“The Monument Men”.What better”companion-piece”than”The Ritchie Boys”??????????????
Here’s another worthy companion piece:
Whatson’s Whizzers: Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology, by Colonel (Ret) Wolfgang Samuel, USAF. Watson refers to Major General Harold Watson, who led our efforts to secure German jet aircraft, engines, rockets and related technology at the end of World War II. It’s a much more compelling story than the “Monuments Men,” (IMO), with far-ranging implications for national security. The seeds of our victory in the Cold War were sown (in part) by Watson and his men. Of course, a good Hollywood liberal like George Clooney would never make a film about Watson, because he led an effort to secure military technology, rather than works of art.
The importance of Watson’s efforts cannot be overstated. Boeing (along other defense contractors) had access to the information—and the German scientists and engineers—located by the Air Air Corps intelligence team. After viewing plans for more advanced Luftwaffe jets (on the drawing boards at the end of the war), a Boeing engineer sent a famous letter to his colleagues in Seattle, with details on the proper wing angle for jet aircraft being designed by his company. German engineering data was instrumental in development of both the B-47 and B-52, among other weapons systems.
One more interesting sidelight: Colonel Samuel, the author of the book, was a refugee in post-war Germany where his mother was raped (and his grandfather killed) by communists. His step-father was an American airman, whom his mother met and married after the war.