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Paris 1944: Occupation, Resistance, Liberation: A Social History
A moving, dramatic social history of the liberation of Paris in 1944, one of the most inspiring and momentous events of the twentieth century.
The Sunday Times (London) bestseller
The fall of Paris to the Nazis on June 14th, 1940, was one of the darkest days of World War II. And the liberation of the city on August 25th, 1944, felt like the brightest.
The liberation was also the biggest party of the champagne flowed freely, total strangers embraced—it was a celebration of life renewed against the backdrop of the world's favorite city, as experienced by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, J. D. Salinger, Pablo Picasso, and Robert Capa.
But there was nothing preordained about this happy ending. Had things transpired differently, Paris might have gone down as a ghastly monument to Nazi nihilism.
Paris 1944—timed for the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Paris—tells the story of those iridescent days in a startling new way. Cutting through decades of myth-making, the listener watches the city's fate hanging in the balance against the drama, heroism, joy, and suspense of one of the most explosive moments of the twentieth century.
The Sunday Times (London) bestseller
The fall of Paris to the Nazis on June 14th, 1940, was one of the darkest days of World War II. And the liberation of the city on August 25th, 1944, felt like the brightest.
The liberation was also the biggest party of the champagne flowed freely, total strangers embraced—it was a celebration of life renewed against the backdrop of the world's favorite city, as experienced by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, J. D. Salinger, Pablo Picasso, and Robert Capa.
But there was nothing preordained about this happy ending. Had things transpired differently, Paris might have gone down as a ghastly monument to Nazi nihilism.
Paris 1944—timed for the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Paris—tells the story of those iridescent days in a startling new way. Cutting through decades of myth-making, the listener watches the city's fate hanging in the balance against the drama, heroism, joy, and suspense of one of the most explosive moments of the twentieth century.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published August 6, 2024
117 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Bishop
73 books66 followersPatrick Bishop was born in London in 1952 and went to Wimbledon College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Before joining the Telegraph he worked on the Evening Standard, the Observer and the Sunday Times and in television as a reporter on Channel Four News. He is the author with John Witherow of a history of the Falkands War based on their own experiences and with Eamon Mallie of The Provisional IRA which was praised as the first authoritative account of the modern IRA. He also wrote a memoir the first Gulf War, Famous Victory and a history of the Irish diaspora The Irish Empire, based on the TV series which he devised.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 26, 2024
On the 80th anniversary of the Liberation along comes a masterpiece to do justice to those traumatic years and extraordinary few days in August when some French people -- men and women -- restored their country's reputation stained by Marshal Petain, Pierre Laval and Rene Bousquet, all of whom had blood of Jews and resistants on their hands.
Hemingway, Capa, Picasso, Cocteau, JD Salinger....now there's a cast of wayward, rogueish, super talents -- no one better to bring them all into play than a kindred spirit and as fine a writer on war at least than Patrick Bishop -- who would be above the title were this a film, all at one point in love with the heroine of the book, 'the City of Light' Paris.
Where this cracking remarkable book sets itself apart from others is that Bishop's supporting actors, in terms of name recognition, are as fascinating and certainly more modest and less boorish as 'Papa' Hemingway who is one of the less attractive characters in the story.
Bishop gives admirably balanced portraits of those less likeable personalities such as Hemingway -- he establishes a rather paternal and touching relationship with Salinger despite the latter not being a great fan of the author of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' etc -- the evil Petain, the villains and Johnny come latelies to resistance the Paris police, who had been responsible for rounding up tens of thousands of Jews of which at least 75,500 were murdered in the death camps, the heroes the dynamic communist Rol Tanguy, the smooth as silk never to be ruffled Gaullist 'Chaban' Delmas -- 'he had retained his tennis tan' -- the extraordinarily courageous Rose Valland the reason why the Louvre, several art gallery owners and collectors still had something to cherish, General Hauteclocque 'Le Patron' Leclerc, Ike Eisenhower and of course his proboscis will be whirring in annoyance to be named last General Charles de Gaulle.
