Summary of Ronald C. Rosbottom's When Paris Went Dark

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 When Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, feverish diplomatic efforts were engaged to obviate the treaty obligations that would force Britain and France to come to her defense. The French had increased their already large army to about 2. 5 million men. They pushed past their own Maginot Line in eastern France and moved cautiously a few kilometers into Germany, where they met little resistance. #2 The French government, headed by Philippe Pétain, confirmed an armistice with Germany in 1939. The decision was not welcomed by everyone, but most French were confident that this political arrangement with Germany would only be necessary for a limited period. #3 As Parisians awaited the results of their defense pact with Poland, they experienced anxiety, but not yet dread, and they were alienated from their familiar environment. They felt like they were living in the infinite, and they wanted to mitigate their impatience at having to live in the present. #4 The waiting was one of the most enervating aspects of the Paris during the war, especially after the Germans arrived. It would not end until Allied tanks were seen on the outskirts of Paris in late August of 1944.