World War II Aviation

Upon entering this gallery, you find yourself almost nose to nose with a B 17 Flying Fortress roaring out of a clear blue sky, contrails streaming behind it. The Keith Ferris mural Fortresses Under Fire fills an entire wall and serves as a backdrop for five fighter planes and the forward fuselage of the B-26 Marauder Flak Bait.

The story of World War II is too big for a single gallery, so this one focuses on land-based fighter aviation. The fighter planes on display are a British Supermarine Spitfire, German Messerschmitt Bf 109, Italian Macchi C.202 Folgore, U.S. North American P-51 Mustang, and Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Also on exhibit are engines, bombs, armament, ammunition, aircrew and service uniforms from several nations, and personal memorabilia.

This exhibition is on view in Gallery 10