There were also the ones harder to categorise in any camp namely General Dietrich von Choltitz, who assumes command of Paris after his predecessor General Carl-Heinrich von Stuelpnagel has been arrested and taken back to Berlin for his pivotal role in the July 20 plot against Hitler. Here Bishop's mastery of fabulous one liners comes up with a gem to describe the majority of the plotters as 'Von Here's and von There's' -- that for me is the best line of any book I have read this year. Von Choltitz is a very different animal to Stuelpnagel although both too had been complicit in crimes against Jews and others in the east.
Not for von Choltitz, though, to strike at his Fuhrer directly but slowly but surely see that destroying Paris would not be in his best interests post war. For on his one and only trip to see Hitler after being appointed -- General Burgdorf who recommended him did so because "he never questioned an order, no matter how harsh it is" -- he saw a pathetic human in front of him ranting and raving and clearly not in control of himself. Thus he faced as Bishop puts it so beautifully 'the dilemma was how to stay alive and keep his military honour intact' and 'Choltitz's noted ability to be all things to all men was about to face its sternest test.'
His personal battle with the above is deliciously described by Bishop throughout as is the remarkable feat of the Communists, the Gaullists and other disparate elements of the Resistance sticking together, though, not without its tense moments. Makes one admire Jean Moulin, who pulled off uniting them, even more and regret his loss to post war France. Little doubt that he was betrayed by a Frenchman and there are plenty more instances of betrayal highlighted by Bishop, who is also unsparing on dreadful instances of revenge taken post Liberation 'epuration sauvage' even under the auspices or at least in his HQ of another communist icon Colonel Fabien.
What did come as a surprise was that it was Ike who was de Gaulle's great patron or defender changed strategy with his usual sublime political touch and allowed the General and his more or less merry men -- though the advance guard of Leclerc's 2DB were largely Spanish, who had escaped Franco's ghastly regime post Civil War -- their liberation of Paris.
There is a wonderful scene where 'Le Patron' Leclerc visits General Omar Bradley to try and persuade him that they should liberate Paris and he has just missed him as the American -- who is known to oppose liberating Paris thinking like many it is a sideshow -- has gone to see Eisenhower about the same matter. 'Finding him gone Leclerc was now in a 'black fury' viciously decapitating wild flowers with his trademark cane.' Bradley returns a transformed man as in agreeing that Paris should be liberated...'on the walk back, Leclerc beheaded more flowers but this time in jubilation.' Wonderful dramatic and beautiful prose from Bishop which is a feature of the book, though, I did chuckle at the appearance at times of the word 'narrative' knowing that it is a bugbear of his...but hey ho us hacks and authors sacrifice principles ...occasionally.
The great thing about the book is it is told with such verve, elan and dash -- one thinks of Bishop being that type who Napoleon would have looked fondly on and a marshal's baton would not have been out of reach ..de Gaulle well perhaps not as he was more ascetic than the Corsican maestro -- and never preachy or dry as the desert that some of the Free French fought and died on.
It is littered with terrific anecdotes, from the start with Pierre Theodore, known widely as Glouglou, the 'blue uniformed caretaker' of the Opera which Hitler visits for 50 minutes on his one and only trip to the city after the collapse of the allies in 1940. Hitler orders an aide to give Glouglou a large tip but he waves it away and when Arno Breker another companion of the Fuhrer's speaks to him in French to tell him to take the tip he too is rebutted leading the sculptor to 'feel a twinge of disquiet' that 'this was the first representative of the conquered France they had come across and he seemed 'unmoved and showing no sign of having been impressed.' Hitler need not have worried too much as a few minutes later captured on camera no less than six uniformed French police on two separate occasions had turned to the car and saluted hands raised to their kepis..an ominous sign of the institutional collaboration to come.
One final moving anecdote involves the 'venal and self serving' von Choltitz who in 1966 shortly before his death visited his luxurious former HQ 'the Hotel Meurice incognito for a nostalgic look around, refusing an offer of champagne from the manager who took a while to recognise the frail old man as the once mighty military governor of Paris.'
