Prussian Siege of Paris 1871

[IrishGunner]

Since there is not a Franco-Prussian War forum, I thought I'd put this here...

This was from today's online edition of the UK's Guardian; this day in military history:

"On 28 January 1871 Paris surrendered to the Prussians ending the Franco-Prussian war. Paris, under siege for over four months, had been heavily bombarded. This photograph, with the Arc de Triomphe in the distance, shows the destruction along the Champs-Elysees. The exact date is unknown, but it is thought to have been taken during the Paris Commune in March 1871."

[Paul H2]

Interesting photo. The decision to bombard Paris was not taken lightly, and was only initiated after the city had been invested for four months--and after serious wrangling between Bismarck and Moltke. Once the Prussians started using their big guns the city surrendered in a few days.

Paul