HITLER’S VISIT TO PARIS: JUNE 1940 After a series of articles on Babi yar and Ukraine, I have finally finished the first one from my FRANCE 2019 journey. This historical research is devoted to Adolf Hitler’s only visit to Paris in June 1940, a pretext and consequences. In wider means, I invite you to deepen into the story of the Fall of France, the occupation of Paris, and the trip of the German retinue next to Hitler. I have used merely 70 books, from Kershaw to Longerich, from Speer to Herman Giesler’s memoirs, a number of books on Paris, and particularly the occupation, biographies of Napoleon: all to put together this exhaustively detailed 14 000-word article (my largest to date). The cross-examination of the sources made it clearer the exact day of the visit and Hitler’s entourage: generally misinterpreted issues. As always, dozens of archival and my own photos from the locations, a map with markings for your own journies. I would greatly appreciate your feedback on the material, as it gives me the enthusiasm to keep traveling, researching, and writing. I wish you good historical books and journeys. https://war-documentary.info/hitler-in-paris-june-1940/
A first class comprehensive account of Hitler's visit to Paris. A capital he greatly admired and yet gave an order for it to be destroyed a little over four years later. Apart from the military aspect, it was an opportunity for Hitler to admire its beauty and plan for a city that would surpass Paris, his new capital of the Third Reich, Germania, which would be developed from Berlin based on his ideas, as the client, with the architectural expertise of Speer to accomplish it. There would appear to be only one category of person that Hitler would defer to and that was the art masters but above all was Speer, the supreme architect whose works reflected Hitler's taste and intended legacy. It has been established that Hitler would not defer to his military leadership after all he knew all about the conflict of war for he could remind them of his experience on the battlefield. (Some historians have likened the situation to Hitler being the best General the Allies possessed) Even In the death throes of the Third Reich, Hitler was still thinking about his legacy and was addressing his architectural design requirements with Speer for Linz, pouring over models of the new city to be.
Thank you for your time, have been invested in reading. I am aware, that my articles are generally 'too large' and far from a historical summary. At the same time, the work, the process itself brings me joy.
Another excellent article, Maksym. Not sure I've ever read such depth on the visit, and the map brings a lot of clarity.