Art Stolen By The Nazis

[KriegsmarineFreak]

One of the biggest crimes the Nazis commited was stealing prized art from its captured countries. They stole art from countless musuems and stole national treasures from its occupied countries. They then, would hide this priceless treasures in various hidden places all over Germany. Some still haven't been found to this very day. There's a lot of history concerning these art thefts. I even once read in a book about the Wilhelm Gustloff that there was a rumor that the ship was transporting the, "Amber Room", an very expensive room that was made out of jewels and pure gold that was owned by Catherine the Great. The "Amber Room", as the rumor says, was on board the Wilhelm Gustloff when it sank. Later on there was an expedition on the Wilhelm Gustloff to see if the "Amber Room" was on board still in the cargo areas. The expedition turned out to be a failure. What art theft stories do you guys know? How big of a part did art play in the Third Reich? Was it true that some of the big Nazi leaders had their own collections of stolen art? Also do you guys know any good books concerning this part of World War II?

Good link on art thefts and history: Nazi looted Europe's great art treasures - The Crime library

[Kyt]

Amazon.co.uk: The Lost Masters: WW II and the Looting of Europe's Treasurehouses: Books: Peter Harclerode,Brendan Pittaway

Amazon.co.uk: The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War: Books: Lynn H. Nicholas

[KriegsmarineFreak]

Thanks for the book ideas, Kyt! I bought "The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Teasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War" from Barnes and Noble. Waiting for it to arrive in the mail!