 
About trecentoquarantacinque people between men and women from thirteen different countries served, among the 1943 and the 1951, service at the section Mfaa (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archive Program): their task, approved by Roosevelt and Churchill, was to penetrate to the heart of Europe at the mercy of the Nazis and then the biggest treasure hunt ever: retrieve all artworks looted by Hitler. These heroes went down in history as the Monuments men, the men of monuments.
In 1943 Americans and British established the Mfaa; in the spring of the following year there was the first meeting in Britain, where at Shrivenham was established the base camp for military trainings: the heroes ofMfaa they were mostly intellectuals and artists, Museum Directors and art experts, without any military cognition.
After landing in Normandy with other troops in early June of ' 44, the Monuments men began to reach castles, churches and convents where hung the famous sign bearing the inscription "Off limits. To all military personnel: historic building!"and began a series of interviews involving pastors, Museum Directors and local people to understand where the works could have been transported and hidden.
Many of the works in the Louvre were taken by the Nazis in Bavarian Castle Neuschwanstein Castle; the structure contained so many artworks that Monuments men needed six weeks to recover all. The real surprise was however when in the salt mine of Altaussee, in Austria, were found in ' 45 well 6.500 paintings, statues and minor works. Among the artistic treasure was found even the Madonna and child by Michelangelo, the only sculpture of the Tuscan artist to have left Italy while he was still alive, in 1506. Were found in the same place also crates with unexploded bombs inside them, This is to facilitate the so-called Operation Nero: in the event of defeat, the order of Berlin was to blow up everything and deprive humanity of European artistic treasure.
All the recovered artworks were brought to the station set up by the allies in Munich: from here began a difficult task of locating owners and restitution, operation still in progress and far closer to the conclusion.
It is thanks to the work of these heroes that we can still appreciate masterpieces by great artists like Leonardo, Donatello, Vermeer and Rembrandt.
Maria