Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Savannah GA.
Issue 18 Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, GA. December, 2020.
—————————————————————————————————————
Martin B-10. Photo courtesy of Bill Larkins.
In June of 1934, the Martin B-10 bomber entered service with the U.S. Army Air Corps. The twin-engine Model 139 was the first all metal monoplane bomber and it greatly out-performed any previous bomber. Even with its excellent performance (50% faster than any before it), it was quickly recognized that an even more advanced bomber would be needed in the near future. In August of 1934, proposals were requested for a B-10 replacement. Two twin-engine bombers were proposed: an improved B-10 from Martin, and the Douglas B-18 Bolo (originally designated the DB-1). There was also a four-engine entry, the model 299 from Boeing which first flew in July of 1935. On its launch day, in a story about the plane in the Seattle paper, a reporter called it a “flying fortress”. Boeing officials liked the moniker and the name stuck. In August of 1935, all three contenders flew to Wright Field in Dayton to compete in a fly-off. Unfortunately, the Boeing model 299 crashed on its second demonstration flight (the gust locks were still engaged) and it was disqualified from the competition. The Douglas B-18 was declared the winner and 133 were ordered.
Douglas B-18 Bolo. Photo courtesy of the New England Air Museum (http://www.neam.org/)
In spite of the accident, the Army was impressed with the 299 and found a back-channel way to fund some aircraft for testing. Because of the unofficial source of funding, the bomber was designated the Y1B-17 (the 1 for the special funding source) and 14 were ordered. Thirteen of the planes were delivered to Langley Field in Virginia where they went through various development stages. By the end of 1937, 10 more aircraft were ordered under normal funding and they were designated the B-17B. Some historians feel that not winning the 1935 competition made the B-17 a better plane because it was developed slowly, not quickly, as it would have been under contractual requirements. Additional B-17s were ordered but, by the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, only 200 had been delivered. There were 500 more on order and production quickly accelerated.
The B-17, of course, became one of the most successful planes of WW-II, and the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force has a B-17G as its centerpiece.
The Eighth Air Force (VIII Bomber Command) was activated on 28 January 1942 at the Chatham Armory in Savannah, with Colonel Asa Duncan as its first commander. Events were happening rapidly after Pearl Harbor and just one month later, the Eighth Air Force Bomber Command Headquarters was established at High Wycombe, about 40 miles west of London. Originally under the command of General Ira Eaker, General Carl Spaatz assumed command in May. Savannah continued to be associated with the 8th AF throughout the war, as many new B-17s were processed through Hunter Army Airfield on their way to England.
The Eighth AF Museum opened in 1996, after many years of planning. The beginnings of the Museum were the work of Major General Lewis E. Lyle. He rose to the rank of Colonel in the 8th Air Force during WW-II, while flying 76 combat missions as Aircraft Commander. After retiring, Lyle looked for ways to help and honor the members of the Mighty Eighth and their families. His search for a place to build a museum began in 1983, and he focused on the Savannah area, with its connections to the beginnings of the 8th Air Force.
You enter the Museum through a large rotunda containing a variety of memorials. There are only five original aircraft in the Museum collection and so this is a museum of displays, more than aircraft. The displays are beautifully done and nicely organized and they lead you through a self-guided tour of the history of the 8th AF, as well as the history of WW-II in the air.
From the Rotunda you enter a series of winding halls that lead you through a time-line of the lead-up to, and the early portions of, the war. Following the well-designed path, you can stroll leisurely through the displays, absorbing the ambiance, or you can stop and read in-depth information along the way.
Using illustrated displays and original artifacts, visitors are given an overview of the situation in Europe following WW-I and the rise to power of Adolph Hitler. Also presented is the buildup in Japan and the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Here we see some of the main events that occurred prior to the US entering the war, such as the Battle of Britain and the London Blitz. Many original artifacts add greatly to the presentations.
