LOST ART [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61]
because they felt they had a contri- bution to make and were determined to do it.” Now the Monuments Men, as they came to be known, had a commis- sion to save the great art treasures of Europe. What they didn’t have were resources. “For the most part, they were pretty much on their own when they got over there,” says Edsel. “There were so few of them that many who served didn’t know who their compatriots were. Many had to hitchhike from city to city because they had no vehicles. Yet they figured out how to get things done.” Over the course of the war, the
Monuments Men were instrumental in recovering thousands of price- less artifacts. But their task didn’t end with V-E Day. “When the war was over, their job was just getting started,” says Edsel. “They stayed in Europe until 1951, sorting through some 5 million objects and return- ing them to their country of origin, whether it was church bells, stained glass, religious documents, paintings, drawings, or sculptures.” Millions of artifacts still remain missing from World War II, Edsel says. As founder and president of the Monuments Men Foundation (
www.monumentsmenfoundation .org), he continues to educate the public about the importance of re- patriating lost artwork and urges any- one who comes across such objects to contact the foundation for help in returning them to their owners. “We want to make everyone aware
of the role the Monuments Men had during World War II,” says Edsel, “and how they can play a role in con- tinuing their mission today.”
MO
— Mark Cantrell is a freelance writer based in North Carolina. His last feature article for Military Officer was “Gunning for Victory,” April 2012.
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