Paris commemorates 80th anniversary of liberation in WWII

PARIS:

Paris on Sunday celebrated the 80th anniversary of its liberation from German troops in World War II with tributes, military marches and the hoisting of a flag at the Eiffel Tower.

On August 25, 1944, the 2nd French Armoured Division entered the capital under the command of General Philippe Leclerc de Hautecloque, ending 1,500 days of German occupation.

Their triumphant arrival followed a tumultuous week of strikes, combat at barricades and street battles between French Resistance fighters and occupying forces.

On Sunday a parade, which organisers said was both "military and popular", was to follow one of the itineraries of the French division from the south of the capital to its centre.

President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to speak at a ceremony at the end of the march before an audience including prominent cultural figures, including American actor Jodie Foster, and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo.

A torch for the Paris Paralympics, which open Wednesday, will be lit, followed by a flyover by the Patrouille de France, a unit of French air force fighter planes.

Earlier Sunday, the French flag was raised under the Eiffel Tower in memory of firefighters who at midday 80 years ago took down the Nazi flag that had been flying there for four years, and replaced it with the tricolour.

Sunday's events were the culmination of a week of festivities in and around the capital.

On Saturday, there was a tribute to the 160 men of "La Nueve", mostly made up of Spanish republican forces, who were the first to enter Paris on the evening of August 24. On Saturday night, Paris city hall was the venue for a brass band performance, a concert and a dance.