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  • French "Forty and Eight" Railroad Car

    By the end of the 19th century, railroads made it possible to transport people and goods quickly over long distances, and this transportation revolution soon affected military operations. Armies became reliant upon railroads for supplies, and during World War I, men and supplies flowed to the

  • AAF Prisoners of the Japanese

    Japan was not a signatory of the Geneva Convention and so was not bound to humane treatment of prisoners of war (POWs). Furthermore, surrender to an enemy was unacceptable in Japanese military tradition. Consequently, life in a Japanese POW camp was severe. Food was scarce and of poor quality,

  • AAF Prisoners of the Germans

    Germany was a signatory of the Geneva Convention of 1929, which prescribed humane treatment for prisoners of war (POWs). However, there were many failures to abide by the convention's provisions and marked differences in treatment of POWs and in living conditions at German World War II camps.

  • WWII Prisoners of War

    During World War II, 124,079 U.S. Army personnel were captured by the enemy, of these 41,057 were members of the Army Air Forces, most of whom were in airplanes that were shot down while in aerial combat over hostile territory. Germany and its European Allies captured 35,621 Americans while Japan

  • M5 Bomb Trailer

    The M5 bomb trailer is a 2-1/2 ton capacity vehicle used during World War II for transporting bombs from munitions storage areas to the aircraft for loading. Up to six M5s can be towed in a train. The trailer weighs 7,200 pounds when fully loaded.Click here to return to the World War II Gallery.

  • AN/CRT-2 Radio Communications Jammer

    Note:  This exhibit has temporarily been removed from display. The AN/CRT-2 was an air-delivered radio transmitter that jammed radio communications. The AN/CRT-2 was dropped to the ground by parachute near enemy radio receivers in groups of six (each covering a different range of frequencies). The

  • President Ronald Reagan

    Several years after graduating from college and while employed as a sports announcer by a radio station in Iowa, Ronald Reagan began taking home-study U.S. Army Extension Courses. He enrolled in the program on March 18, 1935, and by December 1936, he had completed 14 courses. He then joined the

  • Maj. Clark Gable

    Although he was beyond the draft age at the time the U.S. entered World War II, Clark Gable enlisted as a private in the AAF on Aug. 12, 1942, at Los Angeles. He attended the Officers' Candidate School at Miami Beach, Fla., and graduated as a second lieutenant on Oct. 28, 1942. He then attended

  • Col. Gene Raymond

    When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Gene Raymond became convinced that the U.S. would someday be drawn into the war. At his own expense, he took flying lessons to become a pilot, and following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he interrupted his motion picture career and

  • Flight Officer Jackie Coogan

    Jackie Coogan enlisted in the Army on March 4, 1941. When the U.S. entered World War II as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack, Coogan requested transfer to the AAF as a glider pilot because of his civilian flying experience. He was sent to glider school at Lubbock, Texas, and Twentynine Palms,