National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana
Situated in the heart of New Orleans, the National World War II Museum was founded (in concept) in 1991 by noted historian and author, Dr. Stephen Ambrose, and opened to the general public on the anniversary of D-Day in 2000. It is the only museum in the U.S. that specifically addresses all the amphibious invasions of World War II, with homage to the 16 million who fought in the war. New Orleans was chosen as the location because it is where most of the amphibious assault vehicles were built.
The exhibits at the National World War II Museum tell the stories of these invasions in a way that can be appreciated by all ages. Displays include interesting artifacts as well as photographs, documents, personal accounts by soldiers and others who were present, and film footage that cannot be viewed elsewhere.
The permanent exhibits at the museum are housed on the second and third floors and are divided into four different categories: The Home Front, Planning for D-Day, The D-Day Beaches, and The D-Day Invasions in the Pacific. The Home Front exhibit shows the weakness of America’s peacetime armed forces as compared with the might of Germany and Japan and demonstrates how the country banded together to mobilize for war. Preparing for D-Day includes a large recreation of a German observation and command post on Normandy Beach, while the D-Day Beaches exhibit outlines just what was involved in order to defeat Hitler from the air and sea on the beaches of Europe. Finally, Invasions in the Pacific tells the story of the numerous “D-Days” that took place throughout the Pacific Theater.
There are also a number of temporary exhibits that change every few months (or longer). Recent special exhibits include Entertaining the Troops, which honors the USO and others who strived to keep the moral of the soldiers as high as possible; the Hitler Albums, a collection of unique Nazi memorabilia; and When Baseball went to War, an exhibit that focused on what happened to American baseball when many of its Major League players went off to fight the war.
In all, the museum has a very impressive collection of artifacts from the World War II era, including some very large pieces such as vehicles and planes. These include a PT 305 boat, a C47 Military Transport Plane, a Sherman Tank, and a Norden Bombsight, which could calculate the trajectory of a bomb and therefore determine its proper release point.
The National World War II Museum continually reaches out to the community with special events such as “Lunchbox Lectures”, World War II-related board and miniatures gaming, dinners and dances, concerts, and living history re-enactments.
Currently, fundraising for a $300 million expansion is underway and improvements and additions to the museum will include 4 new display pavilions, a theater, a themed restaurant, a USO entertainment venue, and a public parade ground.
The National World War II Museum is open seven days a week. Visitors should allow at least 2 to 3 hours in order to fully explore this attraction.
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