Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program

The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies was created in 1943 to help protect cultural property in war areas during and after World War II.

The group of about 400 service members and civilians worked with military forces to protect and save historic and cultural monuments from war damage. They also tried to find and return works of art and other items of cultural importance that had been stolen by the Nazis.

Many of the men and women of the MFAA, also known as Monuments Men.