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.
The monuments men were attached to the division of Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) which was commanded by the U. S. Army's Civil Affairs and Military Government. As war ravaged around the globe, the Allies felt it was their responsibility to try and safeguard as many cultural treasures as possible, and return looted and stolen art. The group was made of art experts from museums and academia.
Even before the U. S.'s formal declaration of war on the Axis nations in 1941, many in the art world began raising the issue of looting and theft of art and the possible destruction of cultural treasures. In response to an effort by a group lead by the head of the Met in New York, President Roosevelt established the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Historic Monument in War Areas. It was this commission and their findings which lead to the MFAA creation and 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.
The monuments men were attached to the division of Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) which was commanded by the U. S. Army's Civil Affairs and Military Government. As war ravaged around the globe, the Allies felt it was their responsibility to try and safeguard as many cultural treasures as possible, and return looted and stolen art. The group was made of art experts from museums and academia.
Even before the U. S.'s formal declaration of war on the Axis nations in 1941, many in the art world began raising the issue of looting and theft of art and the possible destruction of cultural treasures. In response to an effort by a group lead by the head of the Met in New York, President Roosevelt established the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Historic Monument in War Areas. It was this commission and their findings which lead to the MFAA creation and 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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