Monuments Men Robert M. Edsel's the Monuments

Monuments Men Robert M. Edsel's The Monuments Men, is the study of the United States Army's attempt to save valuable art objects during the Second World War. Edsel's primary objective was to showcase the men and women involved in what was known as the "monuments division" and tell their unique stories as it relates to the importance of saving many of Europe's most valuable art treasures.

Although the initial responsibility of the monuments division was to safeguard monuments and buildings against bombing and shelling when possible, their job was later shifted to cover movable works of art that the Nazis has stolen and relocated throughout the war (Edsel, 2009, p.2). The work done by this interesting and unique group of U.S. Army soldiers is a story that up until now has not been told. Edsel's book fills a gap in the narrative of the Second World War that has hitherto been overlooked.

The initial phase of the story of the monuments division begins with an overview of Adolf Hitler's vision of collecting the greatest works of art and centering them within the Third Reich. This notion creates the backdrop for which the primary function of the monuments division is centered. Not all works of art were to be destroyed if they were of Jewish origin, as has been previously thought.

Many of these works were simply "hidden" from public view by placing them in mines or other locations where they could not be readily seen. Initially Edsel thought he could write about all the works of art that the Nazis attempted to hide or place in certain centralized locations. However, as the sheer number of works revealed themselves it became apparent that the scope would be too large for one book. The author then decided to focus on operations in Northern Europe.

One museum in particular, the Jeu de Paume in Paris, was used as a clearinghouse by the Nazis for the spoils of France (Edsel, 2009, p.177). Fortunately, one of the Jeu de Paume's employees, Rose Valland, secretly recorded many of the works that the Nazis filtered through the museum, giving the men and women of the monuments division invaluable information as to the whereabouts of many pieces of artwork. This information greatly facilitated the return of many works of art after the war.

Valland was, therefore, something of a cultural "hero" for the French and was rewarded for her efforts after the war with the Legion of Honor, the Medal of the Resistance, and was made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government (Monumentsmenfoundatin.org, ¶ 6). When it became apparent to the Allies that much of the valuable monument treasures of Europe could be lost or damaged during the war, Dwight D.

Eisenhower issued orders to preserve these valuable treasures and thus the monuments division was formed (Edsel, 2009, p. 62). As previously stated, this mission changed to include moveable works of art when it became known that the Nazis were looting many famous museums and hiding the contents. Many high ranking Nazi officials stole famous works of art to keep in their private residences.

Hermann Goring, head of the German Luftwaffe (air force) and second in command to Hitler, was known to have stolen many valuable works of art from all over conquered Europe. In March of 1945 Hitler produced the "Nero Decree" which was in effect a scorched earth policy and was designed to leave nothing of value for the advancing Allies (Edsel, 2009, p. 25). It has often been misinterpreted that Hitler meant to include all valuable art treasures and monuments in this decree.

In actuality, Hitler, being an artist himself, greatly valued the many works of art that his empire has stolen and did not intend for these items to be destroyed in his famous Nero Decree (Edsel, 2009, p. 373). The proclamation was solely intended for the purpose of destroying facilities that the Allies would find useful in their conquest of German territory. Much of the Monuments Men is spent on describing the men and women involved in the division and their individual experiences in working with the unit.

The division was made up initially of mostly volunteers from 13 different nations (Edsel, 2009, p. 2). The average age of the division's officers was 40. Many had experience working in museums and of course had a personal interest in preserving the great works of art in Europe. The task was incredibly daunting when one considers the volume of objects that these devoted men and women had.