August 26, 1944: Eighty years ago this month, French and Allied troops liberated Paris, which had been taken over by the German army four years earlier. Just as its takeover by Adolf Hitler’s forces had come with little damage to the capital, the defeat of its Nazi occupiers left the city intact – a near-miracle, considering the Führer had demanded the destruction of its landmarks, bridges, museums and palaces, which have been the backdrop to this month’s Olympics. The liberation
The Bigger Picture: Vive la libération
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