Hi, DUers. Time for your Friday Afternoon Challenge: “The Connection”!

[CTyankee]

60. Thanks! I hadn't seen the article. However, I did read Brey's book, "The Venus Fixers."

The examples I have shown in my post were straight out of Edsel's "Saving Italy." Both books are fabulous. However, Edsel tends to get bogged down in too much detail about the military campaigns, which Brey doesn't do. Edsel does shed light on what role Allen Dulles played in WW2. It is a whole story on its own and it is fascinating.

You might also be intrigued by Edsel's account of the story of Monte Cassino, which as you know was mistakenly thought by the Allies to be taken over by the German Army and bombed to rubble. Fortunately, the magnificent art in the abbey had been wisely removed by Supt. Poggi and taken to a safe hiding place. Poggi and other Italians knew that the Allies would bomb the abbey and were taking no chances with the art in it.

The Clooney movie seems to be more focused on the art snatched by the Germans north of Italy. Hitler had big plans for his own museum of the fatherland in Linz. Goering drew up guidelines for their preferences, which were prioritized by school/era of art. The Mona Lisa almost got snatched several times and was moved around France to keep it away from the German army. A lot of the looted art was placed in salt mines in Austria to protect it from Allied bombings. When all was lost and Hitler knew he and the Third Reich were doomed, he ordered the salt mines blown up by his retreating army. But the commanding officer simply couldn't carry out Hitler's order. The very idea of how close we came to losing the greatest art of western civilization is breathtaking. Works as huge as the Ghent Altarpiece were there!

I hope others here reading this Challenge will investigate Edsel and Brey's books and see the movie. Anybody who loves history, particularly WW2 history, will find this story riveting.