World War II Museum Boeing Center-Planes & More

At the National World War II Museum there are two buildings I haven't covered in previous posts: US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center and the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion.

As the name suggests, the Boeing Center is mostly about planes. There is a theater on the first floor, a gift shop, and kiosks where you can explore stories of pilots. The size of the building is impressive and of course necessary given the size and number of planes on display.






Flyng Fortress





Kiosks allow viewers to examine stories of WW II personnel. I looked up Louis Zamperini and a few others. Zamperini ran in the 1936 Olympics and served as a bombardier in the Pacific before his plane went down. He survived the Pacific Ocean in a raft and two years as a POW. His conversion and story of forgiveness inspires many.






The Restoration Building has a few examples of restored equipment on the main floor. If you have time at the end of your visit, its worth browsing the collection to learn more about some specialized equipment.

RELATED POSTS

NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM Part I

D-Day Exhibit (Part II)

ROAD TO BERLIN (Part III)

PATH TO TOKYO (Part IV)

World War II Planes & More (Part 5) (This post)



World War II Memorial Washington DC


HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DC

My Website: www.suttong.com 


NATIONAL WW II MUSEUM Website:  https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

From America to Tokyo World War II Museum

The path to Tokyo exhibit is on the second floor of the Campaigns of Courage Building on the campus of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans Louisiana.

Although I have seen many documentaries on WWII and read many books, the exhibit helps understand the gargantuan task of the American military to create a force large enough and strong enough to cover the vast Pacific Ocean and hop from one island to another to defeat the Empire of Japan.

A massive wall map offers perspective.






Island warfare included many natural enemies as the troops battled heat and disease in difficult terrain against an enemy willing to fight to the last person rather than surrender.

As with other exhibits, story boards and videos are set in a battlefield context.
















After years of close combat and millions of lost lives, we reach the final scene. The log book from the Enola Gay and photos remind us again of the horror of the nuclear age.











The war finally ends 2 September 1945.








Related Posts

NATIONAL WW II MUSEUM

D-DAY EXHIBIT

WW II MEMORIAL, WASHINGTON DC

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DC


MY WEB PAGE www.suttong.com

World War II Museum Road to Berlin

The Road to Berlin exhibit is a dramatic presentation of the allied paths to defeat Nazi Germany. You will find it on the lower level of the Campaigns of Courage Building.

Armed with cameras and carrying our modern packs, we trudge across the fields of France engaging German soldiers and avoiding friendly and enemy bombers.

We are embedded in scenes that include the machinery of war against Western European landscapes.

We pause to watch videos and view case displays presented in context.





















The D-Day invasion began 6 June 1944. By 1 July, almost a million men were in France.


You get a sense of the harshness and courage during the cold winter of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in December, 1944. Here, about 75,000 Americans lost their lives. German casualities were about 100,000.





















Amidst the devastation, there is a touch of humor.






The destruction of German cities is unimaginable, but we get a glimpse from enlarged photos.



















On May 8, 1945 (VE Day; Victory in Europe) the European war ended.

Like the war itself, the Museum is on a grand scale.







Related Posts

NATIONAL WW II MUSEUM

D-DAY EXHIBIT

PATH TO TOKYO

WW II MEMORIAL, WASHINGTON DC

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DC


MY WEB PAGE www.suttong.com

World War II Museum D-Day

The D-Day exhibit is a permanent exhibit in the entry building (Louisiana Pavilion) at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

D-Day was 6 June 1944 and was known as Operation Overlord.

As you enter, you view a full size replica of the Telemetry Room of the Riva Bella Fire Direction Tower at Normandy. Nearby is a model of the full tower.


 

The packs carried by the soldiers contained a selection of items, which are included in various displays.


































Early on, paratroopers took off from airfields in the south of Britain. They landed at pre-selected drop zones in Northern France.







But some troopers were "dummies" used to deceive the enemy.





The landings on the five beaches continued through the day. Several enlarged photos tell the story.

Juno Beach

Sword Beach

The Canadians were amongst the first of the allies that began to build an invasion force in December 1939. After America entered the war in 1941, they send more than 1.4 million troops in 1943 and 1944.

Eventually, over 2 million troops joined forces by D-Day. In addition to the USA, UK, and Canadians were Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian, and Polish troops and support personnel.

The invasion was the largest multiforce (naval, air, land) invasion in the history of the world.

