The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 1204: Chapter 900: The Fall of Paris Chapter 1204: Chapter 900: The Fall of Paris As time entered October 1936, the dreaded event still occurred, France’s capital, Paris, officially fell.

However, there was also a piece of good news, France had truly shed its bad reputation in history and was no longer the butt of jokes for surrendering before Paris fell.

Of course, the Germans paid a heavy price to breach Paris.

Britain, France, Australia, and Germany amassed over 4 million military troops near Paris. After a complete Battle of Paris, the losses of the four countries exceeded half, with close to 1 million British-French-Australian forces retreating south near Orleans.

The German attackers suffered even more dreadful losses, with the number of soldiers killed exceeding 800,000, nearly reaching a state where everyone was wounded.

The four nations had deployed over 5,000 airplanes in total in the vicinity of Paris, with more than 1,500 destroyed and over 2,000 damaged.

Although the warfare around Paris had ceased, remnants and ruins caused by the war could still be seen almost everywhere, turning what was once a thriving urban city into a living hell due to the lingering smoke of gunfire.

Just how severe was it? The troop casualties reported were rough figures; in this war, it was impossible to tally the exact number of casualties.

That’s because every so often, a large number of soldiers would fall en route during a charge or defense, with the casualty figures continuously ticking upwards.

It was only after retreating near Orleans that Australasia took stock of their forces. Of the nearly 800,000 combat troops, only about 300,000 managed to evacuate successfully.

Of these, 150,000 were native Australasian forces, with the remaining 150,000 coming from the Philippines and Kalimantan armies.

This signified that in the defense of Paris alone, the losses of Australasia approached 500,000, which was an incredibly staggering number.

As the British-French-Australian forces regrouped their defenses near Orleans after the retreat, the German Army had already massively occupied Paris and declared martial law.

Although the French Government had already evacuated south to Tours before the German troops entered Paris, this did nothing to change Paris’s influence over the entirety of France, nor the status of Paris in the hearts of the German and French people.

On the morning of October 14th, the German 18th Army Group officially took station in Paris. Commander-in-Chief Bock held a grand parade ceremony on the Champs-Elysees.

The once bustling and lively urban city, at this moment, transformed into a silent expanse of ruins and a dead city. Apart from the German soldiers maintaining order, few French civilians were seen.

Before the fall of the city, most Parisians had already fled to the suburbs or countryside, while a small number hid in their own homes, fearful of being discovered by the German Army.

Although European nations claim to be civilized countries, none are truly completely civilized once tainted with the word war.

Even Germany, after conquering an enemy’s capital, inevitably conducted some acts of retaliation.

Especially with the decades-old hatred between France and Germany, it was not surprising that Germany would commit uncivilized acts after capturing Paris.

Before the parade ceremony, the German Army had already completely replaced the tricolor French flags hanging throughout Paris.

The flag of the German Empire took the place of the French tricolor and was hoisted at the summit of the Eiffel Tower, at French Government Departments, Paris City Hall, and the French Parliament.

Events unfolded just as the French people had anticipated. After capturing Paris, the German Army immediately began their acts of retaliation.

They strictly controlled the remaining civilians in Paris, and some German soldiers even committed public indecencies against French women on the streets.

On the afternoon of October 14th, the German Army returned to the Compiegne Forest.

This forest was quite special; over 20 years earlier, it was where the German Empire surrendered to France and its Allied Forces.

More than 20 years later, the Germans came back to this forest, with obviously mixed emotions.

In a clearing of this forest stood a victory monument that the French had erected after World War I, with the carving of a fallen German eagle on it.

Next to the victory monument was the bust of Marshal Felix.

Marshal Felix’s great name was well-known in France.

He participated in numerous battles during World War I and, after the war ended, received the military ranks of marshal from the three countries of Britain, France, and Poland.

Such achievements were naturally not within the reach of ordinary people. As one of World War I’s most famous French commanders, Felix had been commemorated by the people of France to this day.

Instead of destroying Felix’s bust, the French had erected a new statue of the German Chancellor in front of it.

After a brief stay in Paris, the German Army launched a new offensive, heading straight for Orleans to the south of Paris.

The current situation was vastly different from what had transpired in history. Historically, France had already prepared to surrender before the fall of Paris.

They had even created the humorous assertion that Paris could never be conquered by foreigners before France’s surrender, pinning themselves permanently to the pillar of shame.

Now, although Paris had been conquered, the Germans, too, had paid a heavy price.

Moreover, the military government had already moved south to Tours. Not only had France no intention of surrendering, but they had also decided to resolutely resist Germany.

Even if Tours were conquered, further south were large cities like Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Marseille to relocate to.

Although France’s territory was not large, the possibility to delay the Germans by constantly establishing defensive lines was still achievable.