War museums you'd recommend

[Elmo]

Anyone interested in war museums? I have visited a bunch of WWII related museums and would recommend these to be worth a visit:

The Netherlands: Overloon museum park. -huge area with a lot to see: vehicles, airplanes, tons of gear. Osterbeek Airborne Museum -a must for British airborne fans. A bit small but the building was British HQ during Market Garden.

Belgium: Fort Eben Emael - the site of the daring German airborne operation. Bastogne historical center -Battle of the Bulge in a nutshell.
Royal Brussels War/military Museum -free entry, simply huge, history of warfare from sticks and stones to a Hind helicopter.

France: Bayeux Battle of the Normandy museum. -in my opinion the best
WWII museum I ever saw. Omaha Beach and surroundings -simply overwhelming.

Finland: Parola Tank museum -features an armoured train. Helsinki War Museum -great exhibition and you can also worship the medals given to Larry Thorne.

[fantassin]

France:

The Invalides Army Museum, the Liberation Museum (dedicated to free French units, the Resistance and the deportation), the navy museum, all in Paris.

The Foreign Legion museum in Aubagne, near Marseilles

The Airborne forces museum in Pau

The Péronne Mémorial about WWI in Péronne

The Verdun mémorial about the Verdun battle in... Verdun

The tank museum in Saumur (with the only functioning Tiger II in the world)

and so many others...

[n.ignomo]

Such as Caen's memorial you will hear about on june i'm sure ! The whole Maginot Line especially the forts (trenches kept as they were in 1918)... some of the concentration camp are still there, take a look.

[James]

France:

The Péronne Mémorial about WWI in Péronne

The Verdun mémorial about the Verdun battle in... Verdun



Those - absolutely. Also in France - Vimy Ridge, the Normandy beaches.

Belgium - Bastogne has a museum about the battle that took place in 1944/45.

UK - Imperial War Museum and National Army Museum

Japan - Shuri Castle and the memorial on Okinawa

United States - Smithsonian Museum of American History

[FuturePara]

Britian:
Royal Marine Museum
RAF Museum
HMS Victory (Lord Nelsons ship)/ Royal Navy Museum
US: Simstsonian Museum of Air and Space.
The Constitution (Old Iron Sides)
USS Missouri/Pearl Harbor
Patriots Point, South Carolina. I believe the USS Enterprise is the Carrier there...they also have a destroyer, sub, coast guard cutter, and really cool Vietnam area.

James: Did you see the Trench exhibit for WWI at the Imperial War Museum?

[Kriz]

Belgium: The Flanders Fields museum at Ieper, evrything about world war 1 you ever wanted to know. Real nice objects, photos,.....

+ as a bonus you can attend the Last Post each evening and off course walk around and look at the endless graves.

[NcDeuce]

The Pratt Museum on Fort Campbell, KY is a decent one to visit. Has a humvee used by 5th Group in Iraq. Tons of stuff on the 101st through WW2, Vietnam, etc. Little room where you can watch a video from a projector on the history of the 101st. (outdated by the way)...a Glider you can sit inside (not sure if it was a replica)

I give it a B+

They are building a new one that looks really nice...Wings of Liberty, I believe is the name. It's huge and they are constructing a new gate into the military reservation for civilians + military members/family. This should be an A+!

I like the Civil War museums at the battlefields...*****sburg was by far the best. Chattanooga, Shiloh, Atlanta, Vicksburg are others worth mentioning.

[NcDeuce]

Wings of Liberty Military Museum
"Project Letter Home"

1220 Exhibits is working with the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation to develop, design and fabricate a museum honoring Fort Campbell, the 101st Division, and other units based there since the opening of the base in 1942. The Wings of Liberty Military Museum, currently slated to open in 2002, will be artifact-intensive and feature state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, audio/visual effects and detailed histories of the campaigns that Fort Campbell units were part of: WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War - and subsequent missions: Grenada, Somalia, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia. There will also be a focused study of the history of Fort Campbell, the civilian workers, and the relationship that has developed between area citizens, communities and the military.

One of the exhibits to be included in the museum will include "letters home" from soldiers deployed to fight in various campaigns. We are soliciting letters from husbands / sons / daughters / fathers / lovers that detail wartime conditions, the soldiers' thoughts and emotions and bring a sense of intimate detail to the exhibits. If possible, a photo of the soldier taken during their time of service should also be included.

Information to include:

Soldier's name, rank and unit

Where stationed

Place of birth / death / burial site

Birth / death dates

Photocopies of letters and photographs will be accepted and 1220 will contact you if letters are selected for exhibition in the museum. Original letters are welcomed, but cannot be returned. All will become part of the collection at the museum and all donors will be sent a deed-of-gift certifying their contribution to the museum.


http://www.fortcampbell.com/images/expansion.jpg

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http://www.fortcampbell.com/images/plan.jpg

http://www.fortcampbell.com/images/1220c.jpg

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http://www.fortcampbell.com/images/render2.jpg

Just found some of these renderings and layouts! Looks awesome! woot

[Scrim]

Recently visited the D-Day museum in New Orleans. Was very impresive.
Lots of British, German and American equipment. Its fairly new and they are soon to open a new wing dedicated to the Pacific campaign.(may already be open.)

