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00:00Hollywood loves an iconic villain and there are none better than Hitler's Nazis but did Indiana
00:12Jones's old enemy really plunder the world for ancient relics as depicted in the famous films
00:18the answer is yes spearheaded by Heinrich Himmler and the SS
00:27epic expeditions were mounted by Nazi scientists they called themselves the Aminurba their weapons
00:38lies theft and murder they are Hitler's treasure hunters as the Nazis swept across Europe conquering
00:56the lands of their enemies wasn't their only power play they had to conquer the culture as
01:02well while Joseph Goebbels hunted for the Ghent altarpiece Himmler would recruit treasure hunters
01:09like Herbert Jan Kuhn and Jörg von Granhaegen to scour the world for proof of ancient Nordic folklore
01:17like the Bayeux tapestry it was an all-out war on any form of culture that didn't conform to Naziism
01:26post World War one the world is changing fast a new era of modern culture is sweeping away the past
01:42at the heart of this cultural revolution is Berlin its smoke-filled cafes underground nightclubs
01:51avant-garde theaters and galleries crackle with creative energy as artists writers and musicians
02:00seek new boundaries to push but even as Berlin's cultural scene thrives storm clouds are gathering
02:10if we talk about Berlin in the late 20s early 30s it has one of the most dynamic liberal democracies in
02:19the world in the 20s the most modern architecture science nightlife LGBTQ rights culture feminism no
02:32one looking at Germany in the period of stability in the mid 20s is saying this is going to be a
02:37country that has the most radical form of fascism that's going to produce the worst genocide of any
02:46far-right country in history appalled by the liberal culture around him Adolf Hitler promises
02:54to restore Germany to its former years of tradition strength and purity with the backing of all these
03:02groups Hitler soared ahead skillfully appealing to the German tradition the old try of the master race
03:10the Nazis promised all things to all men it's a racially warped vision of the future built firmly on the
03:19past in Hitler's mind there's a connection with all of these things that he sees as destroying life in
03:29Germany he ultimately links them back to Jews and the Jewish race
03:36to Hitler the modern culture sweeping through 1920s Germany isn't just a sign of moral decay
03:46it's also a personal affront to his ego following a failed attempt at an artistic life where drawings and watercolors
03:55watercolors were his passion but his skill was not enough to warrant acceptance into the Vienna Academy
04:02of Fine Arts in 1907 his application was rejected he tried again a year later with the same results
04:12he didn't really have the skill nor did he really attempt to develop the skill to ultimately make a go of it to get
04:24into art school writing from a prison cell after his failed coup plot of 1923 dubbed the beer hall pooch a
04:33disgruntled Hitler confirms that his time in Vienna sharpened his views on the role of culture in society
04:41it should serve the national agenda and to do that it must be controlled
04:47once Hitler becomes chancellor in January of 1933 he very quickly moves to implement a variety of control mechanisms
05:00that allows him control over things like the arts world or things like the reporting world or things like the university world
05:08music literature all outlawed or destroyed unless it supported what the German leaders were trying to sell
05:20instead of artistic fantasies Hitler becomes obsessed with power resolving to erase the liberal freedoms of 1920s Germany
05:30and create a new conservative cultural identity there's a feeling of betrayal on the one hand a sense that there needs to be
05:39some way to rehabilitate the German people to return them to what they saw as their sort of their national pride
05:47to carry out his cultural reset he turns to the Annanerba Heinrich Himmler's elite SS treasure hunting unit
05:56created to research and ultimately prove a glorious Aryan heritage for Germany by linking the distant past to a glorious future
