Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis (45 page)

159
“quite impossible for any one”
Ibid., 199.

160
On July 30, Ambassador Rahn. . . . “It is vital for Allied troops”
Ibid., 289; Comnène,
Firenze “città aperta,”
n.p.

160
“psychological pressure”
Tutaev,
The Consul of Florence
, 245.

160
“to pursue his retreat”
Deakin,
The Brutal Friendship,
711.

160
“Their artistic and historical value”
Schramm, ed.,
Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
(Wehrmachtführungsstab)
, 534.

160
“it was only the enemy”
Ibid.

161
“prepare
Feuerzauber”
Paoletti and Carniani,
Firenze: Guerra & Alluvione: 4 Agosto 1944/4 Novembre 1966
, 56.

161
“in and near Florence”
Tutaev,
The Consul of Florence
, 228.

161
The only civilian
Paoletti, “Il console svizzero Charles Steinhauslin,” 410.

161
“While we argue[d] with the guards”
Steinhäuslin, “Che cosa ho fatto per Firenze. Appunti giornalieri per i miei figli,” 31 July 1944, Schriften Dritter, no. 61, 9.

161
“5 separate rows of boxes”
Tutaev,
The Consul of Florence
, 233. Steinhäuslin’s diary account of this incident is not entirely consistent with the description in Tutaev’s book. Because Tutaev had the benefit not only of seeing the diary but also of interviewing a number of the firsthand participants, I have relied on his interpretation.

162
“The enemy artillery fire”
Schramm, ed.,
Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
(Wehrmachtführungsstab)
, 535.

162 * Fisher,
United States Army in World War II
, 292.

162
“I could not accede”
Albert Kesselring,
The Memoirs of Field-Marshal Kesselring
, 309.

162
At 2 p.m., Thursday
Tutaev,
The Consul of Florence
, 238.

162
“It seemed that the earth”
Ibid., 239.

162
“the Neronian spectacle”
Bernard Berenson,
Rumor and Reflection
(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1952), 382.

162
Around 2 a.m. on August 4, the genius
Tutaev,
The Consul of Florence
, 243.

163
“heave its shoulders”
Ibid.

163
“At dawn, from my house”
Poggi, “Descrizione giorni immediatamente precedenti e immediatamente successivi la distruzione del Ponte,” Poggi Papers, Serie VIII, n.159, 23.

163
“stunned silence”
Tutaev,
The Consul of Florence
, 253.

163
“I’d rather be dead than see”
Ibid., 32.

Chapter 16: “Little Saints, Help Us”

165
On July 31, while at British Eighth Army AMG Headquarters
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire,
16.

165
Major Eric Linklater
Magnus Linklater, “The Man Who Kissed the Primavera,”
Scottish Review
, January 2006.

165
“armed and helmeted”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 16.

165
“battered” jeep. . . . “Its windshield was shattered”
Ibid., 9.

166
“The hills beyond”
Ibid., 17.

166
“a tall, eager, bespectacled”
Eric Linklater,
The Art of Adventure
(London: Macmillan and Co., 1947), 268.

166
Linklater, who had been commissioned
Ibid., 255–57.

167
“But they’re very good!”
Ibid., 257.

167
“They must be copies!”
Ibid.

167
“The whole house is full”
Ibid., 258.

167
The group then wandered
Ibid., 259.

167
“Botticelli!”. . . . a short middle-aged man
Ibid., 260–61.

167
Cesare Fasola, Librarian of the Uffizi
Fasola,
The Florence Galleries and the War: History and Records
, 57.

167
“The packing-cases had all been opened”
Ibid., 58–59.

168
German soldiers’ use of fifteenth-century
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 19.

168
“Little Saints, help us!”
Fasola,
The Florence Galleries and the War
, 60.

168
“the thunder”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 18.

168
Hartt knew every work of art
Ibid.

168
“A description of these pictures”
Ibid., 19.

168
From Montegufoni, the group
Ibid., 22.

169
“Five deposits located”
Hartt, Telegram, 31 July 1944, NARA, RG 331, 10000/145/362.

169
He then prepared a memo. . . . “The fate of these priceless treasures”
Hartt Memo, “Secret,” Hartt Papers, Box 3, Folder 8.

169
“be assigned the job”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 24.

169
“everything possible [to safeguard the works of art]”
Newton to Keller, August 5, 1944, Keller Papers, Box 21, Folder 21.

169
At 5 a.m. on August 4
Ludwig Reidemeister, “Beitrag zum Rechenschaftsbericht des militärischen Kunstschutzes in Italien ‘Bergungsfahrten im Frontraum,’” 5 June 1945, Hartt Papers, Box 2, Folder 8.

169
While crossing the Po River
Ibid.; Langsdorff, “Bericht über Bergungsfahrten von Kunstwerken aus dem Frontbereich bei Florenz im Juli und August 1944,” 11 May 1945, Hartt Papers, Box 2, Folder 8.

170
“rescue operations of art objects”
Telex/Telegram Langsdorff to Regierungspräsident Kanstein, 17 July 1944.

