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  • A Useful Souvenir: The "Short Snorter"

    Many Allied airmen in World War II made souvenirs of their travels by collecting currency from all the places they visited. A "short snorter" was a collection of bills taped together, often signed by friends. When buying drinks, an airmen who could not produce his short snorter was expected to buy a

  • POW-Made Jacket, Cap and Gloves

    The donor made the jacket, cap and gloves from a GI blanket on a POW-constructed sewing machine while imprisoned at Mukden, Machuria. The donor was wearing the jacket in 1944 when B-29s made first bombing raids on Mukden. One B-29 was damaged and released its bombs, two of which fell on the POW

  • A Mission Remembered

    On Sept. 27, 1943, en route back to England after a raid against Emden, Germany, a 91st Bomb Group B-17 nicknamed "Local Girl" was set on fire by an Me 109 fighter. Eight of the 10 B-17 crew members bailed out, but only six survived. One of the survivors was the radio operator, Tech. Sgt. Orlo

  • 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