And as for the heroine of the story..how was she after she had been mauled by the occupiers, defiled by the collaborators and then had her drinks reserves drained by 'Papa' Hemingway and his courtiers...Bishop has it in one: 'Maurice Chevalier was right: 'Paris sera toujours Paris.'
Hemingway, Capa, Picasso, Cocteau, JD Salinger....now there's a cast of wayward, rogueish, super talents -- no one better to bring them all into play than a kindred spirit and as fine a writer on war at least than Patrick Bishop -- who would be above the title were this a film, all at one point in love with the heroine of the book, 'the City of Light' Paris.
Where this cracking remarkable book sets itself apart from others is that Bishop's supporting actors, in terms of name recognition, are as fascinating and certainly more modest and less boorish as 'Papa' Hemingway who is one of the less attractive characters in the story.
Bishop gives admirably balanced portraits of those less likeable personalities such as Hemingway -- he establishes a rather paternal and touching relationship with Salinger despite the latter not being a great fan of the author of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' etc -- the evil Petain, the villains and Johnny come latelies to resistance the Paris police, who had been responsible for rounding up tens of thousands of Jews of which at least 75,500 were murdered in the death camps, the heroes the dynamic communist Rol Tanguy, the smooth as silk never to be ruffled Gaullist 'Chaban' Delmas -- 'he had retained his tennis tan' -- the extraordinarily courageous Rose Valland the reason why the Louvre, several art gallery owners and collectors still had something to cherish, General Hauteclocque 'Le Patron' Leclerc, Ike Eisenhower and of course his proboscis will be whirring in annoyance to be named last General Charles de Gaulle.
There were also the ones harder to categorise in any camp namely General Dietrich von Choltitz, who assumes command of Paris after his predecessor General Carl-Heinrich von Stuelpnagel has been arrested and taken back to Berlin for his pivotal role in the July 20 plot against Hitler. Here Bishop's mastery of fabulous one liners comes up with a gem to describe the majority of the plotters as 'Von Here's and von There's' -- that for me is the best line of any book I have read this year. Von Choltitz is a very different animal to Stuelpnagel although both too had been complicit in crimes against Jews and others in the east.
Not for von Choltitz, though, to strike at his Fuhrer directly but slowly but surely see that destroying Paris would not be in his best interests post war. For on his one and only trip to see Hitler after being appointed -- General Burgdorf who recommended him did so because "he never questioned an order, no matter how harsh it is" -- he saw a pathetic human in front of him ranting and raving and clearly not in control of himself. Thus he faced as Bishop puts it so beautifully 'the dilemma was how to stay alive and keep his military honour intact' and 'Choltitz's noted ability to be all things to all men was about to face its sternest test.'
His personal battle with the above is deliciously described by Bishop throughout as is the remarkable feat of the Communists, the Gaullists and other disparate elements of the Resistance sticking together, though, not without its tense moments. Makes one admire Jean Moulin, who pulled off uniting them, even more and regret his loss to post war France. Little doubt that he was betrayed by a Frenchman and there are plenty more instances of betrayal highlighted by Bishop, who is also unsparing on dreadful instances of revenge taken post Liberation 'epuration sauvage' even under the auspices or at least in his HQ of another communist icon Colonel Fabien.
What did come as a surprise was that it was Ike who was de Gaulle's great patron or defender changed strategy with his usual sublime political touch and allowed the General and his more or less merry men -- though the advance guard of Leclerc's 2DB were largely Spanish, who had escaped Franco's ghastly regime post Civil War -- their liberation of Paris.
There is a wonderful scene where 'Le Patron' Leclerc visits General Omar Bradley to try and persuade him that they should liberate Paris and he has just missed him as the American -- who is known to oppose liberating Paris thinking like many it is a sideshow -- has gone to see Eisenhower about the same matter. 'Finding him gone Leclerc was now in a 'black fury' viciously decapitating wild flowers with his trademark cane.' Bradley returns a transformed man as in agreeing that Paris should be liberated...'on the walk back, Leclerc beheaded more flowers but this time in jubilation.' Wonderful dramatic and beautiful prose from Bishop which is a feature of the book, though, I did chuckle at the appearance at times of the word 'narrative' knowing that it is a bugbear of his...but hey ho us hacks and authors sacrifice principles ...occasionally.
