When the Allied Free French 2nd Armoured Division under the command of General Leclerc entered Paris on the 24th of August 1944 to liberate the city, French Resistance groups united as French Forces of the Interior (FFI) had already organised themselves into strongholds, thrown up barricades and were involved in heavy street fighting, trying to pin down the German forces in the city. Chaos reigned as the 9th Company of the Régiment de Marche du Tchad, reached the city center in the evening, sparking the citizens of Paris to celebrate their liberation, while German tanks attacked the FFI strongholds and barricades in the streets in an attempt to break free and flee the city. The following day the 9th Company engaged German strongholds at the Chamber of Deputies, the Hôtel Majestic and the Place de la Concorde. The fighting was bloody and claimed many lives; an estimated 500 civilians, 1,000 members of the FFI and 100 soldiers of the Free French Forces were killed in the week-long battle. On the German side, an estimated 3200 soldiers lost their lives.
Even after the official German surrender of Paris on the 25th of August by General Dietrich von Choltitz, street skirmishes took place for days after, especially around the Tuileries and the Place de la Concorde. On the 26th German snipers unwilling to surrender opened fire on the celebrating crowds at the Place de la Concorde, from the rooftops of the Hôtel de Crillon, during De Gaulle’s victory march.
10 Memorial plaques
In the outside wall of the Jardin des Tuileries along the Rue de Rivoli, touching the northeast corner of Place de la Concorde you can find these ten memorial plaques for victims fallen during the Liberation of Paris. They all fell on the 25th of August 1944 in the immediate area of the Place de la Concorde, the day of the official German surrender. Underneath the plaques are niches that provide room for flowers or wreaths during commemorations.
The memorial plaques list the following names:
- Raymond Mestracci
Sergeant of the 3rd Régiment de Marche du Tchad (3e RMT) in the 2e DB. Age 26. Killed on 25 Aug 1944. - Lopez-Ros
Full name; Antonio Lopez-Ros. Soldier 2nd Class of the 3rd Régiment de Marche du Tchad”. Died on 25 Aug 1944 during the combat in Paris. - Madeleine Brinet
Nurse with the French Red Cross. Age 29. On 25 Aug she crossed Rue de Rivoli under fire together with Jean-Claude Touche to help a wounded fighter and was killed instantly by German fire. - Georges Fontaine
Caporal-chef, Régiment de Marche du Tchad. Killed on 25 Aug 1944 in the fighting around Place de la Concorde / Rue de Rivoli. - Jean-Claude Touche
Volunteer nurse/Red Cross in 8th arrondissement. Age 18. On 25 Aug he was mortally wounded on Rue de Rivoli near Place de la Concorde by German machine-gun fire and died in hospital on 29 Aug 1944. - Michel Mouchet
Adjudant of the Paris fire-brigade (sapeurs-pompiers). Age 38. Killed on 25 Aug 1944 near the Place de la Concorde. - Guy Lecomte
Member of the FFI (French Forces of the Interior) of the 1st arrondissement. Age 21. Killed in the fighting on 25 Aug 1944. - Georges Bailly
Student in pharmacy. Age 24. At start of the battle of Paris he volunteered as stretcher-bearer/medic; later took up arms. On 25 Aug, near Place de la Concorde/rue de Rivoli he was hit by a burst of fire and died. - Pierre Laigle
Caporal-chef, char (tank) commander with 2e Division Blindée (“Villers-Cotterêts” tank). Age 31. Killed by sniper fire on 25 Aug 1944 in Paris. - Marcel Bizien
Tank-commander (char “Douaumont”) with the 2e DB. Killed on 25 Aug 1944 in the combat around Place de la Concorde as the column entered Paris.
The plaque specifically reads: “Here fell heroically on 25th August 1944, Marcel Bizien tank commander of the 2nd DB of General Leclerc after having attacked and destroyed a German Tiger Tank.“
Visit
The memorial is easy to pass unnoticed. You can find it opposite of 254 Rue de Rivoli across the street in the outer wall of the Tuileries garden. Use our marker to find the exact position.
The cover photo of 1944 was taken very nearby to the memorial, on the northeast corner of the Place de la Concorde. To find the exact location; the street lights are still there along the curved sidewalk.
More information
https://graphics.france24.com/paris-liberation-france-occupation-august-1944/
https://museedelaresistanceenligne.org/media4967-Mmorial-de-la-Concorde-Paris-VIIIe
https://www.francaislibres.net/
