In August 1944, as the Nazis were losing control of occupied Paris, Adolf Hitler commanded his generals to level the city and plans were drawn up to mine the Eiffel Tower with explosives.

The second time the Eiffel Tower was almost destroyed was during the German occupation of France during World War II. Hitler planned to get rid of the tower, but never ended up going through with ...

Image caption, 23 June 1940 – Adolf Hitler in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris as France falls to Germany. Paintings stolen from galleries and private collections in France included those by ...