After this really interesting description of the major effort needed to get operations established in England, we enter the next part of the Museum which begins with Mission Experience. Turning a corner, you find an area with large murals on the walls and a Nissen hut and other items typically found on an airbase. This gives you a feel of what the first impression newly arrived 8th AF Personnel might have gotten when they arrived in England. As a re-creation of Molesworth Airfield, which was home to the 303rd Bomb Group, this is a glimpse of what life was like on one of the many US bases in East Anglia.
It is difficult to capture the full effect of this interesting scene on camera. The 90 foot long mural, painted by Ely Scardamalia and Patrick Demsey, covers several walls. The angular walls make the large mural surround you and it gives the feel of being right in the scene. You can see here how the paintings join the floor, where 3D objects pick up where the murals leave off. And the whole scene just feels cold and rainy.
The other side of the scene is bounded by the Nissen Hut and, as you enter, you find it set up for a mission briefing. There are various displays around the walls- everything from mission maps to aircraft identification charts, and three short films play every 30 minutes.
Next to the Nissen hut is a small room where a tech sergeant is loading 50 cal. Ammo for a B-17.
The scene is filled with many interesting details and there is a sign, aimed at younger visitors, asking “how many turrets does the City of Savannah have mounted?”
At the end of the murals, past the Nissen Hut, is this reproduction of a control tower that was typical for all the US bases in England. The two maps in front of the tower illustrate two major 8th AF campaigns: Regensburg and Schweinfurt. You find details like this throughout the museum, well researched and nicely presented.
Leaving the Mission Experience area, you come into the Combat Gallery- the main area of the Museum. There are numerous displays here, but dominating your view is the B-17G “City of Savannah”. Although at first glance it appears completely restored, the B-17 is an on-going restoration and the Museum has the goal of making it the finest static B-17 display in the world. It will eventually be in full combat configuration, with many working systems and controls. Depending on the timing of your visit, you are likely to see volunteers working on the restoration.
Photo courtesy of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
The B-17 is named “City of Savannah” to honor the crew of the 5,000th B-17 that was processed through Hunter Field. As was common at the time, a fund-raising drive was held and the citizens of Savannah raised enough money to pay for the plane and the crew training. “City of Savannah” was then sent to England where it flew 44 combat missions. That B-17 survived combat but, unfortunately, not the post-war wrecking ball.
The B-17, serial number 44-83814, that represents the original “City of Savannah” has an interesting history of its own. Completed just as the war ended, it was immediately put into storage. After several years, it was flown to North Dakota where it became a war memorial in front of a high school. In 1951 it continued northward to Canada, becoming an aerial mapping plane. After 20 years at that endeavor, it was converted to a fire bomber. In 1984 it was acquired by the Smithsonian in a trade for two P-2V Neptunes. After a ten-year search for its own B-17, The Mighty Eighth AF Museum acquired it in 2009.
As you wander around the Combat Gallery, you find many interesting artifacts and displays. There are a number of restored engines, several large dioramas, and this Boeing PT-17 Kaydet, the other original aircraft in the Gallery.
Better known as Stearmans, (Boeing took over Stearman Aircraft in 1934), they were widely used as a primary trainer throughout WW-II. Both the Army and Navy as well as the RCAF used them and estimates vary about how many were built, but the number is probably around 8,500. Stearman Models had various designations with the PT-17 Model 75 being one of the most numerous. Likewise, a variety of engines were used, including the Lycoming R-680 (PT-13), and Continental R-670 (PT-17). Numerous Stearmans stayed active after the war and many were upgraded to the Pratt and Whitney R-895 Wasp Junior.