The combined forces served under the command of  American General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

How many died? Estimates from the D-Day Museum list more than 425,000 Allied and German troops killed, wounded, or missing during the battle of Normandy.

The allies captured about 200,000 German prisoners of war.

The five beaches of the Normandy D-Day Invasion (IWM)

Utah - US 4th Infantry Division
Omaha - US 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions
Gold - British 50th Division
Juno - Canadian 3rd Division
Sword - British 3rd Division


See Part I for more information on the National WWII Museum.


Related Posts

NATIONAL WW II MUSEUM

D-DAY EXHIBIT

PATH TO TOKYO

WW II MEMORIAL, WASHINGTON DC

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DC


MY WEB PAGE www.suttong.com

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a significant addition to the Smithsonian museums.  This museum is worth at least a day of any visit to DC. The tour appropriately begins at the lower level and gradually raises us, with our consciousness, to the light where we all stand on the same level.



We expect to hear the horrific story about the long and tortuous period of American Slavery. The brute force of the artifacts and stories of wounded bodies and souls illustrate how American Slavery grew into a unique and oppressive system within the context of historical records of temporary enslavement and other oppressive near-enslavement conditions around the world.



The signs and pictures inform the path toward freedom, which was slow and marked by much pain, suffering, and false hope.










Segregation is all too recent for people in my generation. And the images come alive in the form of videos and giant exhibits -- a lunch counter, a bus, a prison guard tower.



















We hear speeches, see TV shows of yesteryear, and images of change.

The experience is well-organized and thought provoking.

The lower levels can be crowded due to narrow passages.

Many signs are hard to read because of the dim lighting in parts.

Photography is permitted without flash but of course, there is a glare due to the lighting and many items enclosed in glass.

There are places for research and centers where people can learn more.

The food in the cafeteria is as good or better than other Smithsonian food services. The prices are high as in the other museums. Food and drinks (except water) are not permitted in the museum.

There is no entry fee.

There is a museum store but lines were long so we did not enter the store.

The rest rooms were well-maintained.


Check the website for details on hours and getting an entry pass.

https://nmaahc.si.edu/


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Geoffrey W. Sutton

www.suttong.com

PLACES TO VISIT IN WASHINGTON DC

Here’s a few places to see along with some photos and links to information.

United States Capitol

White House

National Archives

Library of Congress

Supreme Court

National Zoo

U S Botanic Garden

Union Station

Monuments and Memorials

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

WW II Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Museums

American History

Air and Space Museum

Natural History Museum

Postal Museum

National Art Gallery

National Postal Museum

Holocaust Museum

National Museum of the American Indian

National Museum of African American History and Culture

And here’s my webpage  www.suttong.com

 And my Books  AMAZON        GOOGLE STORE

My Travel Blog

My YouTube Travel Site

American Museum of Natural History NYC

Filled with quality crafted dioramas, the American Museum of Natural History brings nature's wonders into the city.

We arrived in NYC 5 September 2016. Due to storm Hermine, we arrived a day early with no plans. We were required to disembark for passport control so we decided to take in a museum. It was a pleasant day so we decided to walk the approximately 2.5 miles from Pier 90 on the Hudson (near 50th St) angling east and north past Fordham University and the Met to the Museum, which is on the West side of Central Park at 79th Street.

I've visited the American Museum of Natural History a few times since my childhood but it had been several years. The dioramas and audio-video presentations reveal considerable improvements.

There really are a lot more to see than large mammals but it's hard to get good photos of gems and precious metals in glass cases. So more mammals.

I must say I was impressed with the anthropology room.

By mid-afternoon we had reached our limit but walked back to our ship hotel for the evening meal.

Tips and Notes

Public transportation stops are nearby.

You can purchase tickets online or from automated booths in the lobby area.

It opens at 10:00 daily- closes at 5:45 pm

The museum meals are expensive compared to nearby restaurants.

There are a lot of places to rest and watch videos or just have a long look at an interesting exhibit.

The toilets were clean and well maintained.

There are downloadable apps

Paper maps are available on entry.

We found the staff friendly and helpful.

There's a nice size museum shop with some reasonably priced gift items for people of all ages.

Parking is awfully expensive- check online- but why would you want to drive in Manhattan?

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Website www.suttong.com
Facebook page Geoff W Sutton

Twitter @GeoffWSutton