[seventy6er]

I visited some of the D-Day museums in Normandy (Bayeux, Caen) and the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. Can recommend them all.

[Dalleer]

I haven't been in a war museum for a long time, although there's this one is Mikkeli (<- Finland) that had all sorts of interesting continuation war and winter war stuff around.

I'd surely tell more, but it's too bad that I was around 10 when I visited it and nothing much remains of it.

Hmm, maybe another visit in Mikkeli should be in order...

[marktigger]

HMS Belfast: near tower bridge in london
RAF museum Hendon
RAMC/QARANC museum: Keogh Barracks
Aldershot military Museum
Airborne Forces Museum Browning Bks Aldershot
Fire Power: Royal Artillery museum woolwich london
Somme Heritage centre Bangor Northern Ireland
Grey Point Coastal Artillery Station Bangor Northern Ireland

[hank]

I like the Patton Museum at Fort Knox - tons of armor and really well preserved - Also Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen MD is great - the armor is showing the years and the paint shcemes suck but still more versions of foreign tanks than anywhere else in the continental US

I was less impressed with D-Day in NO. Good, but if you have read Stephen Ambrose you wil recognize nearly all the stories. Worth going to see, but don't build it up in your mind lest you be disappointed.

One quick note about Patton and Aberdeen - I tried to go to Aberdeen in the summer of 2002 and got turned away at the gate. The museum was open but no civilians on the base. I have not tried again since and it may not be like that anymore. the website for aberdeen at that time was not too great and I was caught unaware by the MPs. Maybe NCdeuce can elaborate on this.

If you live in the US or visit (epsecially Washington DC) you really should check out Aberdeen. the 2 times I have been there I have been blown away.

hank

[James]

James: Did you see the Trench exhibit for WWI at the Imperial War Museum?

Yes.

[Ian H]

Its been said, but any and all of the Imperial War Museums: London, Duxford, HMS Belfast and the Cabinet War Rooms. They are all free! Duxford and London in particular are excellent, a hell ofa lot of stuff there, including rare things.

[Uncle Sam]

JFK Special Warfare and 82nd Airborne museums respectfully.

[pAt]

After highschool im gonna take a trip to france i want to c the beachs of normandy and all the sight seeing places there

[NcDeuce]

One quick note about Patton and Aberdeen - I tried to go to Aberdeen in the summer of 2002 and got turned away at the gate. The museum was open but no civilians on the base. I have not tried again since and it may not be like that anymore. the website for aberdeen at that time was not too great and I was caught unaware by the MPs. Maybe NCdeuce can elaborate on this.

Over here, they've got civilians working the gates to allow MPs to do their shizit off in the Mid-East due to the demand for combat MPs. Security is definitely tightened since 9/11. Back in the day, almost anyone could get onto post with relative ease.

Now though, you have to have DOD decals and/or military ID. I had my wallet stolen so my dad had to drive me to the Visitor Center or whatever and get a 'temporary pass' to get on post so I could get a new ID. It was a pain in the ass and the soldier working the desk f*cked up and got my dad really pissed but that's a different story...

I think the best bet to get onto a military installation in order to visit a museum is to go to the 'Visitor Center' or some type of facility similar and apply for a temporary pass. They'll have you fill some paperwork and take your photo probably and you'll be Golf Tango Golf.

[hank]

Thanks ncdeuce - I last tried in July of 2002 and they told me under no circumstances could I get on the base for any reason. In fact they weren't real nice about it. The wife and I were going to stop at Aberdeen on our way to VT - but to no avail. I am going to try to go to Knox in June. I'll try your suggestion.

hank

[n.ignomo]

And don't ****ing think that Normandie beaches are like those in SPRyan. I hate historical mistakes in movies !

[digrar]

Apparently the beaches are different now to what they were on D Day, as you would expect with the ravages of 60 years worth of erosion.

[James]

And don't f*** think that Normandie beaches are like those in SPRyan. I hate historical mistakes in movies !

Well, Dog Green on Omaha is similar to how it was in 1944. Vierville is on top of the bluff. One can sit and enjoy the view now while drinking cafe au lait.

[Marsuitor]

Guadalcanal - The worlds largest open air museum. :lol:

[Steve Andrews]

Bovington tank museum is good. (UK)

[rawkitheart]

over the weekend i saw the presidential museums and libraries of truman and ike, both of which had nice war museums. the ikes were in abeline kansas and the trumans were in independance missouri.

another nice museum is the one at cantigny park in chicago. its owned by the mccormick family (they own the chicago tribune) and have a huge tank garden and a ww2 and ww1 museum.

[ChuckThunder]

UDT-SEAL Museum.

Virtual Tour (http://www.udt-sealmuseum.org/sealudt_pan_index.htm)

[DANJANOU]

Not conventional museums although there are small museums on the sites, but two places worth seeing in Asia are Corregidor in the Phillipines and the River Kwai Railway Bridge in Thailand. (I just visited both last month)

For Corregidor you can take day trips on a ferry from Manila. The museum at top side near the parade square and WWII DZ is worth a couple of hours alone. Also good is the audio visual show they have in the Malita Tunnel.