The 8th AF Museum wouldn’t be complete without a reference to Jimmy Stewart. Continuously playing is this recruiting movie with Stewart as the host. The movie is riveting, giving an in-depth look at the mood in the country during the early part of the war. Stewart was a private pilot and there is also a narrative presented of how persistent Stewart was in attaining his goal of flying in the Army (including how he was originally rejected for being underweight, at 6’3”, 138 pounds). He was eventually enlisted as a private and continued his flying on the side until he had enough flight time to be commissioned and accepted into flight school. Stewart eventually flew combat missions as a B-24 aircraft commander. He remained in the Air Force after the war, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. In a way, he continued making recruiting movies such as the Glenn Miller Story and Strategic Air Command, which inspired many young men to sign up. He was also perfectly cast as Charles Lindbergh in The Spirit of Saint Louis.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator that Stewart flew was, of course, the other bomber flown by the 8th AF. The B-24 is represented in the Museum by the nose section of “Fightin’ Sam”
There are only about a dozen B-24s remaining on display in museums like the Pima Air and Space Museum. The Collings Foundation and the Commemorative Air Force maintain theirs in flying condition. The Mighty Eighth Museum has a goal of eventually adding a complete B-24 to the collection.
When we discuss the 8th AF, we tend to think of bombers, but the Mighty Eighth also had fighter squadrons assigned. The fighters are represented throughout the Museum, including this ¾ scale replica of a P-51 Mustang, and a ¾ scale replica of their main opponent, the Me-109.
The fighters, of course, played a vital role in the success of the daylight bombing campaigns. Early on, the fighters, such as the P-40, did not have the range to escort the bombers all the way to their targets, and losses were great over Germany. Once the P-38 and P-51 with their longer range came on line, the losses diminished.
Before we continue on with our tour, lets take a quick look at the grounds surrounding the Museum, where we find three of the five original aircraft in the collection.
The main thrust of the Museum is the 8th AF during WW-II, but there is a lot more to the history of the Mighty Eighth than WW-II. In fact, there is still an 8th AF today. The three planes outside the Museum represent the post-war era.
Two aircraft in front of the Museum are a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17A and a McDonnell F-4C Phantom II. The MiG-17 first flew in 1950 but it was not operated during the Korean War. The F-4 entered service in 1961. It is interesting to see these two Vietnam War opponents parked near each other. One obvious difference is the relative size, the F-4 being much bigger. Each plane had its pros and cons, and their design and operation were much different, but they were worthy combat adversaries. In June of 1965 a Navy F-4B shot down a MiG-17 with an AIM-7 Sparrow missile, considered the first US aerial victory of the Vietnamese War.
Behind the Museum is a large Memorial Garden which is accessible from the Combat Gallery. Throughout the extensive and beautifully landscape gardens are memorials to various 8th AF units and families.
The Chapel of the Fallen Eagles dominates the North side of the Garden. Designed in the style of a rural English church, the Chapel contains a number of beautiful stained-glass windows.
At the far edge of the Memorial Gardens is a Boeing B-47 Stratojet, a symbol of the Cold-War years. As the first-swept wing bomber, this plane set the stage for future large military and civilian jet aircraft. First flown in 1947, over 2,000 were built and they remained in service until 1969. The B-47 is quite visible from Interstate 95, making it a great billboard for the Museum.
Returning inside, we leave the main floor and walk under an unfurled parachute. This takes us into an area called Airman Down, which is perhaps my favorite of all the great displays in this Museum.
The first part of Airman Down is devoted to Escape and Evasion. A reproduction of a French safe house is devoted to honoring the French people who, at great personal risk, sheltered downed airmen and helped them escape from France and return home. The house displays many personal items and personal stories of these heroes, as well as depicting how escapees were hidden in these houses.
Just one of the poignant stories told is of this gift that was given to a downed airman by one of the resisters who helped him escape.
An excellent book about these amazing French resisters, mainly women, is A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorhead. Besides the tales of escape and resistance, it goes into depth about the German occupation as well as the cooperative “free” France of the Vichy Government.
Escape and evasion could be a long process and various displays depict the three main routes that were taken, as well as some of the stories of the members of the resistance and the evaders.
