For a history of the Office of Military Government, U.S. Zone for Germany (OMGUS), see the description for RG 260, Series W. The Offenbach Archival Depot was the primary shipping center for recovered artworks in the Office of Military Government for Hesse. It worked in conjunction with the Marburg and Wiesbaden Central Collecting Points, and with institutions and countries seeking to reclaim their lost artworks. These photographs were taken by the Offenbach Archival Depot as a record of the multiplicity of institutions and private owners from whom books were stolen by the Nazi plunder apparatus during World War II. These albums contain library markings from both Eastern and Western Europe, and include examples from Great Britain and the United States as well. Countries represented here include Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Palestine, the Ukraine, and White Russia (Belorussia). Organizations and institutions represented in these photographs include the Jewish Welfare Board of New York, the United Workers' Cooperative Association, the U.S. Library of Congress, and numerous Jewish historical and cultural organizations throughout Europe. Included are sections devoted to library markings from Catholic and Jewish libraries and individuals. A breakdown of the contents of each album follows, Album I- Includes private library markings, arranged alphabetically by surname of individual or name of library. Call numbers for the books are written beside each photograph. Sections devoted to markings from Jewish and Catholic libraries follow. Album II- Includes markings from Eastern Europe - Czechoslovakia to Yugoslavia. These are arranged alphabetically by country, then numerically thereunder. Album III- Includes markings from the United States and Western Europe - America to Switzerland. Sections entitled "Stamps" and "Monograms" follow. These photographs are also arranged alphabetically bycountry and thereunder numerically. Album IV- Includes markings for Eastern Europe - Czechoslovakia to Latvia (this duplicates the contents of Album II). Album V- Includes markings for Eastern Europe - Lithuania to Yugoslavia (this also duplicates the contents of Album II). Album VI- Includes markings for Western Europe. (This duplicates Album III). There are no negatives for this series.
