Museum Galleries

How could a war like World War II happen between modern, “civilized” nations? How could a war that would kill more than 50 million individuals and physically destroy many great cities and landmarks throughout Europe and Asia be allowed to occur? How could a murderous tyrant like Hitler rise to power in a highly educated and highly cultured Germany?

The World War II Victory Museum's Gathering Storm gallery presents the conditions and events that led to World War II. In this gallery, museum visitors can view several exhibits dedicated to this task. These exhibits feature several unique artifacts, including a one-of-a-kind oil portrait of Adolf Hitler, a rare German "dummy tank" used in the training of tank crewmen, artifacts from the trenches of the First World War, and much more!

From 1939-1942, the forces of tyranny and aggression ran almost unchecked around the world. By 1942 Hitler and his allies had conquered nearly all of Europe. The Japanese had conquered great swaths of land in China and Southeast Asia as well as many islands that gave them control of great expanses in the Pacific Ocean. The rapidity and large scale of Axis victories from 1939 to 1942 shocked the world.

The World War II Victory Museum's Axis High Tide gallery presents these dark years of the war when much of the world seemed doomed to harsh and exploitative occupation by Axis nations, led by Germany and Japan. In this gallery, museum visitors will find eight exhibits featuring numerous small artifacts and more than forty vehicles from this period of World War II. Amongst the vehicles presented in this gallery, visitors will find several vehicles believed to be world's unique survivors such as a German SdKfz 251/6 model A half-track, a German 3-ton Pionieraufbau half-track, and a Polish C2P light artillery towing tractor. In addition to these believed unique survivors, the Axis High Tide includes numerous artifacts that cannot be found elsewhere in North America.

Following the successful conclusion of the North African campaign in May 1943, the Allies continued to drive the war closer to the central antagonist: Nazi Germany. In July 1943, the Allies invaded Sicily and then quickly jumped over to the Italian mainland in September. For the next 20 months Allied forces would slowly slug their way up the Italian boot. While the Allied campaign in Italy was ultimately victorious, it was largely overshadowed by the larger and more direct effort against Germany, the invasion of Northwest Europe. In June 1944, Allied forces landed at Normandy. Within the next eleven months, the Western Allies would fight some of the largest and most dramatic land battles of modern times. The Allies won epic victories at the Normandy beaches, St. Lô, Falaise, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Ruhr pocket. By the end of April 1945, the Allies had almost completely overrun Germany, and the war was won. The myth of Nazi supermen had been dispelled, and Europe would turn its attention to justice, healing, and reconstruction.

The World War II Victory Museum's gallery, Years of Victory: Europe, is the museum's largest gallery, encompassing approximately 30,000 square feet. This gallery remains under construction and is projected to feature, upon completion, twelve major exhibits. These exhibits will present the ground and air war in Europe from 1943-1945. Although under continued development, the gallery is currently open to museum guests, and visitors may view numerous small artifacts as well as dozens of original vehicles. Some of the outstanding vehicles in this gallery include a Czechoslovakian/German Marder III assault gun, a German SdKfz 250 half-track, a German SdKfz 251/1 model C half-track, a German SdKfz 251/1 model D half-track, an American M26 Dragon Wagon 40+ ton tank recovery unit, and an American M18 Buick Hellcat tank destroyer.

After major victories at Midway and Guadalcanal, the tide of the war in the Pacific and Asia turned to the Allies' favor. In their victorious advance toward Japan, the Allies won major victories at places such as New Guinea, Bougainville, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Kohima, Imphal, Leyte Gulf, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The war in the Pacific was unlike any previous war, requiring vast amounts of men and materiel to be transported over awe-inspiring distances. The war against Japan also descended into a fierce and brutal war with few rules governing its conduct. Japanese servicemen were taught that nothing was more shameful than surrender. Japanese soldiers, sailors and airmen died by the thousands in suicide attacks and in militarily hopeless situations. It was very rare for Allied forces to take Japanese prisoners because Japanese garrisons almost always fought until their total annihilation. This fierce resistance exacted tremendous casualties on Allied forces. Consequently, for the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands, Allied planners projected an Allied casualty toll of well over 1 million with five to ten times as many Japanese casualties. Given these and other more severe casualty estimates, President Truman had little difficulty in deciding to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (resulting in a casualty toll that was a small fraction of the projections for a military invasion of Japan) in order to end the war.

The World War II Victory Museum's Years of Victory: Pacific & Asia endeavors to present the war in the Pacific and Asia using artifacts, imagery, and the words and thoughts of the men who served there. This gallery remains under construction but is currently open to museum guests. At present, this gallery features a photo exhibit of Marines at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, numerous small artifacts, seven vehicles of types widely used in the Pacific and CBI theaters, and two large and unique model battleships from the television miniseries The Winds of War. Development and construction of exhibits in this gallery continues, and the gallery, upon completion, will contain no less than three major exhibits.

World War II impacted the lives of civilians on a scale unlike any war before or since. In many places around the globe, the war was an inescapable and dominating element of life. As the men left for war, women took their spots in factories. In order to boost war production, scrap drives and rationing discouraged civilian waste and unnecessary consumption. In both Allied and Axis countries, civilian goods and luxuries, indeed civilian life itself, was subordinated to the all-consuming task of fighting the war. In Europe and Asia, millions of civilians were made homeless by the war through battle, bombing campaigns, and even forced emigration. More revealing is the civilian death toll. More than 35 million civilians died in World War II, outpacing military deaths by about 12 million.

The World War II Victory Museum's Home Fronts gallery is currently under construction but open to museum guests. At present, guests come across a number of small artifacts and several unique vehicles, including a British made Humber Hexonaut GS prototype amphibious truck. The museum's Hexonaut GS is the only survivor of two Hexonauts believed manufactured. The museum plans up to six exhibits for its Home Fronts gallery. These exhibits are planned to include war production; prisoners of war; the expansion and preparation of the U.S. Army for war; occupation, resistance, and espionage; civilians' perspectives on war; and propaganda.

While Allied military victory in World War II is a remarkable story, an equally remarkable story is that of how the world triumphed over the war and recovered from the ravages of war. While World War II was the most tragic event of modern times, the world emerged from this all-consuming war to enter the most prosperous era of world history and one of the more peaceful periods of history amongst the leading nations of the world. Upon the military conclusion of World War II, the top two priorities for the world community were the dispensation of justice to war criminals and reconstruction, both physical reconstruction in war-damaged areas and also reconstruction of a peaceful international community. Physical reconstruction was immensely successful. Within a decade, Europe and Japan were almost fully rebuilt and were more prosperous than ever before. More importantly, in order to guard against any future world catastrophe similar in scale or character to World War II, there also arose the most vigilant and capable international community ever known. Despite this, however, a cold war began. The Cold War turned hot on a couple of occasions, most notably in Korea and Vietnam, but the world was fortunate that these wars did not become global hot wars.

The World War II Victory Museum's Postwar gallery remains under development and construction, but it is open to museum guests. At present, museum visitors encounter six vehicles in this gallery, ranging in age from World War II manufacture to a pair of trucks manufactured during the Vietnam War. Arguably the most interesting piece in this gallery is a nearly exact replica of an armored gun truck from the Vietnam War featuring a mini gun, two .50 caliber heavy machine guns, and two M60 light machine guns. Upon completion, the museum plans to feature up to eight major exhibits in its Postwar gallery which will present such topics as liberation of the concentration and death camps, the displaced person phenomenon, war crimes trials, reconstruction of Europe and Japan, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and living under the threat of nuclear war.