The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich is checking a ‘quagmire’ of documents to see if a series of paintings and models it holds were looted by British troops from the Murwick Naval Academy on Germany’s Baltic coast at the end of World War II.

Seven paintings, including a seascape by Claus Bergen, another by Carl Saltzmann and nine models including one of Hitler’s yacht are among the collection at the centre of the controversy. All items are in storage and not on show, like many other exhibits at the museum.

If the exhibits did once belong to the Murwick Academy, the NMM, may be forced to hand them back.