Paris Under Nazi Occupation

When German forces marched into Paris in 1940, they imposed a total blackout at night and strict rationing. While the city remained physically intact, life became a dark, hungry struggle as basic supplies vanished.

During the four years of occupation, the lights of Paris were famously extinguished to prevent Allied bombers from finding targets. Citizens faced severe shortages of food, coal, and clothing, forcing a million residents to flee to the countryside just to survive. The government relocated to Vichy, leaving the capital under the control of both German military command and local collaborators. News was entirely controlled by propaganda, turning the City of Light into a hushed and shadowed version of its former self.