“The thought came back to him, as it often did: To save the culture of your allies is a small thing. To cherish the culture of your enemy, to risk your life and the life of other men to save it, to give it all back to them as soon as the battle was won … it was unheard of, but that was exactly what Walker Hancock and the other Monuments Men intended to do.”–Robert M. Edsel, The Monuments Men
While German forces were fighting in Europe, they were also systematically stealing the finest art throughout the areas they conquered. The Nazis looted individual and national art treasures with the intent of taking much of it to Germany, or destroying the art they viewed as degenerate. A special group of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others were recruited on a mission to save thousands of years of cultural history from disappearing or being destroyed. The group was referred to as The Monuments Men. This book chronicles the experiences of six Monuments Men during the 11 month period between D-Day and V-E Day as they raced against time to save some of the world’s greatest art from the Nazis.
This is a fascinating book. Men who were not soldiers were often put in dangerous situations as they worked to solve the mystery of where the Nazis had hidden the stolen art and then how to retrieve it once it was found. They also worked to protect historic and culturally important architectural treasures from being destroyed in bombing raids. This is yet another example of unsung heroes from WWII whose stories were unknown by the general public. It is time for them to receive the recognition they so fully deserve.
Content Advisory: Death, war violence