Within the first week, a painting by Peter Paul Rubens and a sculpted marble hand went missing. An inventory, though not complete, had been taken, and dozens of desks, chairs, and other furniture had already been officially removed for use elsewhere by Army personnel. Nash was given the authority to use household items as needed and was charged with the safekeeping of the contents of the castle. On June 15, 1945, she was literally given the keys to the castle as the officer of the mess section at the club. In 1940, she divorced her husband, and, two years later, lied about her age and joined the WAACs (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps). Nash, born in Wisconsin in 1902, had been living with her husband and two older teenage children in Arizona. ![]() The waterproof lining was soldered shut and a top put onto the box. All of the parcels were put into a zinc-lined wooden box. Gathered with the valuable tiaras, necklaces, and bracelets made of diamonds, sapphires, rubies and other valuable gems were other priceless family heirlooms and pieces such as gold cutlery, family bibles, valuable snuff boxes, and the like. One remained with the items another went with Lange for safekeeping. The family brought their most prized pieces to Wolfgang, who along with the estate manager Heinrich Lange, packaged the items neatly, creating an inventory for each package. The jewels had been deposited at several banks in Frankfurt for safekeeping, but the worsening bombing raids threatened their loss. With pieces gifted by the likes of Queen Victoria and inherited from German Kaisers, the collection of family jewels was worth a fortune. As the bombings worsened, Wolfgang gathered the family, and a decision was made to safeguard a large collection of family jewels. Throughout 1943-1944, bombings in the Frankfurt area had increased in frequency, and the von Hessen family and their homes had not escaped loss. The family fled, believing they had left some of their most valuable possessions well hidden. ![]() Told to pack within four hours and leave, they were only allowed to take food, clothing, and a few personal items. Princess Margarethe was living in a cottage on the grounds, and Christoph’s wife, Princess Sophia and her four children along with Philipp’s children and other family members were living in the main home. In April 1945, elements of Patton’s Third Army arrived at the home of the von Hessen family in Kassel, Schloss Friedrichshof, more commonly referred to as Kronberg Castle.
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