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Part I: “The Mission,” Chapters 1 - 4

• The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History is a nonfiction book by Robert M. Edsel.

• In the Author’s Note, Edsel writes that while most of us know World War II was the most destructive war in history, we rarely stop to think about the great works of art: “How did so many monuments and great works of art survive this war? Who were the people that saved them?”

• In The Monuments Men, Edsel seeks to tell the story of these individuals, “a group of soldiers who served in the Western Allied military effort from 1943 until 1951. Their initial responsibility was to mitigate combat damage, primarily to structures— churches, museums, and other important monuments.”

• Following the Author's Note, the "Main Characters" of the story are introduced. They include the following: Major Ronald Edmund Balfour, First Canadian...

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