Book Review- The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter

Always a fan of reading the book before the movie, I hurriedly read The Monuments Men recently. Honestly, it is one of the few books I have ever finished in the allotted time from the library

At the risk of sounding like the movie trailer, the book tells the story of a group of men (officially designated the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section) who's primary goal was to save the art work of Europe from the Nazis during World War Two.  However, it is more complex than this.  The primary job of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section (MFAA) was to locate and recover rather than save from falling bombs.  Moreover, the people of Europe that helped these men are pulled front and center.  Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the amount of resources spent by the Germans on art.  A Master's Degree in Military Planning is not required to see the misapplication of resources might well have quickened the fall of the Third Reich

What I found most interesting was the ways these men completed their mission.  Hampered by poor supplies, the Monuments Men performed professionally through out the war, not only as the art curators, museum directors, and restorers they were, but as improvised detectives, makeshift engineers, and community relations officers.  Working in harsh conditions such as Alpine salt mines, and bombed out church, these men moved massive statues and priceless paints under combat conditions.  When needed, they restored works with what they had.   

Understaffed, often times the Monuments Men had to rely on local sources for intelligence.  Due to the small size of the unit,one or two men were required to cover large swaths of Europe by themselves. MFAA Officer James Rorimer, seeking help from the museum community of Paris, found himself a major conduit of information from the French Resistance to top American commanders.  Despite the love affair between Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett, you will see the seriousness of Rorimer's mission at the movies.

Real Monuments Men

One perk of reading the book, over just seeing the movie, are the primary documents that proceed each chapter. Many of these are German in origin, so the reader can grasp the story's scale.  As hard as the Monument Men worked to locate, recover, and restore these priceless works, the Germans worked to collect and hide them. The volume of paperwork the Germans produced on the artwork alone would be enough to divert a squad of clerks for months.  

Over all The Monuments Men is well written and easy to read.  Seeing the movie will not, I repeat not, do the book justice.  If you are interested in out of the way history, military history, or art history, this is your book.  If you're like me and get tired of the same old yawning stories of Patton, you would do well to read The Monuments Men.