The great thing about the book is it is told with such verve, elan and dash -- one thinks of Bishop being that type who Napoleon would have looked fondly on and a marshal's baton would not have been out of reach ..de Gaulle well perhaps not as he was more ascetic than the Corsican maestro -- and never preachy or dry as the desert that some of the Free French fought and died on.
It is littered with terrific anecdotes, from the start with Pierre Theodore, known widely as Glouglou, the 'blue uniformed caretaker' of the Opera which Hitler visits for 50 minutes on his one and only trip to the city after the collapse of the allies in 1940. Hitler orders an aide to give Glouglou a large tip but he waves it away and when Arno Breker another companion of the Fuhrer's speaks to him in French to tell him to take the tip he too is rebutted leading the sculptor to 'feel a twinge of disquiet' that 'this was the first representative of the conquered France they had come across and he seemed 'unmoved and showing no sign of having been impressed.' Hitler need not have worried too much as a few minutes later captured on camera no less than six uniformed French police on two separate occasions had turned to the car and saluted hands raised to their kepis..an ominous sign of the institutional collaboration to come.
One final moving anecdote involves the 'venal and self serving' von Choltitz who in 1966 shortly before his death visited his luxurious former HQ 'the Hotel Meurice incognito for a nostalgic look around, refusing an offer of champagne from the manager who took a while to recognise the frail old man as the once mighty military governor of Paris.'
And as for the heroine of the story..how was she after she had been mauled by the occupiers, defiled by the collaborators and then had her drinks reserves drained by 'Papa' Hemingway and his courtiers...Bishop has it in one: 'Maurice Chevalier was right: 'Paris sera toujours Paris.'
October 19, 2024
If I were still buying books, I would add this to my library. Bishop has written a thoroughly engaging popular history of the city of lights during the Second World War. He punctures holes in some heroic narratives, provides an introduction to unfamiliar but genuine heroes, and makes me wish I could be in Paris once more and read the marble plaques that loved ones installed through out the city to commemorate the ordinary Parisian résistants who lost their lives at the hands of the Nazi overlords and the Paris police who did their did their bidding eagerly. Among the unknown heroes are JD Salanger, who landed on D-Day, and experienced the devastating cold and slaughter in the Hürtgen Forest, Lieutenant Henri Karcher who made his way to London to join DeGaulle, La Nueve, Spanish Republicans who though badly treated by the French joined the Free French forces to fight the fascists they failed to defeat in their homeland, young, beautiful Madeline Ruffaud who fought the Germans with guns and bombs, and Béatrice Briand, a baker who commanded the barricades. Picasso and Hemingway fare less well in Bishop's retelling.The German General Choltitz was more self-serving than the savior of the city. De Gaulle and Eisenhower had an unlikely comradery. Against the wishes ome much more powerful American generals, Eisenhower chose to detour the Allied Forces to liberate Paris, and de Gaulle outflanked the heroic Communist resistance at the city was liberated and got to rewrite history. Bishop also notes that the heroism of French women résistants changed the French nation, so women were at long last enfranchized after the war.
January 11, 2025
Finally finish it. It's ok i guess, maybe jumping around too much
October 28, 2024
If you want details, this is the book for you. Name after name after name after name … and most of them you won’t recognize. Oh sure, there’s de Gaulle and Picasso and Hemingway and Salinger and Eisenhower, but of the hundreds of people mentioned throughout the 326 pages of minutiae there are few you’ve ever heard of and fewer still you care about. What I wanted was to *feel* what Nazi occupation was like and have a sense of relief when Paris was liberated, … but no. Didn’t get that. Meh!
November 13, 2024
This is a fascinating and well written account of Paris under Nazi occupation and its liberation in August, 1944. It is essentially a story of myth-making: how France actually lived during that terrible time, how Paris was actually liberated and how the story has been retold by its many participants to suit their own purposes, including DeGaulle’s “policy of reconciliation and official amnesia.” There was certainly heroism and great sacrifice, but also…the opposite.
