American soldier inspects German loot stored in a church at Elligen, Germany, April 24, 1945. Photo. Archives.gov

A subterranean expedition is being launched near Dresden, Germany to recover between 250 and 500 pieces of art looted by the Nazis in World War 2.

Documents from old Wehrmacht archives report that a collection belonging to Baron Ferenc Hatvany, a prominent Hungarian-Jewish entrepreneur was sacked on the orders of Adolf Eichmann in Hungary in 1944 and shipped to two subterranean galleries in the Erzgebirge Mountains.

The collection is said to include Cezannes, Manets, Monets, along with fine carpets, tapestries and sculptures.

The descent is planned for May.

Adolf Hitler’s looting of complete art collections belonging to prominent Jewish families, including the Rothschilds, the Schloss Family, the Rosenbergs, the Goudstikkers, among others is well known. It has been reported that by the end of the second world war, the Third Reich had amassed 20% of the art of Europe.

Many institutions, such as The Robert Commission, The U.S. Army, Archives officers, the Office of Strategic Services’ Art Looting Unit, and State Department Foreign Service officers among others are engaged in efforts to recover and identify the looted art works.