June 1945 General Dwight D. Eisenhower Receives Hero’s Welcome in Liberated Paris Original TYPE 1 Photo

Less than six weeks after Germany’s surrender ended the war in Europe, General Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to Paris on June 14, 1945, where he received a tremendous welcome from the people of the recently liberated French capital. As Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, Eisenhower had directed the Allied invasion of Normandy and the campaign across Western Europe that ultimately brought about Nazi Germany’s defeat.

During the celebration, Eisenhower traveled along the Champs-Élysées as crowds of Parisians lined the famous avenue to honor the Allied commander. Riding with Eisenhower was French General Joseph Pierre Kœnig, who had commanded the French Forces of the Interior during the liberation of France.

What makes this photograph particularly striking is the backdrop. Behind Eisenhower and Kœnig remains a large Nazi swastika and SS insignia, remnants of the German occupation of Paris. The image creates a remarkable visual contrast between the symbols of the defeated Nazi regime and Eisenhower being welcomed by the citizens of liberated Paris.

Paris had endured more than four years of German occupation before its liberation in August 1944. By June 1945, Hitler was dead, Germany had surrendered unconditionally, and Eisenhower was returning not as a wartime commander directing an invasion, but as one of the principal figures responsible for Allied victory in Europe.

Offered is this historic approximately 7" x 9" original Associated Press photograph showing General Dwight D. Eisenhower waving to the crowds along the Champs-Élysées on June 14, 1945, with General Joseph Pierre Kœnig standing beside him. The original Associated Press paper caption remains attached to the reverse and identifies Associated Press photographer William C. Allen as the photographer working with the wartime still picture pool.