They Stop Nazi Art Thieves, Don't They? Quiz

Answer: homes, places of worship, museums, and universities

There were only 345 men and women from thirteen different countries in the Monuments Men who were searching for works stolen from homes, churches, synagogues, museums, and universities by the Nazis.

Answer: Normandy

The first field meeting for the Monuments Men occurred outside the ruins of the town of St. Lo in August of 1944.

Answer: Danger: Mines!

There were many deserted and sometimes almost destroyed historical sites like monasteries, churches, private estates, public estates, and other places that had architecture, statutes, and other art work which needed protection from vandals, the elements, thieves, or others who would interfere with the work of the Monuments Men.

Answer: Mont Saint Michel

James Rorimer had to hire a private Frenchman who had hidden his car in a haystack to take him to Mont Saint Michel to investigate the damage done to the cathedral. He found the place overrun with soldiers on junket leave blowing off steam after the invasion of Normandy. An air force MP there had mistaken Rorimer for a spy and had arrested him and accompanied him back to his commanding officer, at which point the MP became very embarrassed.

Answer: Madonna

It took the Monuments Men until mid-May of 1945 to discover the hiding place of Michelangelo's "Bruges Madonna" which had been hidden along with many other art treasures in a salt mine in Altaussee, Austria.

Answer: Hermann Goering

The 1965 movie "The Train" with Burt Lancaster tells the fictionalized account of how many pieces of art were kept out of the hands of the Nazis and especially from Hermann Goering-- who competed with Hitler over who could get the best pieces of art. This movie is based on the French book "Le Front de L'Art" by Rose Valland, another hero from the ranks of the Monuments Men.

Answer: The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry tells the tale of William the Conqueror and his preparations for his 1066 invasion of England. It also covers the battles as well as the aftermath of the invasion. It is 224 feet long and about eighteen inches high.

Answer: Nero

Hitler had various members of his armed forces executed because they refused to carry out his Nero Decree which called for a scorched earth policy that covered not just bridges, viaducts, strategic railroad crossings, supply facilities, and factories.

Many of Hitler's underlings interpreted his Nero Decree to also cover hidden caches of stolen art and had bombs planted to destroy this art.

Answer: Merkers, Germany

The Merkers Mine was in the territory that would come under Soviet control after the agreement made at the Yalta Conference between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin which partitioned Germany into zones of control. The Americans feared that the Soviets would seize these many treasures-- both in art and various precious metals and currency-- for their own treasury. 32 ten ton trucks carted this treasure to Frankfurt in mid April of 1945.

Answer: Altaussee, Austria

Before the Nazis used Altaussee salt mine to store art and other stolen treasures, Viennese museums had hid their art there when violence threatened. Local legend according to Robert M. Edsel's "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History" has the salt mines dating back three thousand years.