As a lifelong Francophile, I was enthralled as a teenager with the film “Is Paris Burning?” (a question posed - or perhaps not - by Hitler to his commander in Paris who has been ordered to destroy the city). That film and the book upon which it was based are a glorious example of the mythology of the liberation of Paris by its own residents, including the police who at the very very last minute turned against the Germans they has abetted for four years, including in the transportation of French Jews to the gas chambers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the War, in France, in Paris, and in how history is the story of the victors. A great read!
As a lifelong Francophile, I was enthralled as a teenager with the film “Is Paris Burning?” (a question posed - or perhaps not - by Hitler to his commander in Paris who has been ordered to destroy the city). That film and the book upon which it was based are a glorious example of the mythology of the liberation of Paris by its own residents, including the police who at the very very last minute turned against the Germans they has abetted for four years, including in the transportation of French Jews to the gas chambers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the War, in France, in Paris, and in how history is the story of the victors. A great read!
December 18, 2024
Solid Read and very educational. Shows the truth behind the myth.
Propaganda and the great modernization machine try to hide the utter defeat of France at the hands of the brutal Nazis, but more importantly, the mighty French Resistance takes a hit.
Rather than a unified French resistance, it was a coalition of many, many separate cliques, communists, surviving Jews, and a Spanish Unit, and they only started when rumors flew that the Allies were on their way and the majority of the Germans escaped.
The police and the collaborators working hand in hand with the damn Nazis suddenly switched sides and got away with it.
I enjoyed the inside perspective of De Gaulle and his vision of what went down and into the French history books and how he was the father of the liberation. His vision for a unified French Nation was vital.
However, after this read, there is no doubt who the "Father" truly was. It was Dwight D Eisenhower - who - even though Paris held absolutely no strategic military significance to the Allies' goals of marching to Berlin - sent the Americans south to liberate the City of Light. So, no Eisenhower, no De Gaulle.
You'd think De Gaulle, in his speeches afterward, would have credited the Allies and especially The Americans, but nope, he didn't even give the GIs a mention...and Eisenhower was totally cool about that. But let history stand, knowing it was both men.
The Chapter of the Liberation, "The Day The War Should Have Ended," when the Allies allowed LeClerc's French Army to march in first and then follow - was fabulous and touching. The women putting on their finest dresses and doing their hair and kissing the saviors - awesome!
The days afterward, when the French turned upon themselves, murdering thousands without a jury, many who turned out to be innocent and how they sheared the heads of women collaborators (who were trying to survive 4 years of humiliation and starvation), were horrific.
Two final comments: I loved how the author, Patrick Bishop, worked with the celebrities of the day - Picasso, Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, Capra, etc.
I did not love all the little French Idioms he used without the translations in parenthesis afterward. I spent too much time on Google researching them!
But overall a four stars rating !!
Propaganda and the great modernization machine try to hide the utter defeat of France at the hands of the brutal Nazis, but more importantly, the mighty French Resistance takes a hit.
Rather than a unified French resistance, it was a coalition of many, many separate cliques, communists, surviving Jews, and a Spanish Unit, and they only started when rumors flew that the Allies were on their way and the majority of the Germans escaped.
The police and the collaborators working hand in hand with the damn Nazis suddenly switched sides and got away with it.
I enjoyed the inside perspective of De Gaulle and his vision of what went down and into the French history books and how he was the father of the liberation. His vision for a unified French Nation was vital.
However, after this read, there is no doubt who the "Father" truly was. It was Dwight D Eisenhower - who - even though Paris held absolutely no strategic military significance to the Allies' goals of marching to Berlin - sent the Americans south to liberate the City of Light. So, no Eisenhower, no De Gaulle.
You'd think De Gaulle, in his speeches afterward, would have credited the Allies and especially The Americans, but nope, he didn't even give the GIs a mention...and Eisenhower was totally cool about that. But let history stand, knowing it was both men.
The Chapter of the Liberation, "The Day The War Should Have Ended," when the Allies allowed LeClerc's French Army to march in first and then follow - was fabulous and touching. The women putting on their finest dresses and doing their hair and kissing the saviors - awesome!
