In 1939, the Bayeux Tapestry was placed in an underground shelter at the Hotel du Doyen where it remained for two years, opened out each month in order to check its state of conservation. The political and military significance of the Tapestry was of particular interest to the Nazis: German teams from the Ahnenerbe (research and teaching institute of ancestral heritage) were asked to study it.

In 1941, the Tapestry was transferred by van to the National Museums repository in Sourches (Sarthe region), where it remained until 26 June 1944. Faced with the allied advance, the German authorities requisitioned the Tapestry and sent it to the Louvre in Paris. In the memoirs of General Dietrich von Cholitz, military governor of "Greater Paris", the Bayeux Tapestry was connected with events surrounding the Liberation of Paris (19-25 August 1944).

In August 1944, just days before the liberation of the city, Himmler ordered its transfer to Germany, believing it to be a significant piece of Aryan heritage. However, British codebreakers at Bletchley Park intercepted this directive and alerted the French Resistance.

The exact details of how the Resistance intervened are unclear, though it's possible that they had the assistance of General Dietrich von Choltitz. The military governor of Paris, known for defying Hitler's command to destroy Paris, may have taken measures to delay or prevent the SS from carrying out their orders, ensuring the tapestry remained in the Louvre.

Comments welcome:  Keith

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