Eiffel Tower: V for Verloren

Posted on by Thor

During the WWII German occupation of Paris (1940–1944), the Eiffel Tower became a symbol of resistance and a key military asset. French patriots cut the elevator cables to force Nazis to climb the stairs. In 1940 German soldiers had to climb to the top to hoist the swastika, but the flag was so large it blew away just a few hours later and was replaced by a smaller one. Later the Nazis used the tower for television and radio transmissions. The Germans hung a massive “V” (for Viktoria) on the tower which refer to Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1858–1921), the last German Empress and Queen of Prussia as the wife of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Had the Germans wanted to proclaim victory, they would have put a large S for Sieg. Adolph Hitler had a painting of Prussian King Frederick the Great by Anton Graff in his Berlin underground bunker. However Hitler despised the monarchy believing they caused the defeat of Germany in World War One.

Parisians interpreted it to mean “Victoire” (Victory). The Allied V-for-Victory cliché became so popular as a morale raiser that the enemy had to adopt to it. The propaganda officers just changed Sieg to Viktoria. The Nazis chose to believe that the use of V’s by civilians was a sign of support for Germany.

In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike. Multiple temples were erected in her honor. Winged figures, very often in pairs, representing victory were common in Roman official iconography

The Nazis just used Viktoria because it had to start with V, and the V originally meant “V for victory” when Winston Churchill used it, so they probably needed something similar in order to not make it too obvious. When the Germans started their campaign, Churchill noted that they probably meant “verloren”, German for defeat.

The French resistance would often alter one letter to these type of banners and the message was transformed to Deutschland Liegt auf allen Fronten – Germans lie on every front line.

In 1944, American pilot Bill Overstreet reportedly flew his P-51 Mustang under the arches of the tower while chasing a German plane.

In August 1944, during the German retreat, Hitler ordered military governor Dietrich von Choltitz to destroy the tower and other landmarks, but the order was disobeyed. The tower survived, and the French flag was raised again on August 25, 1944.

Paris France: Place des Vosges

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While I was in Paris France, I thought it might be nice to sketch with the Paris Urban Sketchers, so I put out a request to see if they would be sketching the city while I was there. Sure enough they had a sketching event the week I was in the city.

While the surrounding neighborhood was heavily impacted by the persecution of the Jewish community, the square itself stayed largely intact. Place des Vosges is a perfect square, 150 yards by 150 yards. It is modeled on the piazzas that were appearing in Rome and Florence at the end of the 16th century, Place des Vosges itself became a model for the many squares that subsequently appeared in other European cities.

Place des Vosges in Paris did not suffer significant, lasting damage during WWII, as the city was largely spared from widespread destruction. While Adolph Hitler ordered the city to be left as a “field of ruins” in 1944, German General Dietrich von Choltitz disobeyed these orders to demolish key monuments and landmarks. Although explosives were placed under bridges and monuments, they were not detonated. While skirmishes occurred, particularly during the liberation in August 1944, the historic center and structures like those in Place des Vosges remained intact.

French author Victor Hugo, whose house is now a museum, once lived at Place des Vosges. His most famous works are the novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862). Victor’s home is in my sketch in the corner of the square.

The last time I was at Place des Vosges, an immaculately stylish couple was dancing flamenco under the arched colonnade that runs around the square. On this day however there was the constant treat of rain. I arrived a bit early and started sketching before the other Urban Sketchers arrived. About 5 or 6 sketchers gathered as I was working away. Another tourist like myself had decided to take time to sketch. She spoke English so I had someone to chat with when the sketchers gathered afterwards in a café to compare sketches. At one point the rain got heavy enough that I ran for cover under the colonnade. I used that time to put down a few watercolor washes. When the rain let up, I returned to my spot in the park.

I was most fascinated by the heavily manicured trees that surround the square. They are cut into perfect cubes and without their leaves, they were perfectly shapes spiky boxes. I had fun sketching the menacing chaos of the branches. A few children were playing in the square and I got a compliment in French from a group pf boys. I don’t know what they said, but I assume it was a compliment. I responded with a Merci and thumbs up.

In the cafe afterwards, the artists were more intrigued by my tiny sketch stool than the sketch. They opened it up and set it up to sit in the café. There is a real sense of excitement that comes from meeting artists from another part of the world. I need to travel more often.