06:08that was really the principal goal of putting all that money and effort and and support into into archaeological research
06:19in the aftermath of World War One
06:23unhappy with the rise of liberal ideas in Germany Adolf Hitler set about stoking anti-semitism and hatred
06:31promising a renewal of German values
06:36culture would be deployed as a formidable weapon
06:42Hitler turned to Joseph Goebbels
06:44a man who would grant himself a new ministry and begin what can only be described as looting
06:52Once in power Hitler's minister for enlightenment and propaganda
06:57Joseph Goebbels set out to bring professional and social organizations including the arts
07:03into what they called synchronization with Nazi ideology
07:08Henceforth all good German art must embrace classical realism and tradition
07:14while modern or Jewish art is rebranded as degenerate art
07:20As the Nazis set out to cleanse Germany the cultural purge is swift and severe
07:29They decided what was and what wasn't degenerate art
07:33And in 1937 alone and under Hitler's direct order
07:38the Nazi regime seized over 16,000 works of art from German museums that didn't align with their ideology
07:47In a distorted twist Hitler lays on a lavish exhibition of degenerative art to mock and revile
07:59Hitler was reportedly frothing at the mouth when he made the opening speech
08:04There are a lot of illogical things about Hitler and the Nazis more generally their approach to degenerate art
08:12They have this 1937 exhibit yet it's something that they want people to come and see allegedly to see the degeneracy
08:23So there is this idea of pointing at something which is degenerate but at the same time drawing people's attention to it
08:30And despite the fact that this art is all seen as degenerate they have no problems looting various museums
08:36and confiscating various pieces to either keep for their own private collections or ultimately to sell
08:52They of course had no problem looting degenerate art because much like Himmler's on a Nerva
08:58Capturing and controlling any art was simply another style of treasure hunt for Goebbels and Hitler
09:06If they could control culture by controlling artistic expression
09:11Then they could in turn influence that culture to their will
09:16Along with artworks mass book burnings become a regular occurrence
09:20As tens of thousands of books are consigned to the flames
09:28Hitler's war on degenerate art aligns perfectly with his anti-semitism
09:34According to his twisted racial hierarchy
09:38The Jewish population were the destroyers of culture
09:42And by removing their cultural heritage
09:44It was one step towards the total eradication of so-called inferior bloodlines
09:52So it fits hand in hand with the erasure of certain people's culture
09:57This removal say of the symbols of their religion
10:02Or the paintings of their grandparents
10:05It's not just theft, it's also cultural erasure as well
10:09Fleeing from Nazi Germany into the border towns of Holland, Belgium, France and Switzerland
10:15Is a new kind of refugee
10:17The victim not of warfare
10:20But of an intolerance and persecution unparalleled since the dark ages
10:28In fact, between 1933 and 1939
10:31The Nazis introduced over 400 regulations
10:37Restricting the lives of German Jews
10:40And targeting their cultural heritage
10:43It's a shameless cash grab
10:46Personal assets must be registered
10:48While a steep flight tax means Jews who flee Germany
10:52Are forced to leave behind any wealth
10:55Including tens of thousands of works of art
10:58Worth an estimated $50 billion US today
11:02Much of the hall ends up in Nazi pockets
11:07A far more tangible treasure
11:10Than any mystical object could ever hope to be
11:16A vast amount of degenerate art was destroyed
11:19As part of the Nazi attempt to eradicate Jewish culture
11:23But Hitler also recognized its commercial value elsewhere in the world
11:28And the regime desperately needed foreign currency to fund the war effort
11:33So significant quantities were sold or auctioned off to international buyers
11:38Including some of the biggest names
11:41It just shows us really the cynical opportunism
11:44That went hand in hand with the ideological crusade of antisemitism
11:48While the looting of Jewish art would foreshadow the horrors of Hitler's final solution
