Allied Looting in World War II

by Alford, Kenneth D.; Kirkpatrick, Sidney D.

• ISBN13: 9780786460533
• ISBN10: 0786460539
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-14
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

Nazi looting has long been recognized as one of the crimes committed by the Third Reich during World War II, a crime which stripped economic wealth and artistic treasures from the populations the Nazis terrorized. This historical text addresses the often-overlooked practice of Allied looting, exploring the ways in which Allied forces engaged in thievery against the Germans. This book follows the journey of the Hungarian Crown Treasure from muddy oil drum in Austria to Fort Knox and back to Austria, and numerous lost treasures are discussed, including Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man, and lost manuscripts, including the earliest known printing by the Gutenberg press.

Author Biography

Kenneth D. Alford is an internationally recognized historical consultant for television productions involving Nazi looting. He is the author of several books. Retired from a career in banking, he lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vi
Foreword	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
Stealing a Trove of Stamps
The 273rd Infantry Regiment	p. 7
The Looting of Anton Wiede	p. 13
The Investigation	p. 19
A Passion for Lucas Cranach Paintings
Donovan Senter's Early Days	p. 33
The Counter Intelligence Corps	p. 40
The Quest for Lucas Cranach Paintings	p. 47
The Charade Continues	p. 59
Unanswered Questions	p. 71
Plundering Priceless Manuscripts
The Capture of Bad Wildungen	p. 79
Lieutenant Bud Berman	p. 85
The Rare Book Dealer	p. 91
The Papal Countess	p. 96
Other Bad Wildungen Robberies	p. 102
The Schwarzburg Castle
The Robbery	p. 109
A Break in the Case	p. 117
Churchill ôChuckö Jones Brazelton	p. 122
The Nun and the Poster	p. 135
Vignettes of Looting
The Gravediggers Pillage Reutti, Germany	p. 141
The U.N. Red Cross Robbery	p. 146
The Rabbi's Egyptian Ring	p. 149
Frederick the Great's Handwritten Manuscript	p. 153
Berlin Central Archives	p. 157
The Golden Book of Saarbrücken	p. 162
The Priceless Mainz Psalter	p. 166
Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man	p. 170
Clara Elisabeth Hertling	p. 180
Looting from Hungary in World War II
Hungary	p. 189
The Hungarian National Bank's Gold and Silver Reserves	p. 191
The Acquisition of the Hungarian Crown Treasure	p. 201
The Gold Treasure of Kremsmünster	p. 211
Cardinal Mindszenty	p. 214
The Return of Saint Stephen's Crown	p. 221
The Hungarian Gold Train	p. 227
The American Army Takes Custody	p. 232
The General's Kingdom	p. 235
The End of the Gold Train Property	p. 239
Anton Wiede's Missing Stamps and Paintings	p. 245
The Missing Kaltenbrunner Treasure	p. 248
Thefts from the Weimar National Art Collections	p. 251
Otto v. Falke's Description of the Crown of Saint Stephen	p. 254
Chapter Notes	p. 259
Bibliography	p. 269
Index	p. 271
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