Charles de Gaulle

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In August of 1944, Paris, which had been occupied by German troops for 4 years, was liberated by the joint action of the Resistance, the French Forces of the Interior, General Leclerc ‘s 2nd Armored Division and the Allied troops sent by General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

On Saturday, August 25, 1944, at 4pm, Charles de Gaulle triumphantly arrived in Paris, liberated from the German occupiers but battered by the many confrontations of the previous days. It was the General’s grand return to the city he had left four years earlier. General Charles de Gaulle had fled to London. From there, he refused to accept the armistice, establishing the Free French movement to resist the occupation from exile.

In Paris, Charles de Gaulle stopping at the Ministry of War, from which he had left on the night of June 10, 1940, and at the Préfecture de Police. From there he walked to Hôtel de Ville where, at around 7pm on the square in front he delivered an impromptu speech to a crowd gathered.

“Why should we conceal the emotion that grips all of us, men and women, who are here, at home, in Paris standing up to liberate itself and who knew how to do it with their own hands. No! we will not conceal this deep and sacred emotion. There are minutes there that surpass each of our poor lives.

Paris! Paris outraged! Paris broken! Paris martyred! But Paris liberated! Liberated by itself, liberated by its people with the help of the armies of France, with the support and help of the whole of France, the France that fights, the only France, the true France, the eternal France…”

On August 26, 1944, General Charles de Gaulle led a triumphant liberation march down the Champs-Élysées in Paris, marking the end of four years of Nazi occupation. Following the city’s surrender, he walked from the Arc de Triomphe where he rekindled the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before descending the avenue on foot toward Notre-Dame, Crowds of nearly two million Parisians filled the streets,

De Gaulle’s march was a crucial act of “political theater” designed to assert French sovereignty and restore the Republic with the Free French at the forefront. The march occurred one day after the formal surrender of German forces in Paris, which was negotiated by Dietrich von Choltitz, who defied Adolph Hitler‘s orders to destroy the city. The celebration was interrupted by scattered sniper fire from Germans who were still holding out. Though the crowd scattered, de Gaulle  refused to take cover, he continued the march unfazed. He famously dismissing the sniper fire as “buffoonery.” The procession ended with a solemn service at Notre-Dame Cathedral, further sealing the day’s symbolic weight.

De Gaulle ensured that the Free French, not the Allies, stood at the forefront of liberation. De Gaulle had convinced General Dright D Eisenhower to have French troops play the primary role in liberating Paris on August 25, 1944.

Winston Churchill

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This statue of  Winston Churchill by Jean Cardot was inaugurated in the grounds of the Petit Palais on the Avenue Winston Churchill in Paris France. The 10 foot high statue was funded by 3,000 donations totaling the equivalent of £250,000. It is based on a photograph of Churchill marching with De Gaulle down the Champs-Élysées on November 11, 1944. This one of the few statues of a foreigner in Paris.

Winston Churchill made several high-profile visits to the Western Front to witness the final Allied push into Germany. Key events included the Yalta Conference in February 1945, crossing the Rhine River with Montgomery on March 25, 1945, inspecting the Siegfried Line, and touring the ruined city of Berlin Germany in July 1945. He attended the start of the Potsdam Conference in July. He also toured the ruins of Berlin and Hitler’s bunker in July before losing the general election. These visits were designed to sculpt the post war world, boost morale, show defiance, and directly observe the collapse of the Nazi regime.

Churchill led Britain to victory in Europe in May 1945 but was stunningly removed from office months later. Despite high personal popularity, voters favored the Labour Party’s platform for social reform, resulting in his resignation on July 26, 1945, after a landslide election defeat. Churchill called the transition from war time leader to opposition leader an “anticlimax”. After Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party suffered a landslide defeat in the July 1945 general election, King George VI offered  him the Order of the Garter, the highest honor of knighthood in the King’s honor’s system. Churchill declined the honor, famously remarking that he could not accept it because the British people had just given him “the order of the boot”.

Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin gathered in Potsdam, near the heavily bombed Berlin, to discuss the end of the war in the Pacific and the fate of the postwar world. After nine meetings over eight days, and with another week of the conference remaining, Churchill had to return to London for the results of the general election. Millions of British servicemen were casting their ballots from overseas. Churchill’s personal physician, left most of Churchill’s baggage behind in anticipation of a swift return. The opposing Labor party won the election in a sweeping victory. To add insult to injury, a large majority of the service vote went for Labour, deserting the man who had led them for five years and sung their praises in historic speeches. Churchill did not return to Potsdam. He had led Britain through its darkest hours and achieved final victory only to be booted from office.