Hunting Hitler Part IV: The Bunker (Afternoon, April 30)

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the fourth blog in a multi-part series. On April 30, in his bunker, Adolf Hitler lunched with his secretaries Gertrude Junge and Frau Gerda Christian and the vegetarian cook Fraulein Constanze Manzialy from 1pm till 2pm. Eva Braun … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part IV: The Bunker (Afternoon, April 30)

Hunting Hitler Part III: The Bunker (Morning, April 30th)

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the third blog in a multi-part series. In the early hours of April 30, 1945, Hitler continued saying his goodbyes in his bunker.  The next group would consist of many people closest to him.  This gathering consisted … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part III: The Bunker (Morning, April 30th)

Hunting Hitler Part II: The Bunker (April 29-April 30)

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. This is the second blog in a multi-part series. Around noon on April 29, 1945, the three couriers with copies of Adolf Hitler’s private will and political testament (and one with his marriage license) left the Berlin bunker … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part II: The Bunker (April 29-April 30)

Marriage Certificate of Eva Braun and Adolph Hitler, p1

Hunting Hitler Part I – The Bunker (April 28-April 29)

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. This is the first in a multi-part series. Introduction On November 10, 2015, the History Channel will begin an eight-part series on the possibility that Adolf Hitler did not die in his Berlin bunker on April 30, but … Continue reading Hunting Hitler Part I – The Bunker (April 28-April 29)

The Monuments Men in September and October 1945: Restitutions

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park On September 13, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower (the Military Governor of the American Zone of Germany and Commander of U.S. Forces European Theater (USFET)) as part of his program to get the restitution program moving, although … Continue reading The Monuments Men in September and October 1945: Restitutions

The Monuments Men in August 1945: The Belgian Treasures

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park In May 1945, elements of the Third U.S. Army reached and captured the mine at Alt Aussee, Austria, which the Germans had used to store looted cultural treasures. They were quickly followed by Third U.S. Army Monuments Men (Monuments, … Continue reading The Monuments Men in August 1945: The Belgian Treasures

The Monuments Men in July: The Treasures Stored at Bad Wildungen

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park In Aachen, Germany, during mid-November 1944, American soldiers found a document from the Suermondt Museum that indicated that the Germans were storing cultural treasures at various locations, including Bad Wildungen, 25 miles southwest of Kassel. The exact storage location … Continue reading The Monuments Men in July: The Treasures Stored at Bad Wildungen

The National Archives and Jefferson Davis’ Cloak, Shawl, and Spurs

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park The Civil War was swiftly coming to an end on April 3, 1865, when the President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, his wife Varina, and their children abandoned Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. On … Continue reading The National Archives and Jefferson Davis’ Cloak, Shawl, and Spurs

A President Complies with Federal Regulations: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Form TFR-500

Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and Dr. Sylvia Naylor, archivists at the National Archives in College Park, MD. Midway through World War II it became apparent that the United States Government had increasing need for comprehensive financial information on American property interests in foreign countries, particularly enemy and enemy-dominated nations. This need … Continue reading A President Complies with Federal Regulations: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Form TFR-500

The Monuments Men in June 1945: The Evacuation of Siegen Completed

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park The Monuments Men (the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFA&A) Specialist Officers) were busy during June 1945 locating and overseeing some 600 emergency repositories containing cultural property and providing for the evacuation of some of that property to more … Continue reading The Monuments Men in June 1945: The Evacuation of Siegen Completed