It was led by Captain Raymond Dronne, a veteran of the North African campaigns who had been ordered by Leclerc to return to Paris on 24 August. It included an engineer section, two infantry sections supported by 10 half-tracks, and a platoon of 3 medium tanks. The 130 men in the column included those of the 9th company of the 3/RMT, nicknamed ‘La Nueve’ because most of its members were Spanish republicans who had fought valiantly against Franco. The other soldiers were mainly French, but there were also anti-fascists from all over Europe, Blackfoot Jews and even a German. The Colonne Dronne made its way through Paris, reaching the Porte d’Italie at 8.45pm, then the Hôtel de Ville at 9.22pm, where it was welcomed by the CNR and CPL headquarters. A few minutes later, she stopped off at the Préfecture de Police, where she was met by Parodi, Luizet and Chaban-Delmas, high-ranking officials of the Paris underground appointed by de Gaulle. At 10.15pm, the resistance fighter Pierre Schaeffer called on all the priests in the capital to ring their church bells. The following day would complete the liberation of France’s capital.
