Monument Men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history

Edsel, Robert M. Monument Men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history. 2009. 473p. 885 mins. ISBN 1599951495. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

As the German war machine was rolling through Europe during World War II, it became clear to museum curators and staff, as well as art experts around the world, that Hitler and his cadre of committed Nazis were systematically looting the art and historical collections of conquered countries and shipping it out to Germany for “safekeeping.” Hitler’s goal was to create the best art museum in the world in his hometown of Linz.

As early as 1940, plans were made by the museum community in the United States to help locate, retrieve, and return these works of art, but it wasn’t until 1943 that the U.S. Army recognized the need to have an official cultural policy and officers in charge of cultural preservation and recuperation that the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program was established. Led by George Stout, the head of the conservation department at Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum, Monument Men landed with the invasion force on D-Day and spread throughout Europe as the Allies slowly pushed back the German armies towards Germany.

A lack of political will meant that the Monument Men were always under equipped, lacked basic necessities, did not receive proper recognition for their mission from military authorities, and had to fight tooth and nail to preserve and rescue the cultural heritage of Europe. Racing against time and the advancing Russians who were intent on extracting war repairs through capturing the art looted by the Germans, the Monument Men were able to save Western Europe’s most significant cultural masterpieces and worked tirelessly for decades to reunite art with their former owners.

This story of courage and undaunting drive from men who were in their forties, fighting a young man’s war, illustrate clearly why they are called the greatest generation. Without them, our cultural heritage would be significantly smaller.