de Gaulle called for French resistance to the occupation. In this book, the author uses diaries and eye-witness accounts to show personal experiences and includes the views of both the French and Germans, members of the resistance, occupiers and members of the public caught up in momentous events.However, the liberation of Paris was not easy or unified. The resistance wanted a mass, popular insurrection to drive out the Germans and take power. The Gaullists wanted the resistance and population to be passive participants in de Gaulle's triumphant entry into Paris. As the possibility of liberation came into sight, those involved kept an eye on events in Warsaw, also rebelling in anticipation of Soviet troops arriving and the fierce reprisals this had unleashed. Paris was both wary and worried that they could easily become such a battleground.This was a time of strikes, threats, rumours and panic. General von Choltitz was ordered to take command as Commander of the city until "the end", but many German soldiers were stealing bicycles from civilians in order to flee. Field Marshal Walter Model, loyal to Hitler, turned up at Choltitz's headquarters with a handwritten order giving him command over all German troops in the West. In Paris, the metro closed, households had electricity for one hour a day, the gas supply was erratic, water scarce and food supplies hard to obtain. Meanwhile, Berlin issued unrealistic and shrill demands.Although it is interesting, of course, to read the overall picture of what happened in military terms, much of what makes this book so readable are the human stories. The seventeen year old girl who, living through the sporadic violence and outbreaks of fighting, remarks in her diary, "All this is very exciting! I don't think that mum will let me go to the dentists this afternoon..." The story of a woman hiding two young Jewish girls, or that of Andre Amar, a resistance fighter who was evacuated along with other prisoners and put on a train for an unknown destination.As liberation finally reached the city, it did not, of course, mark the end of the war. It took months for some kind of normality to return to the battered city and the population, who had suffered so much. This is a very well written, and detailed, account of the liberation of Paris and how it was achieved. A time when the Germans seemed stunned by their capture; when many French people felt sorrow for those lost, others were hunted down for collaborating and many simply rejoiced. This is a very readable account of those times which I became totally immersed in and recommend highly.

An important addition to the history of the second world war. So near and yet so far for many people as the Allies drew nearer to the city. There are many indivdual stories and some are tinged with the sorrow that on the brink of the dawn of liberation came the darkness of death. Is Paris burning? is a myth but the destruction of a fine city was averted. I enjoyed it, a good read for those who are interested in a turning point in the war.

Good description of the various factions in Paris.Also gives the wider political aspect of the invasion forces and the French government in exile.

I can believe this book is very accurate in a historical sense and if that is what a reader wants then carry on. If however you are looking for a more 'story like' book, still true but aimed at entertaining then you will be disappointed. It gets bogged down in the second half with the in fighting between the different civilian factions that I lost the thread at times.

The art of relating historical periods and events cannot get any better than the story of the final days of the German occupation of Paris in 'Eleven Days In August' by Matthew Cobb.For the story of one of the most turbulent periods in the life that great city of Paris, the reader is literally given a place on one of the many barricades blocking the streets of the city by the resistance and ordinary citizens to thwart the German occupation, such is the realism generated by the author. I did not think that an account of a mere 11 days could keep my interest, but how wrong was that! I was captivated by the evolving events, and the struggles, hardships, dangers, and brutality that the citizens of Paris were exposed to, and could not put the book down.Comes with my highest recommendation.

It’s difficult to see how a better job could have been done on tracking how Paris inched back to French control in August 1944. Matthew Cobb uses masses of documents and witness testimonies to narrate the day-by-day evolution of the uprising, the atrocities and street deaths, the squabbling between factions of the Resistance and settling of scores, the eventual arrival of Leclerc’s 2e DB under its reluctant American masters, de Gaulle’s grabbing of power from potential chaos, and the final French mythification of the liberation of Europe’s greatest city which the Allies had wanted to skirt. It’s a great read.

I am about a quarter through the book and it is worth reading. Hope to finish it by the end of the month.

Just what was it like to be in Paris during those heady days before its final liberation from the Nazis?This book tells the story of all the competing factions for post-war power in France, and how the uneasy truce between them finally prepared the city and its residents for the day when it was free again.It's a story of joy, bravery, and pathos. the best and worst of humanity laid bare for all to see.Its compelling reading for anyone who wants to know what it was like to share the city's finest hours of WW2.

I enjoyed this book, written by Martin Dugard in the present tense. The narrative includes military details as well as descriptions of Paris and its citizens living under harsh conditions. Although you know the outcome, nevertheless, it's as if you are there in real time.

I had to read this book for a presentation in University and was really surprised how easily I could read it. The important days of the Liberation of Paris are presented very vivid, emphasized by many reports of contemporary witnesses. You can discover the story from a different point of view, like the one of the Allied Army, the Resistance or of the normal people.

Good, after a Road Scholar trip to Paris. I like history.

It was difficult to follow the progress of the Allies on their way to Paris. I have subsequently purchased another book on the same subject to see if it is better.

A shot-by-shot account of the eleven days around the liberation of Paris. A wealth of small scenes covering a host of people involved in small and large ways in the liberation of Paris. Thorough and well written. Though the language does not actually soar.I miss one of two things. Either a closer telling of the tale of individual participants. The book covers the individual stories but it never becomes really personal, although many of the stories are riveting. Or alternatively it could have lifted itself from the action giving a broader tale of events. Either is unfortunately missing.