Paul Conrath

Who was Paul Conrath?

General Paul Conrath was a German General der Fallschirmtruppe during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Following the battle at Monte Cassino in Italy, he was honored for authorizing action, prior to the battle, that saved priceless Christian treasures. At the request of two of his division's officers, he authorized use of trucks, fuel, and drivers to remove books and other property from the Abbey to the Vatican and other safe locations in Rome. After a mass in the basilica, Abbot Gregorio Diamare formally presented General Conrath with signed parchment scrolls enscribed in Latin. The scrolls cited two German officers who proposed the evacuation of the treasures of the Abbey, Lt. Col. Julius Schlegel, a military lawyer, and Capt. Maximilian Becker, an army surgeon, "for rescuing the monks and treasures of the Abbey of Monte Cassino."