11:57The Fuhrer's hypocrisy drove another cultural ambition
12:01The creation of the largest museum ever built
12:05After Austria is annexed in 1938
12:15Hitler is a step closer to a dream that would grow into an obsession
12:20He imagines his childhood city of Linz as the future capital of the Reich
12:26Through the tranquil, colorful town of Linz
12:30March and ride the army of grey-crad invaders
12:33Heralding the approach of the new dictator
12:35Returning to his native land for the first time in 24 years
12:39And in the land that had rejected him as an artist
12:42He would build the greatest museum on the planet
12:46The Fuhrer Museum
12:48It would be his crowning cultural achievement
12:53Filled with works stolen from others
12:58There's something particularly offensive about the looting and hoarding and private collection
13:04Of archaeological, historical artifacts or artworks
13:08Because one of the reasons why they're important
13:11Is that they speak to the whole of human history
13:13Not just the history of one person or nation-state for example
13:20But if you collect these together and you hoard them for yourself
13:24You are not only denying us the opportunity to learn about the past through these objects
13:30You're also denying people the ability to experience this shared human heritage
13:36It again reflects the ambitions of Hitler and his Nazi party
13:41A desperate treasure hunt
13:44Where the ultimate goal is the complete erasure of any culture
13:49That doesn't conform to their own ideals
13:54Hitler's ambition is to gather an international collection
13:58And after the Nazi invasion of Poland
14:01Half of Europe opens up for plunder
14:04As the Luftwaffe dominate the skies
14:09German ground forces sweep across border after border
14:15With Nazi death squads targeting indigenous peoples for destruction
14:21It's a murderous combination
14:24With Himmler's Anna Nerva treasure hunters close behind
14:27In 1941 when Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union
14:37You have of course the German army going through and conquering various areas
14:42Behind them is another organization called the Einsatzkommando
14:47Einsatzkommando
14:48And what the Einsatzkommando are doing is they're going through and removing
14:52Or in this case murdering undesirables
14:55People seen as not worthy of living there
14:58And as the Einsatzgruppen are going through and murdering Jews
15:02Behind them is the Anna Nerva
15:03And the purpose was that they would plunder the museums of the territory that German armies had just conquered
15:15To make his actions legal
15:19Hitler authorizes seizures of artworks from anyone labeled an enemy of the Reich
15:26And deems any work created in Germany in the last 400 years Aryan art
15:36This act of cultural bastardry makes everything from Michelangelo's Madonna and Child
15:41To the Amber Room in Soviet Russia
15:45The rightful possession of the Third Reich
15:53Hitler's art-minded treasure hunts did face challenges however
15:58Most of all, competition from inside his own party
16:03A World War I hero, Hermann Göring
16:06Who had led the rebuilding of Germany's military
16:10Becomes the commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe
16:14And of course, Göring
16:17Who had an avaricious interest in artworks
16:21Hitler, of course, was probably overshadowed by Hermann Göring
16:25Who had troops directly under his control
16:29That he sent on specific missions to remove valuable pieces of artwork
16:36Or valuable artifacts
16:41He then amassed these in a remarkable personal collection
16:49As the Nazis plundered Europe
16:52Göring would often try to outflank Hitler
16:55Leveraging his military connections to orchestrate lightning raids of art treasures
17:00Much of his loot was sent directly to Göring's estate in the forest northeast of Berlin
17:08Where he amassed more than a thousand pieces of Europe's most valued art
17:13If there was any doubt as to how important a treasure hunt for looted artwork was to the Nazis
17:20You only had to look how they fought amongst themselves for it
17:24Indeed, Göring and Hitler would compete to try and capture, collect, acquire the same artifacts
