8/20/2023 0 Comments Tank battle cologne, germany, 1945![]() Immediately after the war in Europe, the official entity designated for the protection of cultural treasures during the war, the Monuments Men of the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Division) began to procure building materials for first aid repairs needed to bolster Cologne Cathedral and other important religious and cultural monuments. Hannan served as temporary protector and pastor of the ancient Cologne Cathedral in order to both preserve the artwork and minister to American troops. Hannan used this order to establish a guard post at the cathedral, and attempted to recollect any church property that might have been taken in the previous weeks. On April 16, 1945, Archbishop Frings signed a document authorizing the “amerikanischen Kriegspfarrer Chaplain Philip Hannan ” to protect the cathedral and all of the art and liturgical objects within it. ![]() Moved to protect this treasure, Hannan explored the cathedral, and with the help of a local priest, found the Archbishop of Cologne Josef Frings who was sheltered nearby. Hannan recalled in his book, The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots-From Combat, to Camelot, to Katrina: A Memoir of an Extraordinary Life:Ĭhaplain Philip M. One visitor to the ruined city, arriving shortly after the battle, was an American Catholic chaplain (later Archbishop) with the 82nd Airborne Division, Philip Hannan. The cathedral endured 14 bomb hits and was heavily damaged, but the structure remained, looming above the rest of the ruined city. ![]() The cathedral played a role in the bombardments, in that its twin spires were an easy navigational touchstone for Allied bombers. Just days later, American tanks rolled into the city. The exodus from Cologne continued with the bombings until only about 20,000 residents remained, surviving in ruins and in basements until the last of the raids occurred on March 2, 1945. Nearly a quarter of the city’s 770,000 residents fled following this first devastating raid. Only 60 years after the completion of the cathedral, Cologne was pounded by the first of 262 Allied air raids with the RAF bombardment. Work began on the Gothic masterpiece cathedral in 1298, but the cathedral would not be finished for another 600 years until it was completed in 1880. The National WWII Museum, Gift of Nancy and Julie Leary, 2013.221.091.Īmazingly, the cathedral survived the battle and the previous years of Allied bombardment. Cologne Cathedral rising above ruins of the city.
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