170
On the afternoon of July 21
Siviero,
L’Arte e il Nazismo: esodo e ritrovo delle opere d’arte italiane, 1938–1963,
73–74.

170
Villa Besana
Silvano Vinceti,
Salò capitale: breve storia fotografica della RSI
(Rome: Armando Editore, 2003), 30.

170
Wolff’s pending appointment
Lang,
Der Adjutant
, 247.

170
“go and remove whatever could be saved”
Cooper and DeWald, “Report on the German Kunstschutz,” NARA, RG 239, M1944, Roll 71, 7.

170
“which the Führer greatly admired”
Karl Wolff, Telegram to Heinrich Himmler, 25 July 1944, BArch NS 19/3808, F.1., Bundesarchiv Berlin.

170
“whether these art treasures”
Ibid.

170
“which guarantees a good safekeeping”
Meine on behalf of Heinrich Himmler, telegram to Karl Wolff, 26 July 1944, BArch NS 19/3808, F.1., Bundesarchiv Berlin.

171
On July 28, Langsdorff returned to Florence
Reidemeister, “Beitrag zum Rechenschaftsbericht des militärischen Kunstschutzes in Italien ‘Bergungsfahrten im Frontraum,’” 5 June 1945, Hartt Papers, Box 2, Folder 8.

171
“Everyone awaited numb”
Ibid.

171
At 11 a.m., Langsdorff met with Giovanni Poggi
Poggi, “Relazione del Soprintendente alle Gallerie e Musei di Firenze,” 1 April 1945, NARA, RG 331, 10000/145/363.

171
“was worried about the fate”
Ibid.

171
“to provide for their safety”
Ibid.

171
On August 5, meeting again
Cooper and DeWald, “Report on German Kunstschutz,” NARA, RG 239, M1944, Roll 71, 8.

171
“created a repository for the works of art”
Alexander Langsdorff, “Lettera a Giovanni Poggi,” 18 June 1944, Anti Papers, Serie 2, n.2, 3.

171
“The Borromean Islands”
Bevollmächtigter General der Deutschen Wehrmacht in Italien an Chef d.Mil.Verw.Abt.Kunstschutz, Leitkommandatur Mailand, Mil.Kdtr. Novara, “Betr.: Belegung der Isola Borromea,” 3 August 1944, Kunstschutz Papers, Siviero Archive.

171
finalizing it during a phone call
Cooper and DeWald, “Report on the German Kunstschutz,” NARA, RG 239, M1944, Roll 71, 9.

172
Following the September 1943 armistice
C. F. Latour, “Germany, Italy and South Tyrol, 1938–45,”
The Historical Journal
8, no. 1 (1965), 111.

172
“The laws of the Social Republic did not apply there”
Pietro Ferraro, “La resistenza veneta in difesa delle opere d’arte,”
Il Ponte
, September 1954, 129.

172
“uncrowned king in his own Gau”
Cooper and DeWald, “Report on the German Kunstschutz,” NARA, RG 239, M1944, Roll 71, 9.

172
“In Alto Adige one has the impression”
“Relazione al Ministro dell’Educazione Nazionale,” 5 December 1944, Anti Papers, Serie 2, n.2, 72.

172
“deadly enemy”
Wolff,
Mit Wissen Hitlers,
142.

172
Linklater and Vaughan Thomas entered Florence. . . . “The Florentines of the South Bank”
Linklater,
The Art of Adventure
, 270–71.

173
“the tactical situation prevented”
Roger Ellis, “Inspection of Monuments in Florence,” 11 August 1944, NARA, RG 331, 10000/145/71.

173
“By August 12 the suspense of waiting”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 36.

173
“in a state of feverish excitement”
Ibid.,
36–
37.

173
At Villa Torrigiani, temporary headquarters
Ibid.

174
“a mass of rubble thirty feet high”
Ibid., 44.

174
“On the south bank the wonderful old buildings”
Ibid., 45.

174
“Santo Stefano, in Por Santa Maria”
“Damage to Monuments in Florence,” 20 August 1944, Hartt Papers, Box 3, Folder 8.

175
“German authorities have stored in Villa Reale Poggio a Caiano”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 68.

Chapter 17: “The Most Beautiful Cemetery in the World”

177
Kesselring’s troops made excellent use
Fisher,
United States Army in World War II
, 270.

178
2,376 machine-gun posts
Douglas Orgill,
The Gothic Line
(New York: W. W. Norton, 1967), 28.

178
The longer the Germans could delay
Fisher,
United States Army in World War II
, 270.

178
Pisa reached the height of its political power
Giuseppe Galasso, ed.,
Storia d’Italia
,
Comuni e signorie nell’Italia nordorientale e centrale: Veneto, Emilia-Romagna e Toscana
, Vol 7.1 (Turin: UTET, 1987), 699.

178
The city’s political and economic decline. . . . 50,000 gold florins
Giuseppe Odoardo Corazzini,
L’assedio di Pisa, 1405–1406: scritti e documenti inediti
(Florence: U. Diligenti, 1885), 84–85; Giorgio Del Guerra,
Pisa attraverso i secoli
(Pisa: Giardini, 1967), 123.