17:35And it was not unknown for Göring to be invited to give Hitler gifts of certain of the things that he had acquired that Hitler badly desired
17:44By stealing the historical art of conquered territories, the Nazis were erasing culture
17:54And replacing it with their own ideals
17:57That was perhaps the ultimate treasure
18:00But it also made them incredibly rich in the process
18:04Hitler and people like him, such as Göring, who amassed private collections of art
18:11Were not just ideologues
18:13They were also greedy, individualistic opportunists as well
18:18So, sometimes, perhaps, we overemphasize the grand strategy of Hitler
18:26When some of his actions can be explained as base greed
18:30But while many artworks were targeted for profit or prestige
18:36The most sought-after treasures were those whose value transcends the material
18:42Including the world's most stolen artwork
18:45Completed in 1432, the Ghent Altarpiece is the most stolen artwork in the world
19:02A remarkable feat considering it's five meters wide, four meters tall
19:08And made of a dozen panels that weigh a combined two tons
19:13Created by Flemish painter Jan van Eyck
19:18The Altarpiece is rumored to contain secret messages in its iconography
19:23It was the perfect treasure for the Nazis
19:27Not only was it an iconic artwork
19:29But many throughout history have theorized it hid maps to lost relics
19:35Like Christ's crown of thorns and even the Holy Grail
19:39Himmler was the driving force behind the appropriation of religious artefacts
19:50Now, that could be well-attested historical religious treasures
19:55The Ghent Altarpiece, for example
19:58But it also extended to the more mythical and the more unusual
20:01And it's here we see him sponsoring expeditions to try and recover things like the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Grail
20:12For Himmler, the Ghent Altarpiece offered prestige
20:16A genuine cultural artefact
20:19And perhaps even a map to his most sought-after treasure
20:23The Holy Grail
20:24Now, why might they be interested in holy relics?
20:30Well, on the one hand, they provide a focus for a religion
20:35You know, they are valuable
20:37And if the Nazis want to expand across Europe
20:40Conquering, let's say, Catholic countries
20:43Then actually, it makes sense to co-opt, to steal, to take into their possession Catholic relics
20:49Because they are powerful in Catholic religion
20:53If they control them, they have some control over Catholic faith and doctrine
21:02Himmler and his Anna Nürba weren't the only ones interested in the Ghent Altarpiece, however
21:09Hoping to gain Hitler's favour, Joseph Goebbels undertakes his own treasure hunt to Belgium
21:16Intent on delivering it to the Fuhrer as a gift
21:20So begins an epic game of cat and mouse
21:24As the Belgian government, fearing its theft, removes the altarpiece
21:30Hiding it from Nazi treasure hunters
21:33That in many ways, the Nazi party was quite chaotic
21:37It didn't function well
21:39There were, and Hitler liked this
21:41Each organisation was set up to compete with the other one
21:46So there was a lot of incompetence, and it's astonishing that they got as far as they did
21:53First Goebbels, then Himmler, and finally Goring
22:00All compete to discover the whereabouts of the altarpiece
22:05As the quest takes their treasure hunters from rural Belgium
22:10To the south of France, in a desperate race to secure the prize
22:15Finally, Hitler outmaneuvers them all
22:19Swooping in to secure the altarpiece
22:22And ordering his treasure to be delivered to Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria
22:27His symbolic trophy was secure
22:32The symbolism is really the ultimate source of the power
22:37Not necessarily the object itself
22:39It's the possession of the object
22:42And the knowledge that it had that kind of importance
22:45To the culture from which you're taking it
22:47I think motivation would have been at least as important
22:49As the religious significance of the objects themselves
22:51Like much of the artwork his Nazi hunters were rounding up
22:59The altarpiece would stay hidden
23:02Never to see the light of day
23:04Until a new heroic band of treasure hunters was formed
23:09Made up not of Nazis, but allied historians, architects, and professors
