Читать книгу We Were Young and at War: The first-hand story of young lives lived and lost in World War Two - Sarah Wallis - Страница 43

Very tired but things are getting better. Marie-France, my cousin, has cheered me up. She is very nice. If only there were Tommies here, then I really would be happy! There are no more air raids and I miss them because we are constantly just waiting for them to arrive, and I hate waiting.

Yesterday Paris was declared an open city; today the Bosches are fighting all around it. Our troops are pulling out. It’s crazy how many men they have! The situation is hopeless but I’m sure we’ll win. They put up their stupid posters: ‘We will win because we are stronger.’ But that’s not true. We will win because it’s not possible that God will allow the killers of small children to win control.

That day, 14 June, a month after first breaking through the French defences, German troops entered Paris without a fight. The government had fled, declaring the capital an ‘open city’ to prevent it being reduced to ruins. The first German soldiers to reach the city centre planted Swastika flags on the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. As Herbert Veigel’s division advanced further across France, he was able to write letters home during brief rest periods.