In 1943 the Monuments, Fine
Arts, and Archives (MFAA) program was established by the Civil Affairs and
Military Government Sections of the Allied armies to help protect cultural
property in war areas during and after World War II.
This group of about 400
service members and civilians worked with military forces to safeguard historic
and cultural monuments from war damage and, as the conflict of WW II came to a
close, to find and return works of art and other items of cultural importance
that had been stolen by the Nazis or hidden for safekeeping.
Many of the men and women of
the MFAA went on to have prolific careers.
Largely art historians and museum personnel, they had formative roles in
the growth of many of the United States’ greatest cultural institutions.
But even before the U.S.
entered World War II, art professionals and organizations were working to
identify and protect European art and monuments in danger of Nazi
plundering. Commonly referred to as the
Roberts Commission, this early group was dissolved in June 1946 when the State
Department took over with the formation of the MFAA.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
facilitated the work of the MFAA by forbidding looting, destruction, and
billeting (or camping out) in structures of cultural significance. He also repeatedly ordered his forces to
assist the MFAA as much as possible.
This was the first time in
history an army attempted to fight a war and at the same time reduce damage to
cultural monuments and property.
“Prior to this war, no army had thought of protecting
the monuments of the country in which and with which it was at war, and there
were no precedents to follow…All this was changed by a general order issued by
Supreme Commander-in-Chief Eisenhower just before he left Algiers, an order
accompanied by a personal letter to all Commanders…the good name of the Army
depended in great measure on the respect which it showed to the art heritage of
the modern world.”
As Allied Forces made their
way through Europe, liberating Nazi-occupied territories, Monuments Men were
present in very small numbers at the front lines. Lacking handbooks, resources, or supervision,
this initial handful of officers relied on their museum training and overall
resourcefulness to perform their tasks.
There was no established
precedent for what they confronted. They
worked in the field and were also actively involved in battle
preparations. In preparing to take
Florence, for example, which was used by the Nazis as a supply distribution
center due to its central location in Italy, Allied troops relied on aerial
photographs provided by the MFAA which were marked with monuments of cultural
importance so that pilots could avoid damaging such sites during bombings.
When damage did occur, MFAA
personnel worked to assess the damage and buy time for the eventual restoration
work that would follow. Monuments
officer Deane Keller had a prominent role in saving the Campo Santo in Pisa
after a mortar round started a fire that melted the lead roof, which then bled
down the iconic 14th century fresco-covered walls.
Keller led a team of Italian
and American troops and restorers in recovering the remaining fragments of the
frescoes and in building a temporary roof to protect the structure from further
damage.
Restoration of those frescoes
continues even today.
Frequently entering liberated
towns and cities ahead of ground troops, Monuments Men worked quickly to assess
damage and make temporary repairs before moving on with Allied Armies as they
conquered Nazi territory.
American and Allied Forces
discovered hidden caches of priceless treasures, many of which had been looted
by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, while others had been legitimately evacuated
from German, French or Italian museums for safekeeping. Monuments Men oversaw the safeguarding,
cataloguing, removal and packing of all works, regardless of their origin.
In the next installment...moving on to Italy and the Tuscan and Florentine treasures. Stay tuned.www.childrensebooksbyjoan.com
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