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
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • Aeromedical Evacuation: Speed Saves Lives

    "When they take care of you like that, you don't mind fighting." - Wounded 8th Army soldier on his evacuation by air The method of evacuating sick and wounded troops improved during the Korean War. Air transport of wounded was used in World War II, but in Korea a larger proportion of patients were

  • Allison J33 Turbojet

    Originally developed by the General Electric Co. for the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the J33 engine is a direct descendant of the British Whittle engine of the early 1940s. The first J33 underwent static testing on Jan. 13, 1944, just 6 1/2 months after development began. Five months later, a J33

  • Airmen in a World at War

    The Airmen in a World at War exhibit is on display in the World War II Gallery.Click on the following links to learn more about this exhibit.USAAF AircrewsBrazilian Air Force AircrewsRoyal Air Force AircrewsLuftwaffe AircrewsImperial Japanese Navy AircrewsRoyal Italian Air Force AircrewsMexican Air

  • Airfield Construction

    Aviation engineers employed the same basic construction techniques around the globe. After an area had been cleared of trees or other obstructions, Caterpillar tractors towing carryalls cleared the area. Once the dirt runway had been leveled, engineers laid pierced steel planking to create an

  • African Americans Segregated into Separate Units

    Meanwhile, the War Department forced the AAF to reverse a two decade old policy of excluding African Americans. After World War I, the War Department had segregated blacks into all-black units, and since the Air Corps had no black units, they accepted no blacks at all. The Selective Training and

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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