A painting by Leonardo Da Vinci is stolen; another by Caravaggio is destroyed; and a portrait of Raphael - along with thousands of other works of art - is still missing.

During and following World War II, a special multinational group of more than 400 men and women, who despite great peril and risk of life and limb, served behind enemy lines and joined frontline military units to ensure the preservation, protection, liberation and restitution of the world's greatest artistic and cultural treasures.

This "band of unsung heroes," referred to as the "Monuments Men," worked tirelessly to track down, identify and catalogue millions of priceless works of art and irreplaceable cultural artifacts - including masterpieces by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Vermeer - that had been stolen by Hitler and the Nazis.

Robert Edsel, author of "Rescuing Da Vinci," explains how he compiled the first photographic telling of the amazing story of Hitler and the Nazi theft of Europe's greatest art - and the rescue and recovery of it. He tells the full story of the "Monuments Men," including their heroics and exploits in rescuing and safeguarding many of the world's greatest artworks for the benefit of mankind. It's a story that has never before been fully revealed until now.

"During and after WWII, the Monuments Men tracked-down, safeguarded and catalogued millions of stolen works of irreplaceable and priceless artistic and cultural treasures, including masterpieces by Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt," said Edsel, formerly a nationally ranked professional tennis player, as well as an extremely successful business entrepreneur in the oil and gas industry, who sold his company and moved to Europe with his family in 1996.

While in Florence, he developed a great passion for art and architecture and became curious as to how all the monuments and great works of art survived the devastation of World War II? What began as a question evolved into an impassioned journey to unravel the secrets and heroics of the unsung heroes who saved the world's greatest art and cultural treasures for the benefit of humanity.

"There is no museum or cultural institution in the world that has not benefited from their heroism and altruism. Very few of the Monuments Men are still living, and it would be unforgivable for the recognition they so justly deserve to be given posthumously," said Edsel.

In addition to his book, "Rescuing Da Vinci," Edsel has formed a not-for-profit foundation to honor modern day "Monuments Men," is lobbying Congress to appropriately honor and recognize the "Monuments Men," and has co-produced a documentary on the subject which will air on PBS in April 2007.