The Liberation of Paris

"I read Jean Edward Smith's The Liberation of Paris with tears in my eyes and huge admiration. It is still one of the most moving moments in the history of the Second World War-I remember my mother opening a bottle of champagne and singing 'La Marseillaise' when we heard the news-and Jean portrays not only the drama and suspense of the event, but the character of the people who were involved, in a very objective way, giving full weight to the profound importance of General de Gaulle, and to the crucial role of General Eisenhower, for which he has never received sufficient credit. This is great history." -- Michael Korda, author of Ike: An American Hero "The liberation represented not just the end of the city's darkest hour, with rapturous pent-up joy in the streets, but the very birth of modern France. . . . And it thrust Dwight D. Eisenhower, not for the last time, into the role of diplomat and political crisis manager. . . . Smith's brisk new recounting [is] terse, authoritative, unsentimental." -- Charles Trueheart * The Washington Post * "To mark its 75th anniversary, Jean Edward Smith has written an epic story of the Allied liberation of Paris in August 1944. Filled with some of the most dramatic scenes of World War II, Smith's compelling account of how the great City of Light was saved from destruction is history at its finest." -- Carlo D'Este, author of Decision in Normandy and Patton: A Genius for War "Jean Edward Smith is a marvelous historian, and in his latest work he does not disappoint. The Liberation of Paris is a scintillating and fascinating book. How was one of the great cities of the world saved? It's a rousing tale. Bravo!" -- Jay Winik, author of 1944 and April 1865 "One of the most dramatic events of World War II was the liberation of Paris by French and American troops in August 1944. Behind the drama was a complex tangle of military and political considerations that Jean Edward Smith disentangles with extraordinary clarity in this vivid narrative that highlights the actions of de Gaulle, Eisenhower, and especially General Dietrich von Choltitz, commander of German occupation forces, who defied Hitler's orders to destroy Paris before surrendering." -- James McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom "The Liberation of Paris in August 1944 has to be one of history's happiest moments. . . . It is still a great story in Jean Edward Smith's trim but engaging account of driving darkness from the City of Light." -- Evan Thomas * Air Mail * "The Liberation of Paris is a remarkable story that shows how three men from warring sides of an epic struggle saved Paris. Smith's book is a must-read that brims with heroism, intrigue, chaos and danger." -- Susan Eisenhower

Jean Edward Smith taught at the University of Toronto for thirty-five years, and at Marshall University for twelve. He was also a visiting scholar at Columbia, Princeton, and Georgetown. He is the author of Bush, a biography of the 43rd president; Eisenhower in War and Peace; FDR, winner of the 2008 Francis Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians; Grant, a 2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist; and John Marshall: Definer of a Nation.