Many downed airmen, of course, were not successful in their escape and evasion. Whether caught immediately, after weeks, or even months of evasion, captured airmen wound up in one of the many POW camps.
This section of a POW camp is as accurately and dramatically represented as the safe-house. They both put you right into the location. The story of POW camps is told in depth by various narratives as well as displays of original artifacts that have been donated by former POWs.
This suitcase was made in a POW camp by Lt. Maurice Fridrich using scrap metal, a Red Cross box, and scraps of a flight suit for the lining. Activities like this not only helped pass the time but gave prisoners something to occupy their minds during the tough times.
After leaving the POW camp recreation, you come to an area titled Lights Come on Again.
Featured in this area is a Nazi flag that flew above a POW camp in Moosburg, Germany. When the camp was liberated, the flag was replaced with the Stars and Stripes and is signed by over 100 POWs who survived the imprisonment.
Continuing through the rest of the Museum, we again travel winding halls with interesting displays honoring the members of the Eighth Air Force. There are numerous display cases, all artistically and dramatically presented.
Each case is unique in its arrangement and they all include many original artifacts, photographs, paintings, and memorabilia.
It would be easy to spend hours in this section alone. At the end of the blog, the Photo Gallery contains many more images of these invaluable historic artifacts.
One display, The Hall of Valor, honors a number individuals who served with the Eighth Air Force during World War II, including aces, the Commanders of the Eighth Air Force, and Medal of Honor winners. When I visited the North Carolina Aviation Museum (Issue 16) there was a display honoring North Carolinian, George Preddy. His photo appears on this wall.
The events of D-Day occupy a large area which, again, has many unique items.
Perhaps the most unique item is this composite reconnaissance photo of the Normandy Coast, displayed on a vertical stabilizer.
Towards the end of the various display halls are two areas devoted to groups not directly associated with the 8th Air Force.
There is a nice memorial to the Tuskegee Airmen, some of whom trained at nearby Walterboro Army Airfield.
There are several galleries devoted to female aviators. Many museums have displays about women pilots, either about a specific pilot, or women pilots in general. Here, though, is the only display I have seen that looks in depth at the contributions and accomplishments of women, from the early days, to WW-II, and continuing after.
Harriet Quimby, seen here, crossed the channel in a Blériot XI. The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach (Issue 11) has a flying replica of that airplane.
I was really impressed with the extent of the coverage of women pilots and their careers, and I learned many new historic facts.
I’d like to finish this issue with a short personal story. My father served in the 8th AF as top sergeant with the 364th Support Squadron at Wattisham, in England, supporting the 479th Fighter Group. The base was designated the 4th Strategic Depot and provided maintenance for all 8th AF fighters in England. Like many men of that generation, my father was always reluctant to discuss the war. One of the few times I talked him into opening up, he wrote the following- “The 364th Support Squadron was activated at Toome Air Base in Northern Ireland in early 1944. We were made up from personnel from other squadrons- still about 100 short. In March of ’44 we were ordered to a base in England to prepare for the invasion. Wattisham had been an RAF base but was bombed pretty badly and closed. Supplies started coming in by the truck-load and we had the base operational in 10 days. A squadron came in from California (the 379th) and immediately we were operational.”
Wattisham Air Base Control Tower. Painting by Joe Crowfoot
That’s as much as my father wrote but he told the story of the rush to prepare the squadrons of the 379th for D-Day (including painting black and white stripes on the wings) and the non-stop operations for 48 hours on June 6th and 7th. In the painting of Wattisham you can also see that the P-38s had minimal custom paint, limited to red rudders- the same as the P-51 model in the Museum. In September of 1944, the Group converted to P-51s and, at the end of the year, they provided aerial support during the Battle of the Bulge. My father served at Wattisham through the end of the War. I remember him telling me that two days before the end of the war he hopped a ride in a B-24 and got to see the bombed-out bridges of the Rhine. His biggest memory of returning home (by ship) was having a steak dinner upon arrival at Camp Kilmer, NJ, at 3 AM.
