recommend some good ww2 museums.

[sig226]

Well, if you ever do get to tour West Point, there are a few other places in the northeast that are worth a day trip.

The USS Intrepid, in Manhattan, will not reopen until November 11th, 2008.

The USS Ling is a submarine and memorial in Hackensack, New Jersey. Although small, the exhibits in the Ling will make you think, and when you're done, you'll appreciate the sacrifices made by those men like never before.

I never went to the USS New Jersey, in Trenton (?) but it's supposed to be an outstanding exhibit.

If you're going north to see West Point, head to Massachussetts and visit the USS Massachussetts at Battleship Cove in Fall River. The battleship USS Massachussetts is there, the sub USS Lionfish, the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., a PT boat, and a Soviet missile corvette.

And then there's Gettysburg.

 

[kds99]

http://www.lanevictory.org/

If you are ever in california very interesting tour

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Not a Museum--but a single massive exhibit worth the trip

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago--an unforgettable and fantastic museum for many reasons--has a single WW II exhibit that notes mention--the U-505---the only enemy man-o-war captured intact at sea by the U.S. Navy since the War if 1812.

The display has been updated and they actually moved the sub indoors. It is the only type-IXc that survives. Since the Berghoff resturant has closed, it's the only good reason to visit Chiacgo I can think of. Watch Das Boot with the kids first, THEN take them.



http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/index.html

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

lgsracer quoted:

U.S. Army Ordnance Museum Exhibits an enormous array of ordnance, representing weaponry from the Revolution to Viet Nam. Edged weapons, handguns, rifles, machine guns, grenades, mines, booby traps, and more. A 25-acre field contains more than 200 armored vehicles of all types. Bldg 2601, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005-5201 410-278 3603, 410-278 7473 fax.

When you get here you can sign yourself on post to get in. You will never regret it.

 

[Mr White]

It was mentioned in lgsracer's list but it bears mentioning again. Its not really a museum but its well worth seeing if you ever get to the area... The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford VA is a very cool place.

Website

 

[Tinker]

If you happen to be travelling I-20 between Birmingham, Al. and Atlanta, Ga. check out the Berman weapons museum in Anniston, Al. They have a lot of WWII pieces. Also a lot of other really cool stuff that is not WWII.

http://www.bermanmuseum.org/

 

[Steve N]

I second the Berman Museum in Anniston, AL. They have a terrific collection of dueling pistols, a pair small enough to fit in a match box, WWI, WWII and Civil War items. You can see several different types of machine guns, etc. My favorite was an old Winchester lever action (maybe an 1894) with an ivory stock and forearm presented to the last czar of Russia. Well worth the cost of admission.

If you're ever in Cleveland, OH, they have the USS Cod, a WWII sub that fought in the Pacific. It is afloat down by Burke Lakefront Airport, right near downtown.

 

[Jim Gwyn]

The USS North Carolina (BB-55) is in Wilmington, NC.

I agree with Dr. Carbine about the Mighty 8th Air Force museum in Savannah, Ga. They have some very interesting aviation "stuff" including a Me-163 Komet. (The German rocket propelled interceptor.)

http://www.mightyeighth.org/

 

[Lightsped]

I went to the Beaches of Normandy last September. The thing I enjoyed most were the German bunkers. Many of which are still standing, and many of which are piles of concrete.

Pics of the Bunkers at Pointe Du Hac below. Also one pic of a landing craft on Gold Beach.

 

[Detritus]

Think the Enola Gay is at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City.

it may have been at one time, but for decades it was disassembled and in storage at a National Air and Space Museum facility in maryland. now it is one of the centerpieces of the Steven Udvar Hazy center (the NASM annex out by Dulles). personally i think that the museum shouldn't have gone PC about the plane and gone ahead and actually displayed her at the main museum back around 94/95.

oh and a note about the Nation museum of the pacific war...

In addition to nearly 24,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, the museum boasts an impressive display of Allied and Japanese aircraft, tanks, guns and other large artifacts made famous during the Pacific War

unfrotunately at the current time the majority of that impressive collection is in storage adn not veiwable by the public. According to the volunteer who lead the "pacific war Zone" tour i took, the collection got so big they decided it needed a larger dedicated space. and now the museum is gathering the funds to build that space.


Oh and any one with an interest in armored vehicles should check out the American Armored Foundation Museum in Danville VA. 115 tanks and artillery pieces, from a Renualt 6-tonner (WW1 design) to a Former Marine Corps M-103 Heavy (65 ton, 120mm gunned, underpowered [used modified M60 engine, transmission, and tracks] moster)