one approaching the city from the southwest, made up primarily of leclerk's second armored division. the other approaching paris directly from the south, made up primarily of the u.s. 4th infantry with the spearhead of french forces. the following day, when general coltits was receiving his field of ruin orders from berlin, the french second armored division was about 120 miles outside of paris, and they set up that morning for paris. 16,000 men, 200 sherman tanks, hundreds of other vehicles, all moving in column. a journalist that was traveling with leclerk's force wrote, in the heart of every frenchman, here there is a name, a goal, paris. paris. paris. and by the evening of that day, the two columns, leclerk's force and the u.s. 4th infantry division, were on the very outskirts of paris. they had met minimal resistance and there was hope the germans were going to evacuate the city, save additional casualties and spare paris that had suffered so much misery and destruction for four years all of that heartache. the following morning, on august 24th, a very light summer rain was fall