The River Kwai Bridge and railway isabout two-three hours from Bangkok. One day or overnight tours including a ride on a local train across the bridge are available from Bangkok. There's a small museum in the town near the bridge across from the military graveyard which has the remains of some 7,000 POW (Dutch, Indian, Australian, British, American) who died building the railway.

[zenmaster]

Not all the Normandy beaches are similar to Omaha. Utah, and Juno are not covered in cliffs. The Imperial War Mueseum is very impressive and the downstairs WW1 and WW2 exhibits are excellent.

[mustamato]

Well, if you visit Copenhagen sometime, then don´t forget http://www.thm.dk/
I think it´s one of the largest war museums. They have a huuuuge collection of
small arms mainly from present to past, and on the bottom floor larger guns,
and a small yard with a couple of tanks.

[Kellhound]

I loved Bovington. Only problem is low capacity for so many tanks.

In Spain, the military base at "El Goloso", in Madrid has many interesting tanks too, but i don't know if it's open to civilians.
The "Museo del Ejército" just moved to a bigger building from Madrid to Toledo.
"Montjuich" in Barcelona is nice too (small arms, ancient weapons and armours), but is way smaller.

[Apogee]

We've got a pretty good museum here at West Point. It has the history of weapons from like the rock on up to the Atomic weapon. I'd recommend it, but then again, I'm a little biased.

[Miles Teg]

Something unusual

Nord, pas de calais.

Helfaut/Wizerne La coupole, V2 launching site.

http://www.lacoupole.com/en/default.asp

http://www.lacoupole.com/images-site/photos/exterieure_accueil.jpg

[Vance]

D-Day muesuem in New Orleans, USA is very nice. Went there a couple of years ago.

[Mudcat]

8th Airforce Heritage Museum located in Savanah, GA.

Massive amount of information and items on the air war over Europe from the Battle of Britian until the last days of WW2. They even have a Me 163 Komet.

Check out their site here:

www.mightyeighth.org

[DeltaWhisky58]

All in Europe:

UK:
London - The National Army Museum, Chelsea
London - The RAF Museum, Hendon
London - The Imperial War Museum, Lambeth
Edinburgh - Scottish War Museum, Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh - Royal Scots Greys Museum, Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh - Royal Scots Museum, Edinburgh Castle
Aberdeen - The Gordon Highlanders Museum
Inverness - The Seaforth & Camerons Museum, Fort George
Stirling - The Srgyll & Sutherland Highlanders Museum, Stirling Castle
Perth - The Black Watch Museum, Balhousie Castle.

Netherlands:
Airborne Forces Museum, Oosterbeek, Arnhem
Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg, Nr. Utrecht

[Kampfhamster]

A very good Museum in Switzerland. http://www.festungsmuseum.ch/
It really worth a visit.

[Ratamacue]

Has anyone checked out the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in North Carolina? I saw a few commercials for it awhile back, been wondering how it is.

In any case, a great museum is the USS Intrepid Air/Space Museum in New York City. It consists of the USS Intrepid (carrier serving from WW2 through Vietnam), USS Growler (an old cruise missile submarine), and the USS Edson (destroyer). The flight deck of the Intrepid is covered in aircraft from virtually any country you can think of (including an SR-71), while the hanger deck is essentially a museum of military and space flight. Plus, every year around the end of May or beginning of June they have a week where ships from US and international militaries come into port, give tours, etc.

[dahlia]

I highly recommend The National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. I went a couple of years ago and was really impressed. Here is how it's described on their website.
http://www.ddaymuseum.org/index.html


"Dr. Stephen Ambrose, University of New Orleans Boyd Professor of History, founded The National D-Day Museum Foundation in New Orleans in 1991. The Museum, which opened on June 6, 2000, is the only museum in the United States that addresses all of the amphibious invasions or "D-days" of World War II, paying tribute to the more than one million Americans who took part.

The National D-Day Museum opened its doors on the 56th anniversary of the Normandy invasion that liberated Europe. It is located in New Orleans, Louisiana because it was here that Andrew Higgins built the landing craft used in the amphibious invasions; the landing craft which President Eisenhower believed won the war for the Allies. The Museum stands as our country's tribute to the men and women who made the invasions in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific theaters successful. It presents their stories to an international audience, preserves material for research and scholarship, and inspires future generations to apply the lessons learned from the most complex military operation ever staged."



http://www.ddaymuseum.org/index.html

[juhae]

I hope I'll get a chance to visit the military museum in Vienna during the next seven days, as tomorrow morning I'll be heading towards Austria. A commentary will be provided, if those circumstances can be met.

[11F5S]

Has anyone checked out the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in North Carolina? I saw a few commercials for it awhile back, been wondering how it is.

Yes, I was there for the dedication ceremony... very good...it's in Fayetteville...just two hoots and a holler from the JFK Special Warfare Museum and the 82nd Airborne Division Museum on Ft Bragg. Admission is free to all three.

http://www.asomf.org/exhibitions_and_programs.htm

[Chasseur_Alpin]

if there is only one of them to visit: Imperial War Museum...