Liberation of Paris

The Liberation of Paris took place from August 19 to August 25, 1944, as Allied forces advanced through France following the D-Day landings. Resistance fighters in Paris, along with civilians, began an uprising against the German occupiers, seeking to reclaim the city before it could be destroyed.

The Free French 2nd Armored Division, under General Philippe Leclerc, and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division entered the city on August 24, joining the resistance in fighting the remaining German forces. After intense street battles, the German commander, General Dietrich von Choltitz, defied orders to destroy the city and surrendered on August 25.

The liberation of Paris was a major symbolic victory, boosting Allied morale and marking the beginning of the end of German occupation in France. It also restored a significant cultural and political center to the Allies, strengthening the momentum toward victory in Europe.

5 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 4

Complexity:

Conditions:

Countryside

Context:

Historical

Location:

France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western Front

Campaign

Codename

Summary:

The Allies vastly outnumber the Axis in this scenario. Their objective is to reach the three town hexes on the outskirts, which are permanent medal objectives. But first they have to get past the forest in the center, and the German defenses made up of sandbagged troops, barbwire, and artillery.

Objectives:

5 VP’s, plus the Allies have three towns available to them as Permanent Medal Objectives.

Battlefield:

Countryside with a lot of forests, and the outskirts of Paris at the Axis side of the field.

Troops:

Allies – 6 Infantry, 8 Armor

Axis – 4 Infantry, 2 Armo, 2 Artillery

Allied Strategy:

1. You have a lot of tanks. Use them. You should be able to very quickly take out the infantry behind the sandbags and move down to the towns to scoop up our Permanent Objective Medals.

2. The Battle Reports for this scenario heavily favor the Allies, so if you are playing both sides in a full game, make sure to capture all you can while you are playing the Allies.

3. As Allies, it really comes down to the battle on your strong left flank. You have to break through the blockade of the enemy sandbagged infantry and the defending armor unit. The more quickly you break through, the more likely the win. But if the Axis are able to make you pay dearly with two or more units to break through, the game odds may even out.

Axis Strategy:

1. This is mostly a defensive game for the Axis. Keep your infantry behind the sandbags, and maximize the use of your armor and artillery to slow down the enemy advance.

2. At a certain point, you may need to move your infantry into the towns in order to make it more difficult for the Allies to capture those Permanent Objective Medals. Remember, once they get one, they can leave the town and go for the next Objective.

3. It generally seems to be a mistake to move one of your armor to C5 between your two infantry, in an attempt to get some easy hits on the enemy no-retreat infantry on the second row. You may get as much as three hits. However, in most cases, the Allies are able to bring forward two to four armor units and target all their forces on your lone armor hex, resulting in a quick VP for the enemy.

Battle Reports (percentage of Allied victories):
75%