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

  • Lt. Anthony Savoca Uniform

    Note:  This exhibit has temporarily been removed from display.Items used by Lt. William A. Savoca, a B-26 Marauder bombardier-navigator with the 320th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force, including A-11 flying gloves, tan service hat, A-11 flying helmet and AN-6550-34 flight suit.Click here to return to the

  • Long Cold Flights and Long Cold Days

    Attempting to stay warm during the long missions in the cold cockpit of the P-38, many pilots in Europe chose to wear the Army winter combat jacket that was popularly known as a "Tanker Jacket." 2nd Lt. John Carroll of the 55th Fighter Group was wearing this jacket when he was shot down over Holland

  • Luftwaffe Regains Superiority

    A turning point in the air war occurred the second week of October 1943 when the AAF made a series of major efforts against the enemy. On Oct. 9, 352 bombers flew along the Baltic Sea north of Germany to bomb targets in Poland and East Prussia; although some results were spectacular, 8 percent of

  • Luftwaffe Interceptors

    The first AAF bombing mission against a target inside Germany was made on Jan. 27, 1943, when 53 planes attacked Wilhelmshaven. Opposing German fighter pilots were fairly cautious, but on Feb. 4, when the AAF attacked Emden, it "stirred up a hornet's nest." For the first time, the Luftwaffe engaged

  • Lend-Lease: Aircraft to the Soviet Union

    North and South Atlantic Routes During World War II, the Soviet Union received almost 15,000 U.S.-built aircraft under the lend-lease program. About half of these were delivered by sea via the North Atlantic or were flown across the South Atlantic Ocean to the USSR via North Africa. Each method was

  • Luftwaffe General Staff Oil Painting

    This oil painting, done in Germany approximately 1941, was brought to the U.S. at the end of World War II. Reichs Marshall Hermann Goering (front center), Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, and Colonel-General Ernst Udet (left of Goering), General of Luftwaffe Supplies, were both famous German

  • Lt. Jack A. Sims Uniform Items

    Knapsack, knife and sheath, ammo clips with case for .45-cal Colt pistol, first aid kit, helmet and goggles, parachute "D" ring, Mae West life vest, canteen and A-2 flying jacket worn or carried by Lt. Jack A. Sims on the Tokyo Raid. Sims later wore the A-2 jacket during a combat tour in North

  • Lt. Philip Rasmussen and His P-36A

    A Day that Will Live in InfamyThe Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, completely surprised American forces. Japanese carrier-borne bombers and fighters devastated the Army Air Forces, Navy and Marine installations on the island of Oahu. The attack killed or

  • Lockheed P-38L Lightning

    P-38 Lightning DevelopmentThe P-38 was originally conceived as an advanced, high-performance twin-engine interceptor. On Feb. 11, 1939, Lt. Ben Kelsey set a coast to coast record of 7 hours, 48 minutes in the sleek prototype Lightning, but crashed while landing. Despite the accident, development

  • Laister-Kauffmann TG-4A

    Laister-Kauffmann built the TG-4A in response to an urgent U.S. Army Air Forces requirement for a glider to train assault glider pilots. The TG-4A was a military version of the Laister-Kauffmann Model LK-10 Yankee Doodle two-seat soaring glider. Laister-Kauffmann delivered the first prototype XTG-4