23:14Tasked with mitigating combat damage during the war
23:20They were the Monuments Men
23:23Initially they were there to mark places of historic interest
23:30That the Allies should avoid destroying or damaging during the push through France
23:34It was only as they were doing this frankly impossible task
23:40That they became aware of the looting
23:43Say of altarpieces from churches
23:46Or treasures from museums
23:48Burrowing into an abandoned salt mine
23:51Deep under the Austrian Alps
23:53The Monuments Men stumble across an incredible hall
23:57Thousands of stolen artworks looted by the Nazis
24:00And simply buried away for safekeeping
24:05Among them was the Ghent altarpiece
24:11This was almost theft for its own sake
24:15Because they weren't being put to use
24:17There was no particular plan for their future use
24:21Instead they were collected together
24:23Hoarded
24:25You know in conditions like salt mines
24:27These were not for public display or German prestige
24:32This was almost theft for its own sake
24:39It shows the craven nature of the Nazi treasure hunts
24:43On the one hand
24:45They sought powerful religious artifacts that could help them dominate the war
24:50On the other
24:52Priceless artworks of significant cultural value
24:55Could be tucked away in a dusty salt mine
24:59For no other purpose than financial gain
25:02I think the Monuments Men involved in recovering this stuff
25:06Had a genuine fear that it would never be found
25:11And they weren't entirely wrong about this
25:14There's at least one example where these hordes of stolen objects
25:21Had been rigged to explode
25:24And luckily this wasn't the case
25:29They might have eventually lost the Ghent altarpiece
25:33But the Nazis were unfortunately very good at diversifying their efforts
25:42While Himmler squabbled with his fellow Nazi leaders over the altarpiece
25:48His Onanerba treasure hunters were tracking down
25:52An even more noteworthy artwork
25:55As long as a jumbo jet
26:06The Bayou Tapestry is one of the most significant cultural artifacts in history
26:14To the Normans and the French
26:16The Bayou Tapestry celebrates their proudest achievement
26:19The just and decisive routing of the English king
26:24Harold II in 1066
26:28You see the Duke of Normandy
26:31And you see him marching into battle
26:33There's that consistent theme with objects that show conquest in some form
26:38Or relate to military victories and success
26:42But to Himmler and the Onanerba
26:44To the Onanerba
26:45The tapestry tells a completely different story
26:49One rooted in their own obsession to link modern Germany
26:53With a glorious Nordic master race
27:01The Normans depicted in the tapestry get their name from their Viking ancestors
27:06Norsemen who settled in northern France
27:10Throughout the 9th and 10th centuries
27:11The Onanerba's belief that they could trace German lineage
27:17Back to world conquering Aryan ancestors
27:20Means the story of William the Conqueror
27:23The hero of the tapestry
27:25Actually belongs to the Reich
27:28What is today viewed as sort of French culture
27:31Was actually a Nordic, you know, kind of Germanic speaking Aryan group
27:35Is not entirely, you know, kind of off the beam
27:38The Bayou tapestry was a priceless record of German heroism
27:43In the eyes of Himmler and his Onanerba
27:47I mean, the Bayou tapestry is not an object of power in the same way that the Grail is, for example
27:54But it was also something that was on the wish list
27:56Because it was known that it would be a blow to the French by removing it from the country
28:01Dr. Herbert Jankun, Germany's most respected archaeologist
28:10Is brought on board to lead the Onanerba mission
28:13Tasked with studying the tapestry for any evidence of Germanic origins
28:18Jan Kuhn, who of course was one of the most significant figures in the SS Onanerba
28:26He was obviously very ambitious
28:29In addition to being a very good field archaeologist
28:32In June of 1941
28:35Jan Kuhn and his team depart Berlin
28:38For Nazi-occupied France
28:39Unfortunately for Himmler, competition within Nazi ranks ran deep
28:49The jostling for wealth and prestige that had infected their search for priceless artworks
