It is hard to believe that the story of the monuments men has been largely untold for over sixty years. If you haven't heard about the exploits of 400+ men and women who saved countless art treasures from destruction and theft during World War Two, you will soon. No less than George Clooney is directing a major motion picture following the recent publishing of a book. Documentaries and more books are soon to follow.
Widespread looting by occupying forces, primarily the Nazis, and the destruction of significant structures was of major concern. In 1943 the Civil Affairs and Military Government section of the Army created the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives division). This group was manned by experts in art, architecture and history from the top museums and university in the United States. The reason was simple: safeguard the cultural and artistic treasures in the various theaters of war around the world.
When the European war began in 1939, many art organizations and private citizens raised the issue of cultural monument destruction, and art looting. Efforts lead by the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York resulted in FDR establishing the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage and Historic Monuments in War Areas. This is what ultimately lead to the special division that came to be known as the monuments men.
The group had a number of tasks to perform. As the Allies planned bombing raids, the men would alert the commanders of the locations of culturally significant buildings, sites and areas. This was so that bombing runs could be re-planned to avoid destroying these cultural icons. Ground troops were also alerted to key areas to avoid.
MFAA men would be assigned to forward ground troops and often preceded troops into cities, towns and villages to document damage. In some cases they made temporary repairs to structures, monuments and sculptures so further damage was limited. They were also tasked with locating hidden art and treasures by interviewing and working with local officials and citizens.
As the Nazis spread across Europe and other regions, they systematically looted the cultural treasures of many nations. Priceless art was also destroyed if it was deemed unacceptable by the cultural standards of Hitler and the Nazi leadership. The monuments men were also tasked with documenting which pieces had been destroyed as well.
One fascinating aspects of MFAA efforts was their work to locate the vast repositories that were used to hide stolen art and treasure. Many have called this work the greatest treasure hunting in history. The hunt took the men to many far flung locations searching for these hidden caches. Hermann Goering's looted treasure of over 1,000 works of art were found in the Bavarian Alps at Berchtesgaden. Another huge find was in a salt mine in Austria where over 6,500 paintings were recovered.
So you may think all the great adventures of World War Two have been told, but the amazing exploits of the monuments men has only recently been widely publicized. With a new film and a number of documentaries, this once hidden story will now be fully revealed. It is truly an epic saga, involving brave men and women who were dedicated to preserving the world's cultural legacy.
Widespread looting by occupying forces, primarily the Nazis, and the destruction of significant structures was of major concern. In 1943 the Civil Affairs and Military Government section of the Army created the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives division). This group was manned by experts in art, architecture and history from the top museums and university in the United States. The reason was simple: safeguard the cultural and artistic treasures in the various theaters of war around the world.
When the European war began in 1939, many art organizations and private citizens raised the issue of cultural monument destruction, and art looting. Efforts lead by the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York resulted in FDR establishing the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage and Historic Monuments in War Areas. This is what ultimately lead to the special division that came to be known as the monuments men.
The group had a number of tasks to perform. As the Allies planned bombing raids, the men would alert the commanders of the locations of culturally significant buildings, sites and areas. This was so that bombing runs could be re-planned to avoid destroying these cultural icons. Ground troops were also alerted to key areas to avoid.
MFAA men would be assigned to forward ground troops and often preceded troops into cities, towns and villages to document damage. In some cases they made temporary repairs to structures, monuments and sculptures so further damage was limited. They were also tasked with locating hidden art and treasures by interviewing and working with local officials and citizens.
As the Nazis spread across Europe and other regions, they systematically looted the cultural treasures of many nations. Priceless art was also destroyed if it was deemed unacceptable by the cultural standards of Hitler and the Nazi leadership. The monuments men were also tasked with documenting which pieces had been destroyed as well.
One fascinating aspects of MFAA efforts was their work to locate the vast repositories that were used to hide stolen art and treasure. Many have called this work the greatest treasure hunting in history. The hunt took the men to many far flung locations searching for these hidden caches. Hermann Goering's looted treasure of over 1,000 works of art were found in the Bavarian Alps at Berchtesgaden. Another huge find was in a salt mine in Austria where over 6,500 paintings were recovered.
So you may think all the great adventures of World War Two have been told, but the amazing exploits of the monuments men has only recently been widely publicized. With a new film and a number of documentaries, this once hidden story will now be fully revealed. It is truly an epic saga, involving brave men and women who were dedicated to preserving the world's cultural legacy.
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