History's greatest treasure hunt--on the trail of Nazi thieves

Robert Edsel has written a fascinating account of The Monuments Men, Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.

This was one of those books that really exceeded my expectations. Edsel is a fine writer and manages to move smoothly between characters on separate parts of the hunt for art and other treasures plundered by the Nazis in Western Europe.

For most of history armies captured booty to pay themselves for their efforts. The Europeans eventually went with professional armies and the practice was greatly reduced. The Germans in World War II added their own brand of efficiency to the endeavor. It was organized theft on a grand scale. Some of the primary victims of the thefts were wealthy Jews in Western Europe, but Christian churches were also plundered for art.

The idea for the monument men came from those in the museum trade in the US who exhibited the kind of patriotism and interest in the project that would be rare today. These were principled men who search a continent to find and return other peoples treasures.

It was quite a chase. The Germans stole train loads of art. Much of it wound up in salt mines and other underground facilities, sometimes sharing space with Nazi gold. Some was found in a story book castle in the mountains.

Since some of it was in areas that was to be occupied by the Soviets, the men had to quickly arrange its removal to safe storage so that the Soviets would not steal it again.

The book is a great read and I hope there are copies at the service academies so that future officers understand the importance of taking care of a countries history, if they happen to be operating there. I think the command and staff colleges could also profit from this book.

It is pretty clear from recent operations that those making war plans did not consider that there are thieves within these countries that would steal their own cultural artifacts. That was certainly the case in Iraq, and the Taliban became notorious for destroying artifacts when they were in power. Some of the Afghan treasures were hidden and saved by the janitors who watched after them for no pay during the reign of the Taliban.

Click on the link above to buy the book at Amazon.

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