"Is Paris burning?" Adolf Hitler, having ordered the levelling of Paris to a "pile of rubble", supposedly kept asking that question in August 1944. Chief among the city's marvels he wished to see in flames was Notre-Dame de Paris.
The mediaeval cathedral, of course, was not burning. Intact, it instead welcomed Charles de Gaulle on Aug 26, when the commander of the Free French Forces and de facto president of France led a victory march from the Arc de Triomphe to Notre-Dame.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you