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Published: July 26th 2015
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Near to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport is a museum that military personnel, freedom-loving patriots of every country, and history buffs everywhere owe it to themselves to visit – the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. It celebrates the formation, accomplishments, aircraft and heroics of that portion of the US Army Air Force that was one of the most important elements in the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Eighth Air Force suffered the highest casualty rate of all US Forces during WWII – 12%, some 47,000 aircrew. It is a large two-story museum, with main exhibition areas and restaurant on the ground floor, gardens outdoors, and more specialized areas on the upper floor. We only visited the ground floor exhibitions indoors, since they were of greatest interest to us.
Beginning as the 8th Bomber Command in 1942, it became the “Mighty Eighth Air Force” two years later. During WWII it grew to more than 200,000 members, and could send more than 2,000 bombers and 1,000 fighter escorts on a single daylight mission. The Museum’s Combat Gallery displays aircraft, engines, scale models, historical artifacts and explanatory information. There are also tributes to individual heroes and
to the Tuskegee Airmen, the ground-breaking black American squadron that flew red-tailed Mustangs. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen .
In addition, special tributes are paid inside the entrance to Generals James Doolittle and H. H. “Hap” Arnold (1886-1950)
“Jimmy” Doolittle achieved distinction as a Lt. Col. when he led sixteen B-25 bombers from the aircraft carrier “Hornet” in a surprise attack on Tokyo a few short months after Pearl Harbor. A Medal of Honor recipient, he became a senior General. For more information, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Doolittle .
“Hap” Arnold (1886-1950) was the only American officer to have served as a five-star General in both the Army and the (subsequent) USAF. He had an earned doctorate from MIT, and retired as General of the Air Force. For more information about this distinguished officer, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_H._Arnold .
This museum is truly a fine tribute to the heroism of its aircrew, their aircraft, and their memory: when visiting Savannah, don’t miss it!
Here is a source of more information: http://mightyeighth.org .
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Rainyb
Lorraine Brecht
I would like to have a ride in one of those ;o)