Summary

Section Two, Northern Europe: Chapters 10-23

Chapter 10. Winning Respect

On June 6, 1944 the invasion of Normandy began. By August, the first Monuments men were on the ground documenting monuments listed for conservation. Rorimer, like several of the other Monuments Men, missed his first transport boat to Normandy because of a lack of communication. Once in Normandy, Rorimer ran into additional problems, such as a lack of transportation, causing him to have to grab rides wherever he could, and a lack of authority with commanders of a higher rank than he.

Rorimer saw many things as he performed his duties in Normandy. Rorimer came across many churches on his list that were undamaged save for the carefully destroyed towers Allied commanders bombed to stop German snipers. Rorimer also came across soldiers who shared their rations with French orphans after the abbey...