If you are ever in England, Wattisham Airfield is still open as an Army field, and there is a small, but interesting, museum on the field. http://www.wattishamstationheritage.org/
The National Museum of The Mighty Eighth Air Force is a top-notch museum, which does the 8th Air Force proud. It should be high on everyone’s list to visit.
————————————————————————————————-
To learn about what to do in the local area, museum hours and costs as well as books to read and other interesting odds and ends, keep reading! At the end you will find a photo gallery of the entire museum.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
Monday: Closed Tuesday-Saturday: 10 am-5 pm Sunday: 12 pm - 5 pm
Adults $12 Children (6-12) $8 Active Military $8 60+ $11 Retired Military $11
FLYING IN
The Museum is just ten minutes from Savannah International Airport (KSAV). The airport has two full service FBOs, Sheltair and Signature. A fun activity at this airport is see how many Gulfstreams you can count!
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Downtown Savannah is about 14 miles away and has a waterfront area, shops, museums, historic sites, and many restaurants. A carriage ride is a nice way to see the city. The Georgia State Railroad Museum is right in town and an interesting place to visit.
WHERE TO EAT
Located in the museum is a traditional English Pub. It is open for lunch from 11-2 Monday through Friday.
SUGGESTED READING
There are many books about the Eighth Air Force, and the bomber war in Europe. Perhaps the definitive book on the subject is Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller. It is a large, scholarly, book that is a riveting read.
The EAA museum, in Oshkosh, WI, has a B-17, named “Aluminum Overcast” that they maintain in flying condition. EAA’s Chris Henry, along with Hal Bryan, has put together an amazing project to honor the brave young men who flew the B-17 in combat. The Final Mission contains anecdotes, memories, and personal photos collected from B-17 crew members and their families who have been touched by “Aluminum Overcast”. A truly unique and valuable book.
As I was writing this blog, news came of the death of Chuck Yeager, one of my heroes growing up. What better time to mention The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe? Although the book is about the original seven Mercury astronauts, there is a lot about early test-pilots, especially Yeager and Scott Crossfield, and the race to break the sound barrier. The book, of course, is better, but the movie, with Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager, was pretty entertaining, even if not very accurate.
MUSEUM WEBSITE
UP NEXT
Florida Air Museum, Lakeland, FL
MUSEUMS ARE WHERE YOU FIND THEM
This segment is dedicated to finding interesting aviation artifacts that are in public view- but not in an aviation museum. If you see one send a photo!
I previously published (in Issue 6) a photo of this sculpture that was commissioned in 2003 by Kitty Hawk, NC to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Wright Brother’s first flight. Each of the ten monuments represents a decade and I thought this close-up of the 1940s would be appropriate to honor Chuck Yeager.
My wife Sheri suggested this next one- a little nod to the holiday season. I purchased these commemorative Christmas balls each year from the late 70s to the mid-80s, and I have decorated this Ficus with them every year since. They are all very nicely done representations of every area of aviation from the Wright Brothers to the Space Shuttle. These two fit well with this Eighth AF Museum issue.
—————————————————————————————-
A note about research. A wide variety of sources are used in writing this blog, and, as this is basically an opinion piece, not an academic work, sources are not usually cited. Obviously, though, I aim to be as accurate as possible. I never announce my visits beforehand, but I often get helpful answers to questions from museum staff while I am writing, and most of the museum websites contain a lot of information. Wikipedia, when used with caution, can be an excellent resource, and is frequently consulted. I occasionally get corrections and additional information from readers, and that is greatly appreciated. I also refer to books in my personal library, and I usually purchase a book or two at the museum gift shop. In this research I sometimes come across conflicting information (such as how many aircraft were built) and I always try to resolve the discrepancy with further sources, and information in this blog aims to be as accurate as possible.
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
Issue 18, Copyright©2020, all rights reserved. Except where noted, all photos by the author