28:55Carried into the hunt for the tapestry
28:58The Onanerba soon discover that Germany's own arts and monuments protection squad
29:05The Kunstschutz had already recovered the relic
29:11And planned to secret it to an isolated chateau
29:15Far away
29:17The Bayeux tapestry in this particular case
29:20Had been actually secreted
29:23Because there was the knowledge that the Onanerba was interested in it
29:28Had actually, the rumor had gone out that that was the case
29:32In Nazi Germany, money trumps history
29:36And a plan was hatched to move the tapestry
29:39Before the Onanerba got their hands on it
29:42But a loyal SS member, Dr. Hermann Bunges
29:48Tips Himmler off
29:50And the plan is thwarted
29:54The tapestry is instead delivered to the abbey of Joare Mundea
29:57Where Yankun, the leader of the Onanerba team
30:02Spends weeks pouring over every inch
30:05Searching for evidence of the tapestry's true Germanic nature
30:11He never completes his analysis
30:14When Hitler marches further east into Russia
30:18Yankun is called to the new front for a different Onanerba mission
30:23Dr. Hermann Bunges, the SS loyalist who warned Himmler of the potential double cross
30:34Is given charge of the tapestry
30:37And proclaims strong Germanic roots in the work
30:41Whether true or not
30:43You know, the way that they viewed the world
30:46As something to be exploited
30:48And culture was something that literally
30:51Was from their perspective a weapon
30:55Hailed as a monumental discovery that proves a heroic German conquest
31:03While strengthening their ties to master Aryan ancestry
31:09Nazi propaganda goes all in on the lie
31:13We now present Lord Ha Ha speaking to England
31:17Known as Lord Ha Ha for his overplayed posh English accent
31:22William Joyce was the voice behind German radio broadcasts
31:27Intended to demoralize their British and American enemies
31:30To say the British Empire is in danger today
31:36Would be a very feeble understatement
31:40In October 1941
31:43Joyce broadcasts that the Norman tapestry
31:46As the Nazis are now calling it
31:48Will soon be exhibited around Europe
31:51It would be a whirlwind tapestry tour
31:54In anticipation of a modern reenactment
31:56The invasion of Britain
31:59And a glorious victory for the Reich
32:02And this idea of a usable past
32:17I think is one of the hallmarks actually
32:20Of most totalitarian systems
32:22That have interest in weaponizing culture
32:24In this particular fashion
32:27To underwrite this murderous regime that they created
32:31The invasion of Britain was a failure
32:38Lord Ha Ha was executed as a traitor
32:42And the Bayou Tapestry would find its way back to Bayou after the war
32:47But the story of its treasure hunt highlights the Nazi desire to steal and co-op the history of other nations for their own nefarious ends
33:00One particular expedition in the mid-1930s did exactly that
33:04As the Annanurba sought out Finnish folk tales of Nordic heroes to drive their propaganda machine
33:19In the snow laden north of Finland
33:22A collection of rural folk tales is published
33:26The Kalevala
33:27The Kalevala
33:28The Kalevala was a compilation of Finnish poetry, folklore, mythology and culture that came together in a national epic
33:37What the Nazis saw in it was a way to connect their Aryan racial ideology with the cultural history of Nordic people
33:44So if they could find evidence of these ancient Aryans in the Kalevala
33:50It would validate their theories that they had been the originators of culture
33:55The work of folklorist Elias Lonnrot
33:59The tales speak of epic battles between good and evil
34:02The word Kalevala even translates to the land of heroes
34:09It was an image tailor-made for Heinrich Himmler's exotic obsession with mythology and legends
34:17Whether fact or fantasy
34:20Not having anything of their own effectively
34:23Having to kind of create their own mythology, their own origin story
34:26They were absolutely looking for elements that they could use to weave together in order to create this kind of master narrative
34:36When an article about the Kalevala appeared in a Frankfurt newspaper, Himmler laps it up
34:45Could these songs and stories hold the key to unlocking a glorious Aryan past?
