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On Tuesday, October 8, the German Embassy in Washington, DC, hosted a ceremony that officially returned the parade banner to the Wiescherhöfen Volunteer Fire Department. The ceremony was attended by leaders of the German Embassy, the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, the Hamm-Wiescherhöfen Fire Department, and the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting, as well representatives of the FBI Art Looting agency, the US State Department, and of Bank of America, whose support continues to underwrite part of the costs of our research.
The morning included remarks by Axel Dittmann, deputy chief of mission of the German Embassy, by Foundation founder and chairman, Robert M. Edsel, by Mark Moorhead, curator of education of Hall of Flame Museum, and Guido Krämer from the Hamm-Wiescherhöfen Fire Department.
"That the flag of our ancestors, after being lost for 80 years, stands before us today borders on a miracle," Mr. Krämer said. "This is a very emotional moment for us, and we, the Fire Department Wiescherhöfen and our community will never forget this."
The noble actions of the leaders of the Hall of Flame Fire Museum, who came forward to voluntarily return the banner that had made it to its collections in the postwar years stands in stark contrast to a remarkably similar case involving a missing flag belonging to the Eberhardsreuth Volunteer Fire Department in Bavaria, in which the owner of a firearms store in Houston, Texas has so far refused to return that object.
"We are very grateful when objects that made its way to the US are returned to its original owners," said Dittmann in his remarks. "For us, this is yet another proof of the exceptional relationship between our nations, once adversaries, transformed into one of deep friendship, trust and mutual respect. Our military alliances, our shared values, and our joint commitment to democratic principles are pillars that now define us."
Click here to learn more about the parade banner, the circumstances of its loss, and the role of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation.
We would like to thank Bank of America for supporting our research and our mission of preserving and protecting cultural heritage.
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