Ike's Orders

General Eisenhower's orders to all Commanders.

Map of Altaussee salt mine

Map of Altaussee salt mine from Robert Posey’s notebooks

Sketch of Bernterode repository

Sketch of Bernterode repository from Walker Hancock’s notebook

Hancock letter

March 14, 1945 letter from Hancock to his wife Saima concerning the devastation of Germany

Posey letter

August 16, 1944 letter from Posey to his wife Alice about the French people

Posey letter

August 12, 1944 letter from Posey to his son “Woogie” about the French children

Stout letter

December 5, 1944 letter from George Stout to his wife Margie about “getting something done”

Stout letter

March 31, 1945 letter from Stout to Margie

Undated Rorimer letter

Undated letter from James Rorimer to his wife Kay about life in France just after his arrival

Rorimer family letter

September 21, 1944 letter from Rorimer to his family about the state of the family’s apartment in Paris

Rorimer letter

October 15, 1944 letter from Rorimer to John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Göring ERR letter

November 21, 1940 letter from Göring to Rosenberg outlining the Reichsmarschall’s involvement with the ERR

Hofer letter

September 26, 1941 letter from Hofer to Göring updating him on the status of various Jewish collections in Paris

Rosenberg seizure memo

December 18, 1941 memo from Rosenberg concerning seizure of Jewish property

Hitler ERR order

March 1, 1942 order from Hitler establishing the authority of the ERR

Göring looting letter

May 30, 1942 letter from Göring to Rosenberg defending his looting activities

Rosenberg M-Aktion memo

October 3, 1942 memo to the Führer from Rosenberg outlining the activities of M-Aktion

Bormann letter

April 21, 1943 letter from Bormann to Rosenberg instructing him to turn over looted objects for the Linz collection

Linz Museum Annual Report

Annual report of Linz Museum collections from 1943 to 1944

Hitler and Göring

Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring both had an interest in art, and expanded their personal collections through looting and other illegal methods of acquisition.

Degenerate art

By order of the Führer, more than 16,000 modern works deemed “degenerate” were removed from the walls of German museums.

Degenerate art auctioned

In 1939, 126 post-impressionist and modern pictures were placed with the Fischer Gallery in Lucerne for auction. These works were considered “degenerate” and had been among the thousands removed from German museums by order of Hitler and Goebbels.

Hitler’s collection

Hitler’s art collection was destined for a new museum in his hometown of Linz, Austria.

Museums evacuated in 1939

In fall 1939, museums across Europe evacuated their collections to remote locations in the countryside in anticipation of war.

Out of bounds posting

An early “out of bounds” posting used by Monuments officers in Northern Europe and Italy

Ellingen, Germany cache

The Monuments Men encountered repositories such as this one all across Europe. Here, piles of boxes, records, and clothing are guarded by an American GI inside a church in Ellingen, Germany

Aachen Cathedral devastation

This was the scene of devastation that greeted Monuments Man Walker Hancock and other troops of U.S. First Army upon their arrival at the Aachen Cathedral

Bradley, Patton and Eisenhower on inspection

Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower inspect the German museum treasures stored in the Merkers mine

Merkers salt mine treasure trove

Hidden inside the Merkers salt mine was the majority of Nazi Germany’s gold reserves and paper currency.

Neuschwanstein castle

The castle of Neuschwanstein in Germany was the key Nazi repository for the greatest works of art stolen from France.

Posey at Altaussee

Monuments Man Robert Posey, an unidentified U.S. Army officer, and American GIs stand in front of the administration building at the Altaussee salt mine in Austria

Ghent Altarpiece

The Ghent Altarpiece was found in the mine at Altaussee. The central panel of the Ghent Altarpiece, due to its size and weight, proved particularly challenging to move through the narrow passageways.

Kern and Eder inspect a Vermeer

Monuments Man Lt. Daniel Kern and mine worker Max Eder inspect Jan Vermeer’s The Artist’s Studio, found inside the mine at Altaussee.

Ford and Ettlinger inspect a Rembrandt

This Self Portrait by Rembrandt, inspected by Monuments Men Dale V. Ford and Harry Ettlinger (right), was stored for safe-keeping by museum officials from Karlsruhe in the Heilbronn mine.

Estreicher and Albright with a da Vinci

Major Karol Estreicher, Polish liaison officer (holding painting), and Monuments Man Lt. Frank Albright (right of painting) returned Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine to its home in Cracow, Poland in April 1946. (National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD)