National World War I Museum

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After visiting the National World War I Museum, I must say that it is an extraordinary monument to the achievements and hardships faced by the Allied soldiers during The Great War. In addition, the museum now shows the “Man and Machine: The German Soldier in World War I” exhibit so we can see the war through the other side. It was truly amazing how the museum was laid out with the central circle being a chronological timeline that takes you from the beginning through all the important events and then to the end. Along the way there are personal writings and the thoughts of people who were actually there and experiencing what we can now only read about, imagining what these soldiers went through trying to survive such a dark and violent war.

The first thing that caught my attention was the glass bridge that extends over a poppy garden. There are 9,000 poppies planted here, each one representing 1,000 combatant deaths in WWI. The greeters are a wealth of help and knowledge about the museum so don’t hesitate to ask them any questions you may have.

Going right takes you to the exhibits that date from 1914 – 1917 and include the first half of the “Chronology of War”, a trench that allows visitors to see the conditions soldiers faced while living and fighting there, the “Interactive Tables” where anyone can learn about the technologies used throughout the war, and the “Air & Sea” galleries. Everything is neatly laid out and displayed, including a section of floor that is constructed of glass, allowing you to look below to see other artifacts. Lining the main walk are the different types of artillery guns that were used. Uniforms, handguns, rifles, heavy machine guns, awards, medical gear, chemical warfare equipment, and ammunition are a small fraction of what you will see here. A Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo and a DeHavilland DH2 demonstrates the air and sea capabilities used.

The “Horizon Theater” shows a 15-minute video about what made the United States enter the war. Below the main screen is a debris field with a British patrol making its way through. I have never been to war, but I can imagine that this is very much how it looked walking through the devastating destruction after a fierce battle.

The 1917 – 1919 section houses artillery, medical technology from the time period, a horse drawn 75mm gun caisson from 1918, and a French Nieuport N12 hanging from the ceiling. See what happens when a building is hit by artillery by walking into a crater scattered with charred debris. In the basement, reachable by elevator, is a research library that boasts 60,000 archival documents and 6,000 titles. You can also see the base of the Liberty Memorial Tower while you are down here. The exhibit that I believe really shows the experience is the Renault FT17 Tank that has a hole in the side of it from being hit by a German shell. It is almost unfathomable today to imagine what driving that tank into battle was like.

The National World War I Museum really drives home how dark and bloody the war was. The equipment was so primitive compared to what we have today and I must stand in awe and respect of the soldier that fought and died during WWI, they deserve the honor that this museum bestows upon them, and rightfully so.

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