14. French Saboteurs Kept Hitler From Enjoying Paris From Atop the Eiffel Tower
Throughout his life, Adolf Hitler fancied himself a man of art and architecture. Growing up, his greatest hope had been to gain admission to the prestigious Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, and the rejection of his application was the most devastating setback of his youth. So when Paris fell to the German Blitzkrieg in the summer of 1940, Hitler hurried to the captured French capital to savor his victory, and to savor the City of Lights’ art and architecture.
The Fuhrer sought to gaze at a captive Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower, but patriotic Frenchmen decided to deprive them of that satisfaction. So they severed the cables for the tower’s elevators. Without an elevator, reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower would have required a strenuous climb of 1500 steps. Hitler, in his 50s and not in the best of shape, decided to forego the pleasure. So instead of viewing Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower, the Nazi leader had to settle for having photos taken of him, with Paris’ iconic symbol in the background.