The days afterward, when the French turned upon themselves, murdering thousands without a jury, many who turned out to be innocent and how they sheared the heads of women collaborators (who were trying to survive 4 years of humiliation and starvation), were horrific.
Two final comments: I loved how the author, Patrick Bishop, worked with the celebrities of the day - Picasso, Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, Capra, etc.
I did not love all the little French Idioms he used without the translations in parenthesis afterward. I spent too much time on Google researching them!
But overall a four stars rating !!
September 30, 2024
Clearly the work of a journalist and Francophile, but no less interesting for that, this book tells the story of the liberation of Paris starting in August 1944. Like the role of France generally in WW2, the story is complex and nuanced. And it has been told repeatedly by partial commentators trying to make a point. There are as many versions as there are parties hoping to profit from the story of the liberation.
The over-riding impression is how little the fate of Paris mattered to the Allies, whose main objective was enforcing their complete victory over Germany. The Wehrmacht had pretty much abandoned Paris before the end of August 1944 and were conducting a fighting retreat eastwards with objective of protecting German territory. Yet they were still capable, dangerous and determined; it would take nearly another year to finish the job. Paris really wasn't important.
Unless, of course, you were a Parisian. The legend of the city as inspiration and custodian of all that is great in culture and art and beauty exerted a powerful influence, which was artfully exploited by De Gaulle to change the mind of the Allied leadership. We've all seen the grainy pictures of American jeeps driving down the Champs Elysees draped with grateful French women embracing unshaven GIs.
And lest our interest should waver, Bishop has spiced up the narrative for culture lovers by frequent mentions of Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and J D Salinger. An easy and agreeable read.
The over-riding impression is how little the fate of Paris mattered to the Allies, whose main objective was enforcing their complete victory over Germany. The Wehrmacht had pretty much abandoned Paris before the end of August 1944 and were conducting a fighting retreat eastwards with objective of protecting German territory. Yet they were still capable, dangerous and determined; it would take nearly another year to finish the job. Paris really wasn't important.
Unless, of course, you were a Parisian. The legend of the city as inspiration and custodian of all that is great in culture and art and beauty exerted a powerful influence, which was artfully exploited by De Gaulle to change the mind of the Allied leadership. We've all seen the grainy pictures of American jeeps driving down the Champs Elysees draped with grateful French women embracing unshaven GIs.
And lest our interest should waver, Bishop has spiced up the narrative for culture lovers by frequent mentions of Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and J D Salinger. An easy and agreeable read.
February 27, 2025
Highly readable and lively account of Paris' occupation and liberation four years later is peopled with a host of memorable characters - Picasso. Hemingway, J. D. Salinger, Col. Rol-Tanguy, Madeleine Riffaud, to name a few.
Bishop does not subscribe to Choltitz's self-serving account of how he bravely saved Paris in defiance of Hitler's orders (a version of events promoted by Collins and Lapierre's book "Is Paris Burning" which I read back in the 60's) but takes a more nuanced view. Choltitz, correctly believing the war was lost, probably acted to prevent his being branded a war criminal by the Allies, paying lip service to his orders ad doing just enough to avoid Berlin's ire. Nevertheless, he did play role in preventing Paris's destruction.
Bishop gives The Resistance its due. Their courage allowed France to emerge from the war with its self-esteem largely intact, although shaken by its military defeat and subsequent wide-spread collaboration.
As I read Bishop's book, I was reminded that I have stood and walked where many of the events he describes took place. Thanks to the fact that Paris was spared the fate of many European cities, these locations probably look very much the same as they did in the 1940's.
Bishop does not subscribe to Choltitz's self-serving account of how he bravely saved Paris in defiance of Hitler's orders (a version of events promoted by Collins and Lapierre's book "Is Paris Burning" which I read back in the 60's) but takes a more nuanced view. Choltitz, correctly believing the war was lost, probably acted to prevent his being branded a war criminal by the Allies, paying lip service to his orders ad doing just enough to avoid Berlin's ire. Nevertheless, he did play role in preventing Paris's destruction.
