Is it true that the Allies didn't care about Paris?

I was watching a documentary called The World Wars and the claim is made by French historian Jean Yves Les Naour that after the D-Day landings and during the speedy invasion of France, the Allied leadership, save for De Gaulle (for obvious reasons), didn't see Paris as a valuable target and they didn't want to liberate it because they were worried that there would be fighting in the streets, so De Gaulle had to pressure the Allies into helping him free Paris. Les Naour even goes as far as to say quote 'the Americans couldn't care less about Paris'.

Does this have any basis in fact or is this just French nationalist boasting?
 

Ian_W

Banned
Capturing Paris isn't anywhere near as important as destroying the German army.

Getting caught up in street fighting in Paris lets a lot of Germans escape.
 
The best thing that happened during th he liberation of Paris was the refusal of the German commander to attempt to destroy the city. A tall order in any case
 
Tactically or operationally in August the immediate objective was to pursue and run down as many Germans as possible. Paris represented a 'sticky' point that would bog down and corps sent to it. If the Germans choose to defend it a Allied corps with reinforcements would be tied down, along with lots of French civilian and Allied soldiers becoming casualties. By passing Paris avoided all that and would pocket any Germans stupid enough to dawdle there.

Strategically Paris was essential. It was THE communications hub of northern France. Railways, automotive roads, telephone and telegraph all revolved around Paris. Maintaining the US 12th Army Group east of Paris required the use of Paris. Paris also had industry and a skilled work force needed to run all that, and to provide other essential services or assistance to the Allied armies. The sooner Paris is secured and functioning again the better for the Allied armies.

So, for tactical reasons it was useful to delay the capture of Paris for another week or more. For strategic reasons it needed to be in Allied hands as swiftly as possible.
 
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