Paris Burns 1944

Kai-Petri · #1 (**permalink**) January 28th, 2004, 09:04 PM

General von Choltiz had been made Military Governor of Paris, and instructions from Hitler to burn Paris to the ground.

What if Paris had faced the same end as Warsaw in 1944? Would Ike get the sack? Would de Gaulle commit suicide? Would Hitler dance like June 1940?

Friedrich · #2 (**permalink**) January 28th, 2004, 09:27 PM

One of Hitler's orders was specifically to blow the Eiffel tower so it'll collapse onto the Seine river, making it more defendable...

But I really don't know what would have happened to Eisenhower or the Allies... maybe a severe decrease on popularity... Things really not significant.

But I think it is completely out of question to state the damage which could have been made on Mankind's patrimony and universal culture! One of the most —if not the— beautiful cities in the world, along with her historical buildings, streets, museums, works of art, technology... being reduced to ashes! [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

Thank God for Von Choltitz disobedience!

Friedrich · #3 (**permalink**) January 28th, 2004, 09:28 PM

One of Hitler's orders was specifically to blow the Eiffel tower so it'll collapse onto the Seine river, making it more defendable...

But I really don't know what would have happened to Eisenhower or the Allies... maybe a severe decrease on popularity... Things really not significant.

But I think it is completely out of question to state the damage which could have been made on Mankind's patrimony and universal culture! One of the most —if not the— beautiful cities in the world, along with her historical buildings, streets, museums, works of art, technology... being reduced to ashes! [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

Thank God for Von Choltitz disobedience!

Friedrich · #4 (**permalink**) January 28th, 2004, 09:28 PM

One of Hitler's orders was specifically to blow the Eiffel tower so it'll collapse onto the Seine river, making it more defendable...

But I really don't know what would have happened to Eisenhower or the Allies... maybe a severe decrease on popularity... Things really not significant.

But I think it is completely out of question to state the damage which could have been made on Mankind's patrimony and universal culture! One of the most —if not the— beautiful cities in the world, along with her historical buildings, streets, museums, works of art, technology... being reduced to ashes! [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

Thank God for Von Choltitz disobedience!

Friedrich · #5 (**permalink**) January 28th, 2004, 09:29 PM

One of Hitler's orders was specifically to blow the Eiffel tower so it'll collapse onto the Seine river, making it more defendable...

But I really don't know what would have happened to Eisenhower or the Allies... maybe a severe decrease on popularity... Things really not significant.

But I think it is completely out of question to state the damage which could have been made on Mankind's patrimony and universal culture! One of the most —if not the— beautiful cities in the world, along with her historical buildings, streets, museums, works of art, technology... being reduced to ashes! [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]

Thank God for Von Choltitz disobedience!

Black Cat · #6 (**permalink**) January 29th, 2004, 02:25 AM

Did the German army have the capacity to destroy Paris even if they wanted to in 1944? Perhaps some landmarks could have been burned or blown up, and some infrastructure, but would this have had any beneficial effect to the German military?

An interesting "what if" is what would have happened had the French/British military decided to fight in Paris as did the Russians with their major cities rather than retreat and declare the city open? Yes Paris may have been seriously damaged physically but could the German military have won such a battle? Could the Seine have been a line of defence akin to that of the Volga? Could France have held out rather than sign an armistice? Could the desparation of war in Paris have brought the US sooner into the war?

Black Cat · #7 (**permalink**) January 29th, 2004, 02:26 AM

Did the German army have the capacity to destroy Paris even if they wanted to in 1944? Perhaps some landmarks could have been burned or blown up, and some infrastructure, but would this have had any beneficial effect to the German military?

An interesting "what if" is what would have happened had the French/British military decided to fight in Paris as did the Russians with their major cities rather than retreat and declare the city open? Yes Paris may have been seriously damaged physically but could the German military have won such a battle? Could the Seine have been a line of defence akin to that of the Volga? Could France have held out rather than sign an armistice? Could the desparation of war in Paris have brought the US sooner into the war?

Black Cat · #8 (**permalink**) January 29th, 2004, 02:26 AM

An interesting "what if" is what would have happened had the French/British military decided to fight in Paris as did the Russians with their major cities rather than retreat and declare the city open? Yes Paris may have been seriously damaged physically but could the German military have won such a battle? Could the Seine have been a line of defence akin to that of the Volga? Could France have held out rather than sign an armistice? Could the desparation of war in Paris have brought the US sooner into the war?

PzJgr · #9 (**permalink**) January 29th, 2004, 01:47 PM

It would have changed the allied thought of taking Berlin.

Carl G. E. von Mannerheim · #10 (**permalink**) January 31st, 2004, 12:55 AM

Paris would be a better place than it is today.

France wouldve started anew after the war

Vermillion · #11 (**permalink**) February 2nd, 2004, 03:13 PM

ASIDE: The Hitler dance was actually a fabrication, a propaganda spoof which tried to make him look silly. In fact, he simply stamped his foot to punctuate a point and this bit of film was looped over backwards and forwards by a Canadian propagandist (who's name escapes me) to make it tlook like he was doing some absurd dance.