In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5

Effective immediately, the William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery will have limited guest access due to scheduled event preparations. The only accessible exhibits during this time include: Douglas VC-54 Sacred Cow, Flying the President Exhibit, USAF Established Artifact.
We anticipate full gallery access will resume by 5 June 2025.

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

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  • Marianas

    While Gen. MacArthur's troops were poised in New Guinea in preparation for a move against the Philippines, naval forces under Admiral Chester Nimitz in the central Pacific swept into the Marianas past Truk and the Carolines to secure sites for B-29 bomber bases. Saipan was invaded on June 15, 1944,

  • The Tragic Story of The Flying Dutchman

    On Nov. 10, 1942, the C-47 nicknamed The Flying Dutchman (S/N 41-18564) hit a strong down-draft over the Owen Stanley Range while carrying U.S. Army troops from Port Moresby to Pongani, New Guinea. It crashed into the side of Mount Obree, killing seven of the 23 onboard and destroying most of the

  • Brig. Gen. Clinton D. "Casey" Vincent

    Clinton D. Vincent was the second youngest general officer in Air Force history, earning his star at the age of 29. After only seven years of service in the armed forces, he rose to the temporary rank of brigadier general. Vincent spent the first year of World War II with the Karachi American Air

  • Development of the Boeing B-29

    Development of the Boeing Superfortress "very heavy bomber" began late in 1939, and the first XB-29 made its initial flight on Sept. 21, 1942. In a bold wartime gamble, the AAF ordered the plane into quantity production months before that first flight. Among the B-29's new features were pressurized

  • Allied Counteroffensive

    In the spring of 1944, the Japanese began a series of successful offensives and by year's end had driven the 14th Air Force from many of its forward bases and had established a continuous line of communications from French Indo-China to North China. During the offensive, however, 14th Air Force

  • China Operations

    In China, the Flying Tigers were inducted into the AAF's 23rd Fighter Group on July 4, 1942, at which time Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault's force had an effective strength of about 35 P-40s and seven B-25 medium bombers. Designated originally as the China Air Task Force, less than a year later, in

  • Burma Campaign

    As the Allies gradually received reinforcements, the RAF and the 10th Air Force were able to win air superiority over the Japanese in Burma, and medium bombers and fighter bombers undertook energetic campaigns against enemy river traffic, bridges and railroads. In March 1944 Allied transport

  • The "Hump": Lifeline to China

    Burma lies like a giant wedge between India and China, and after its occupation by the Japanese, the only link between these two countries was a hazardous air route across the rugged Himalaya Mountains -- the famed "Hump." The obstacles posed by terrain and the extremes in climate were difficulties

  • War on the Asian Mainland

    Until late in the war, operations against the enemy on the Asian mainland in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater, were hindered by a tangled chain of Allied command, the long distance from sources of resupply and the very low priority of men and material given to the theater. The primary purpose of

  • Runways By Hand: China's Support of the Air War

    During World War II, the United States and China forged a strong friendship based on mutual strategic interests and shared sacrifice in fighting and defeating Japan in the Pacific theatre. A key Chinese contribution involved the use of thousands of workers and hand-hewn stone rollers to construct