179
“The Holy See cannot do other”
Letter to Taylor, 28 July 1944, Tittmann Papers, NARA, RG 59, Box 7.

179
In four months, Keller had already driven
Letter to Kathy, 3 October 1944, Keller Papers, Box 7, Folder 49.

179
“The south side was so badly destroyed”
“Fine Arts Section,” Keller Papers, Box 19, Folder 10, 36.

179
“The south side of the city was booby trapped”
Ibid.

179
prewar population of seventy-two thousand
The data come from ISTAT, the Italian National Institute for Statistics. The census of the population in Pisa was taken in 1936 and registered, precisely, 72,468 people living in the city.

179
Keller’s AMG advance team
“Fine Arts Section,” Keller Papers, Box 19, Folder 10, 36–37.

180
hung the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack
“Fine Arts Section,” Keller Papers, Box 19, Folder 10, 37; Field Report, 7 September 1944, Keller Papers, Box 21, Folder 32.

180
“There was little sleep”
“Fine Arts Section,” Keller Papers, Box 19, Folder 10, 37.

180
Early the next morning
Ibid.

180
The Baptistery had sustained hits
Field Report, 7 September 1944, Keller Papers, Box 21, Folder 32.

181
For comparison, the area of frescoes in the Camposanto
The painted area of the Camposanto was 16,145.865 sq ft and the painted area of the Sistine Chapel is slightly more than 12,972.321 sq ft. “Affreschi del Camposanto,”
Opera della Primaziale Pisana
, 2003–2007, http://www.opapisa.it/it/attivita/ cantieri-e-restauri/affreschi-del-camposanto.html; “Cappela Sistina,” Stato della città del Vaticano, http://www.vaticanstate.va/IT/Monumenti/Musei Vaticani/Cappella_Sistina.htm.

182
“On the floor next to the walls”
“Fine Arts Section,” Keller Papers, Box 19, Folder 10, 42.

182
Keller suspended his inspection
Ibid., 41.

183
Farnesi watched as a few shells
Bruno Farnesi, “Cronaca della distruzione dell’incomparabile gioiello d’arte che era il/celebre Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa, Avvenuta il 27 Luglio 44 a causa di una granata di artiglieria,” 28 July 1944, Hartt Papers, Box 4, Folder 6.

183
Even from the ground
Ibid.

183
Farnesi and a small group of volunteers
Ibid.

183
A shell whistled in, hitting the Duomo
Ibid.

184
“I went back to the monument”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 82; Farnesi, “Cronaca della distruzione.”

184
“In the night, the Piazza dei Miracoli”
Farnesi, “Cronaca della distruzione.”

184
“I saw again”
Ibid.

185
the town of San Miniato
Keller, Field Report 24 August 1944, Keller Papers, Box 21, Folder 32.

185
“My assignment is MFAA officer”. . . . “I am not supposed to”
Letter to Parents, 24 July 1944, Keller Papers, Box 5, Folder 26.

186
instructed him to bar entry
Field Report, 7 September 1944, Keller Papers, Box 21, Folder 32.

Chapter 18: Whereabouts Unknown

187
“Florence is no longer”
Herbert L. Matthews, “Old Florence Ravaged by Nazis; Much of Medieval City Destroyed,”
New York Times
, August 30, 1944.

187
“loopholes . . . through which”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 46.

188
At 6 p.m. on August 17. . . . “Trinity Bridge”
“Emergency Bridges Being Built in Florence,” NARA, RG 331, 10000/145/69.

188
“In the city there was no water”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 48.

189
life remained miserable. . . . Gaunt faces. . . . No one indulged in vanity
Il Martirio di Firenze
, archival film, Imperial War Museum, London COI53.

190
“The botanical gardens are now”
Martha Gellhorn, “Treasure City: The Fight to Save Florence,” Keller Papers, Box 23, Folder 50.

190
“getting constantly in each other’s hair”
Letter from Hartt to Keller, 21 August 1944, Keller Papers, Box 21, Folder 32.

190
These confrontations came to a head
“Report on Archives of La Colombaria,” 4 September 1944, Hartt Papers, Box 3, Folder 9.

191
“devouring bulldozer[s]”
“Final Report General,” Keller Papers, Box 23, Folder 52, 14.

191
“[I] made between three and five trips”
“Report on Archives of La Colombaria,” 4 September 1944, Hartt Papers, Box 3, Folder 9.

191
“Mechanical excavation and carrying away”
“5 Army Job No. 1463 Clearance of Debris,” 28 September 1944, Hartt Papers, Box 3, Folder 9.

191
“After many complaints”
Ibid.

191
“in surprising numbers”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 53.

191
Poggi proposed a resourceful solution. . . . “wade up to the ankles”
Hartt,
Florentine Art Under Fire
, 56.

192
“from 1907 to 1951”. . . . “a princely estate”
Ethne Clarke, “A Biography of Cecil Ross Pinsent, 1884–1963,”
Garden History
26, no. 2 (Winter 1998), 176, 187.