34:51To find out, Himmler enlists the writer of the article
34:57A handsome young adventurer named Jirgo von Gronhagen
35:04It wasn't long before the young Jirgo was well entrenched into Himmler's treasure-hunting offshoot of the SS
35:11The Annanerba
35:13Like Himmler, von Gronhagen prefers to imagine his tall blonde countryfolk
35:18As closely related to the Germans
35:23Von Gronhagen was an interesting character
35:26Himmler brought him into the Annanerba
35:28Because they shared a kind of romantic idealism about the origins of national mythology
35:34And he sent him to Finland to look for evidence that would support the idea that it was once home to the ancient Aryans
35:41In summer 1936, von Gronhagen and a small team arrive at the Karelia region on the border of Russia and Finland
35:55Amidst a tapestry of dense forests, frozen lakes and rugged terrain
36:01Karelia is also steeped in the mythology of woodland spirits and occult practices
36:09This Karelia area, which was rather remote, which had people still living in many ways a traditional life
36:16He seemed to think by going there and trying to study things like the Kalevala that one could find hints and keys to be able to recreate the life and the religion and even the healing practices of the ancient Germans
36:34Over several weeks, the expedition made more than 100 recordings
36:42We know von Gronhagen collected stories and culture
36:46He recorded folk songs and even recorded elderly Finns who chanted magical incantations and sang about ancient sorcerers
36:54Returning with the culture of a far-off land and claiming it as their own was textbook Annanerba behavior
37:05And vitally important to the Nazi High Command
37:09But as colorful as the Kalevala story is
37:13What it's really showing is, is how there were no holds barred in terms of the Nazis' obsessional need to validate these Aryan myths
37:21Myths, myths they used to promote themselves and to destroy others
37:38The Kalevala expedition would serve as a roadmap for the art heist that followed during the war
37:43As its eventual use as a tool of propaganda in 1930s Germany became incredibly influential
37:52In Nazi hands, von Gronhagen's recordings and images are used to rewrite history
38:00Appearing in articles across Germany, they told an imaginary story of a heroic past
38:07With ancient ties to Nordic traditions
38:10What's important about this idea of rose-tinted spectacles or only selecting the most attractive bits of the past
38:19Is that if you're in power and you're creating the narrative
38:24If you're writing your nation's history, then you have the power to do that
38:29Returning the folklore tales of the Kalevala was a rare win for the treasure-hunting Annanerba team
38:36And a significant precursor to the culture war that would eventually wage behind the very real battle lines of World War II
38:46Through the Finnish expedition, they had realized their inherent power of co-opting culture and making it their own
38:54As their armies swept through Europe, Himmler and the Nazi High Command would use these lessons
39:04To undertake one of the greatest episodes of cultural looting in history
39:09The full impact of the Nazi cultural purge of Europe is impossible to quantify
39:18But as the war turned against Germany, Allied soldiers in occupied territories
39:25Slowly uncovered evidence of deliberate cultural destruction
39:29And the unimaginable scale of cultural looting at the hands of the Nazis
39:35If you look at how the Annanerba developed, it was an organization of plunder and theft
39:44During the war, members of the Annanerba literally became treasure hunters
39:49They were sent into the conquered territories of the Reich
39:54To seek out archaeological and cultural treasures
39:57The Annanerba treasure hunters, in their genocidal efforts to rewrite Europe's culture
40:09Have left scars that will last for generations
40:13The scale of the Nazi looting of Jewish property was industrial
40:17And we're still feeling the shockwaves of that today
40:21And you can still see in private collections
40:25Paintings of Jewish family members that have been deliberately slashed with knives
40:30By Nazi stormtroopers
40:36This legacy of loss, however, has taught the world that art and culture
40:41Deserved the same protections from the brutality of war
40:46As lives, property, and land
40:51Our humanity depends on it
40:54The warning from history, in this sense
40:58Is that the only way to erase a culture
41:03Is to erase the people of that culture
41:06We have to recognize that that's what the Nazis were trying to do
41:11Thank goodness that they failed
41:36Thank goodness
41:41Thank goodness
41:43Once the authority of the Nazi limit
41:45The Nazi limit on each other
41:48From the Nazi limit to the Nazi Museum
41:51The Nazi limit on our military
41:53The Nazi limit on the American culture
41:54The Nazi limit was the same
41:58The Nazi limit to the Nazi limit
42:01The Nazi limit on each other
42:03Transcription by CastingWords
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