August 26th, 1944: my godfather was among the liberators of Paris.
Martin ZANI
"His" M10 tank-destroyer
August 1944, North of Beauvais
In these days of the 82nd Anniversary of the Liberation of Paris, I am publishing this tribute to my dearest godfather. With my grandparents I called him Don Martin; to me he was always Uncle Martin.
During World War II, he served as a tank-destroyer crewman. In the second photo 2 crew members standing on his M10. The photo was taken in 1944, two months after the Allied landings at Omaha Beach.
With his unit he advanced ahead of the French 2nd Armored Division (2e DB) of Marshal Leclerc. Their mission was to eliminate German panzers and clear the way for the French forces on the road to liberate Paris.
I dedicated a song to him and to my godmother in the Blog of this site, at the date of August 26th, 2026:
Click here: 🎙🎼🎶🕺💃
