Quinze-Vingts in Paris in Département de Paris, Île-de-France, France — Western Europe

Unknown Frenchmen Liberation Memorial

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 10, 2024

1. Unknown Frenchmen Liberation Memorial Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

A ce carrefour
des Français
sont tombés pendant
les glorieuses journées
de la liberation pour
que revive la France
août 1944

(At this crossroads French persons fell during the glorious days of liberation so that France could live again - August 1944)

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Liberation of Paris series list. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1944.

Location. 48° 50.859′ N, 2° 22.281′ E. Memorial is in Paris, Île-de-France, in Département de Paris. It is in Quinze-Vingts. It is at the intersection of Rue de Lyon and Rue d’Austerlitz, on the right when traveling south on Rue de Lyon. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 25 Rue de Lyon 27, Paris, Île-de-France 75012, France. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

Europe,

the European Union,

Atlantic Europe,

the Schengen Area,

Western Europe,

a coastal Mediterranean country,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony

and also the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A la mémoire des otages communistes fusillés / Executed Communist Hostages Memorial (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Coulée Verte René-Dumont 1987-2000 (about 150 meters away); Commissaire Silvestri (about 180 meters away); Jean Jemini (about 180 meters away); Unknown Frenchman Liberation Memorial (about 180 meters away); Guy Tessier (about 180 meters away); a different marker also named Unknown Frenchman Liberation Memorial (about 180 meters away); Aux Travailleurs Chinois pendant la Première Guerre Mondial / Chinese Workers WWI Monument (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Paris.

Also see . . . The Liberation of Paris (Liberation Route Europe).

Excerpt: After defeating the German forces in Normandy, Allied armies rushed through France, trying to catch up retreating German troops. The liberation of Paris didn’t have priority, also because the risk of damaging the town. On 19 August 1944 however, the French resistance caused an uprising in Paris against the Germans. The German commander of Paris, Lieutenant-General
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 10, 2024

2. Unknown Frenchmen Liberation Memorial - wide view
Choltitz, was ordered to crush the insurrection and to destroy the city, as the Germans did in Warsaw.

To prevent this disaster, Charles de Gaulle insisted to interfere. Allied Command sent in Major-General Leclerc’s 2nd French Armored Division, supported by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division of Major-General Barton. A first group managed to infiltrate into the heart of Paris on the evening of 24 August.

On 25 August, the French and American forces were warmly welcomed by the Parisians. Choltitz and his staff were captured at the Meurice Hotel. The capitulation was signed at the Police Department on the Île de la Cité. After that, Choltitz was taken to the Montparnasse train station from where he ordered his troops to surrender. The next day, cheered by countless people, de Gaulle led the triumphal parade on the Champs-Élysées. France regained its national unity and sovereignty.

(Submitted on October 22, 2024.)

Unknown Frenchmen Liberation Memorial - wider view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 10, 2024

3. Unknown Frenchmen Liberation Memorial - wider view

Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 94 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 22, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.