Harry Ettlinger Autographed Photograph
During World War II, President Roosevelt approved the formation of the "American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas" widely known as "The Roberts Commission," after its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts.
As a result of this commission, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (“MFAA”) section was created under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies. This unlikely team of soldiers, commonly known as “The Monuments Men”, included art curators, scholars, architects, librarians, and archivists from the U.S. and Britain.
The Monuments Men were initially charged with identifying and protecting European cultural sites, monuments, and buildings from Allied bombing. In the later stages of the war in Europe, their mission changed to one of locating and recovering works of art that had been looted by the Nazis. In the final year of the war, they tracked and rescued more than five million artistic and cultural items stolen by Hitler and the Nazis, including some of history’s greatest works of art. The role they served in preserving cultural treasures was without precedent. Following the conclusion of fighting, the Monuments Men remained in Europe for several years to help with the restitution of stolen works of art.
As a result of this commission, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (“MFAA”) section was created under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies. This unlikely team of soldiers, commonly known as “The Monuments Men”, included art curators, scholars, architects, librarians, and archivists from the U.S. and Britain.
The Monuments Men were initially charged with identifying and protecting European cultural sites, monuments, and buildings from Allied bombing. In the later stages of the war in Europe, their mission changed to one of locating and recovering works of art that had been looted by the Nazis. In the final year of the war, they tracked and rescued more than five million artistic and cultural items stolen by Hitler and the Nazis, including some of history’s greatest works of art. The role they served in preserving cultural treasures was without precedent. Following the conclusion of fighting, the Monuments Men remained in Europe for several years to help with the restitution of stolen works of art.
Item in my collection is a 4x6 photo that has been autographed by Harry Ettlinger, one of the Monuments Men of WWII. Raised in Germany, Ettlinger witnessed firsthand the rise of Hitler's National Socialist Party. In 1938, his family fled Germany to the United States. Later drafted into the Army, Harry returned to Europe as an infantryman. However, because he was fluent in German, he was re-designated as an interpreter, and ended up assigned to the Monuments Men.