Robert Edsel's Blog

65 years ago this was the greeting to our troops stationed in France who had just liberated that country 4 months earlier.  It was a fierce winter with more snow and colder temperatures than had been seen in any living person’s memory.  The Battle of the Bulge was raging with desperate conditions for fighting men and the local populace; some feared the outcome of the war hung in the balance.  But our troops then, just as they had in too many conflicts past, endured.  Many found a way, even if for a fleeting moment, to pause and recognize the day and its importance.  Some had the luxury of receiving gifts from home, others  a chance to write a loved one a message on an Army issued Christmas card such as the one below.  We came across this card in the course of my research for The Monuments Men and set it aside for use this year as a way of reminding us all how fortunate we are….to not be in a combat zone, to be able to enjoy this day with family and loved ones without risk of life or hardships of a winter outdoors with no shelter or food.  I also wanted it to serve as reminder to us all about the millions of young men and women in uniform who are stationed all over the world, walking a wall, on duty, doing their best—many at risk of life—to preserve the freedom and way of life we enjoy.

The official U.S. Army Christmas Card that Monuments Man Robert Posy sent home to his wife and son in December 1944.

So this Christmas in particular, on behalf of our team and the Monuments Men and women, we say “Merry Christmas to all; peace and safekeeping”.

Until the new year, be well.

Yesterday was Rose Valland’s birthday. She was born in the tiny town of Saint Etienne de Saint Geoirs, France on November 1, 1898. She had a modest upbringing, and went on to pursue numerous fine arts degrees and eventually got a job at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris as an unpaid volunteer. No one could have guessed that she would be the one to save thousands of works of art stolen from France by the Nazis.

Rose Valland risked her life countless times while working in the “snake pit” of the Jeu de Paume, which had become the headquarters for the ERR, the primary Nazi looting organization during World War II. For four years she kept track of paintings and other treasures stolen from private Jewish collections in France that were brought to the museum before being sent to Germany. She watched as Hermann Göring and Alfred Rosenberg came in and drank champagne while making their selections, then secretly told Jacques Jaujard, director of the French National Museums, all that had transpired. After the war, it was her records that led the Monuments Men directly to the Nazi repositories so that they were able to rescue and restitute the cultural heritage of France.

But despite all this, Rose Valland remains a relatively unknown heroine of World War II. Not just in the United States but in France as well. When she is written about, she is often described as “homely” or “timid” or “unassuming”. While this may be partially true, I believe she was also an incredibly strong woman, who had more courage than most of us can dream of. She was patriotic and brave, and had a “ferocious determination”. And most importantly, she deserves to be remembered and honored for her heroic actions during World War II.  It is my hope that The Monuments Men not only shares her story with a broad audience for the first time, but also helps people understand what a remarkable woman Rose Valland really was.

Headline from "Victory Extra", Boston Massachusetts (Photo Courtesy of Robert M. Edsel Collection.)

Headlines around the world trumpeted the news 65 years ago as the German Commander of Paris, Major General Dietrich von Choltitz, surrendered the occupying forces that had controlled the city for more than four years.  Despite orders from Hitler to lay waste to the city, Choltitz departed from his history of destruction and chose instead to surrender.  He would later say, “It is always my lot to defend the rear of the German Army.  And each time it happens I am ordered to destroy each city as I leave it.”

The Cathedral of Notre Dame was not damaged, but fighting took place directly in front of the church. This burned-out truck was abandoned by German troops fleeing the city. (Photo Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).)

On August 26th, the day after the German surrender, French General de Gaulle led a victory parade down the Champs-Elysees.  Three days later the United States 28th Infantry Division followed the same parade route to celebrate the reclaiming of the city.

American soldiers look upon the Eiffel Tower after Paris was liberated. (Photo Courtesy of NARA.)

Almost one year would pass before French museum officials were prepared to escort back to Paris its most famous “citizen”, the Mona Lisa. In the weeks that followed other treasures from the Louvre began their journey home from the chateaux and other hiding places where they sat out the war.