Bishop gives The Resistance its due. Their courage allowed France to emerge from the war with its self-esteem largely intact, although shaken by its military defeat and subsequent wide-spread collaboration.
As I read Bishop's book, I was reminded that I have stood and walked where many of the events he describes took place. Thanks to the fact that Paris was spared the fate of many European cities, these locations probably look very much the same as they did in the 1940's.
August 30, 2024
An admirable account of the capture, endurance and liberation of Paris during WW2. Descriptions of all the various political groups that come in along with the French resistance set up the political picture post war in Paris. Author does an awesome job sticking only to his subject and not varying too much with the rest of the war action.
Disliked trying to personalize popular so called intellectual elites in the press world including Ernest Hemingway and JD Salinger. Though Salinger was an actual army soldier and saw much action Hemingway was a user of notoriety whose drunken ego drove his little usefulness during this time. Neither person was necessary IMO for this book to be successful.
Well written with excellent explanation of the politics
, troop movements and life amongst the beleaguered citizens of Paris. Well done!
Disliked trying to personalize popular so called intellectual elites in the press world including Ernest Hemingway and JD Salinger. Though Salinger was an actual army soldier and saw much action Hemingway was a user of notoriety whose drunken ego drove his little usefulness during this time. Neither person was necessary IMO for this book to be successful.
Well written with excellent explanation of the politics
, troop movements and life amongst the beleaguered citizens of Paris. Well done!
February 14, 2025
Spellbinding. Exemplary research. Page turning readable.
Bishop pulls the curtain back on Paris, WW2, and particularly its liberation, effectively dispelling any previous belief in any instant love:unity:peace happy movie perfect ending. The complexities and internal conflicts of competing players are thoroughly exposed, the personalities and raw motivations revealed. Scattered throughout the narrative are well known figures- from politics, the military, the arts- effectively integrated into the unfolding action-De Gaulle, Picasso, Hemingway, Choltitz, and many more- along with the lesser known, all integral to better understanding the human dynamic at work.
For me Paris will never be the same.
Bishop pulls the curtain back on Paris, WW2, and particularly its liberation, effectively dispelling any previous belief in any instant love:unity:peace happy movie perfect ending. The complexities and internal conflicts of competing players are thoroughly exposed, the personalities and raw motivations revealed. Scattered throughout the narrative are well known figures- from politics, the military, the arts- effectively integrated into the unfolding action-De Gaulle, Picasso, Hemingway, Choltitz, and many more- along with the lesser known, all integral to better understanding the human dynamic at work.
For me Paris will never be the same.
August 15, 2024
A very good description of Paris during WW2 from the German occupation beginning in 1940 to the Liberation in August 1944. The author includes many of the main "players" on both sides plus some added informations on some Americans like Ernest Hemingway and Dwight Eisenhower. I enjoyed learning what happened to many of the characters on both sides in France after the war ended. Eisenhower's decision to not bypass Paris while chasing the Wehrmacht across France and sending in a French Amoured unit to liberate the City was very good.
December 7, 2024
There was a lot of very interesting information however it was not always presented in the most understandable way. Lots of acronyms were used and only explained once and not used again for 50 pages. Lots of phrases in French that were never explained. I've studied French and visited France and Geneva dozens of times and never heard those words used. Pictures that often had no explanation and were not reprinted clearly. Lots of shifting around. And waaay too much time spent on the irrelevant Hemingway.
It just seemed a sloppy job.
It just seemed a sloppy job.
February 2, 2025
Overall, this is a relatively easy read that explains Paris during World War II. Not just the Allied Liberation of Paris, but it provides a good amount of information related to the occupation of Paris and how life was under German occupation. This book does jump around a lot, with stories about Ernest Hemingway and J.D. Salinger, but I still feel it adds some good depth to the book.
If you're looking for a book that isn't a thousand pages and you want to learn more about Paris during World War II, this is your book.
If you're looking for a book that isn't a thousand pages and you want to learn more about Paris during World War II, this is your book.
