About Us

National Museum of the United States Air Force

Overhead view of Presidential Aircraft at the museum.

Presidential aircraft at National Museum of the United States Air Force

Welcome to the official website of the National Museum of the United States Air Force -- the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world -- located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. This site is provided as a public service by the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Public Affairs Division.

Use the top navigation bar to find information about planning your visit as well as events and activities taking place at the museum.

Meet the Director

Learn about museum divisions.

The National Museum of the United States Air Force collects, researches, conserves, interprets and presents the Air Force’s history, heritage, and traditions, as well as today’s mission to fly, fight, win … air power anytime, anywhere to a global audience through engaging exhibits, educational outreach, special programs, and the stewardship of the national historical collection. With our educational outreach, we motivate, educate, and inspire youth interest in the United States Air Force (USAF) and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The statutory duties delegated by the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) are accomplished on behalf of the American People.

We are the keepers of their stories™

Video by NMUSAF PA

Holocaust Audio Tour 13: A Child’s Prized Possession

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Dec. 31, 1969 | 1:33

The next artifact is an accordion contained in a glass exhibit case. This artifact introduces us to the Kindertransport, a program created in 1938 that allowed 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria and Poland to flee to the United Kingdom. Those children were placed in foster homes, hostels and schools. They were often the only members of their families to survive the Holocaust. This accordion allows the museum to share the story of Gertrude Wolff, one of those 10,000 children. Children leaving on the Kindertransport train could only take two medium-sized suitcases, but 14-year-old Gertrude Wolff boarded the train with her little sister on May 17, 1939, with one suitcase and one accordion. The accordion on display was a gift from her parents. Refusing to leave her prized possession behind, Gertrude used the accordion as her second suitcase. Gertrude’s parents managed to escape Germany, but her father was interned by the British. She came to the United States with her sister and mother in 1939. After World War II, she married Robert Kahn, whose violin is also on display in this exhibit.

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heritagemuseumhistoryWWIIWorld War IIHolocaust