Why the Nazis Tried to Steal the Bayeux Tapestry

In August 1944, Heinrich Himmler sent an urgent coded message to the commander of Nazi-occupied Paris. At this point, the Allies had successfully invaded France and were marching toward the French capital. Himmler was keenly aware that the liberation of Paris would be the final death knell in the Third Reich's four-year occupation of France. But the message he sent days before Allied forces marched down the Champs-Élysées was not some brilliant battle plan or defense strategy. It was about a single piece of art. It read: "Do not forget to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to a place of safety."

Consisting of nine intricately embroidered panels depicting the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Bayeux Tapestry is one of the oldest and most famous textile works in the world. Remarkably, some 900 years after its creation, it has somehow survived wars, revolutions, and the ravages of time. But why did Himmler want an 11th-century embroidery so badly that he was willing to risk men's lives to obtain it?

Rewriting History

On July 1, 1935, Heinrich Himmler created the Society for the Study of Germanic Heritage, also known as Ahnenerbe. The aim of Ahnenerbe was to legitimize the Third Reich's actions and policies by providing "scientific" evidence of German racial superiority. This included conducting archaeological expeditions and historical research to support their false belief that Germanic peoples were descended from a mythical "Aryan" race that had ruled the ancient world. The pseudoscientists at Ahnenerbe actively engaged in distorting historical and archaeological evidence to fit their racist narrative.

Early on, the Society took a keen interest in the Bayeux Tapestry. They believed (falsely) that the tapestry contained evidence that the Normans who conquered England in the 11th century were not French but Vikings, whom they considered to be part of the wider Germanic race. The Ahnenerbe conducted several studies of the tapestry, comparing the objects depicted within it to Viking artifacts. For example, they cited the similarity between the Norman ships featured in the work and Viking longboats. Though it's true that the Normans were influenced by the Vikings, who had settled in Normandy in the 10th century, by the time the tapestry was created, they had developed their own distinct culture and language. The Ahnenerbe, however, was not interested in this type of historical nuance and quickly integrated the Bayeux Tapestry into their propaganda.

Himmler’s Obsession