May 19, 2025
I’ve always thought that the liberation of Paris in 1944 went smoothly: the Germans left and the Allied soldiers rolled in. I have learned it was more complicated than that. Some of the Germans hung around and fired on the Allies and Resistance fighters and civilians. There were also tanks and bombers. But there was also joy and jubilation at the same time, everyone knew the Nazis had lost.
I enjoyed reading about the experiences of Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, and Robert Capa who were in Paris at this time.
I enjoyed reading about the experiences of Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, and Robert Capa who were in Paris at this time.
June 4, 2025
I happened to read Paris 1944 simultaneously with The Art Spy. The latter focuses on Rose Valland, an unassuming and unsung heroine of the French Resistance, who also features prominently in Paris 1944. Both books were informative and interesting, but neither was gripping. Undertaking Paris 1944 I hoped to be as transported as I was when visiting the Museum of the Liberation of Paris and the bunkers beneath it. However, the bunkers merit only a passing reference; the book has a much wider scope than the events of August 1944 or even the year that's in its title.
September 7, 2024
From the History Haooy Hour podcast:. "Eighty years ago, The Allies liberated Paris. It was the biggest party of the century, as experienced by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, J. D. Salinger, Pablo Picasso, and Robert Capa. But there was nothing preordained about this happy ending. Had things transpired differently, Paris might have gone down as a ghastly monument to Nazi nihilism. We welcome back HHH alum Patrick Bishop to talk about his new book"
August 6, 2025
Took me forever to finish. I found the first half of the book difficult to follow. So many disparate groups within the Resistance and the author did not have an easy glossary of acronyms or abbreviations to follow. The last half of the book was fascinating, right up to the liberation as Bishop weaves all the strands of the first half together into a coherent whole. It is possible that I was not that interested in the first part which is why I still found the book worthy of 4 stars.
February 14, 2025
This was a very engaging book, focusing on the liberation of Paris in WWII. The author provided very informative background about the political unrest in Paris before the start of the war, then followed several of the influential pre-war charcters through the war. Many of these characters supported the Nazis, others were Communists, and still others Royalists. Eventually most of these factions united in the resistance, though even then many of them had their sites on post liberation influence. All in all I did not think the author painted a flattering picture of the French before, during, and after the war.
August 15, 2024
Very in-depth analysis of Paris during the Nazi occupation. Not only was Paris filled with many political points of view, it was also filled with people who subscribed to those views. Bishop seems to have mentioned every one of those people. A bit too much.
August 25, 2024
Fabulous account of the Paris liberation with a great introduction into the harsh occupation. This book gave me an insight into the humiliating capitulation of 1940. The political intrigue that followed culminated in a great victory for a fractured society.
September 2, 2024
Interesting perspective told in sparkling prose. Lots of editing errors in this edition, and Bishop spends a little too much time on the celebrities (Salinger, Capa, Hemingway), but otherwise a great read.
November 23, 2024
I think my review probably partially reflects my dismay with France’s behavior in reclaiming Paris themselves. I found the last third of the book more interesting than the machinations pre- liberation
November 25, 2024
Mixed reaction
Book’s title is misleading. Maybe, Paris, 1937 to 1947 and then the descriptive words. Far more details about the people than I was expecting.
Learned a great deal about French politics of that era which was enlightening.
Book’s title is misleading. Maybe, Paris, 1937 to 1947 and then the descriptive words. Far more details about the people than I was expecting.
Learned a great deal about French politics of that era which was enlightening.
January 15, 2025
Paris, from the German Occupation in 1940 to its Liberation in 1944, was divided between collaborators, Resistance fighters, victims, and those who sat on the sidelines … this book tells their stories, at least what is known of them … arresting in its detail ..,
October 20, 2024
What a most boring book having all the possible faults in it. In two words: skip it!
October 23, 2024
Can really learn a lot about this time.
November 27, 2024
this was interesting . Non-fiction Alan Furst.
February 4, 2025
I did not find this book particularly interesting.
February 16, 2025
One of the finest WWII I've read, and I've read a lot...
February 20, 2025
Excellent book about 1944 in Paris towards in end of ww2.
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