The exhibits at the National World War II Museum cover the epic and global scale of the wars that changed the world in an intimate and personalized voice. The exhibits highlight not only the role of world leaders, but also the ordinary people who find the strength and courage to achieve the extraordinary.
Berlin Road European Theatre Exhibition Hall
Duchossois' Family Road to Berlin: The European Theatre Showroom brings to life the drama, sacrifices, personal stories, and strategies of the American movement to defeat the Axis powers and maintain freedom.
From the tough first battles in North Africa to the bloody battles on Germany's doorstep, the immersive exhibition halls in the Berlin Way recreate real-life battle scenes and villages – crumbling walls, bomb-torn roofs, icy paths and creepy realistic soundscapes – evocative era newsreels, video histories, interactive kiosks, macro artifacts and digital displays to delve deeper into the story.
The result is a richly layered multimedia experience that invites exploration and connection. Visitors can walk in the shadow of normandy's lush hedges and imagine the challenges after Normandy landing day; take part in mission briefings with bomber boys to learn about America's most important air strategy; and see individual handicrafts scattered on real Normandy beaches — cigarette packs, photographs that provide a moving perspective on the labor costs of war.
With its extensive scope, detailed details and engaging innovative design, Berlin Road is a new way to understand the story of America's wars in Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean.
European/Mediterranean briefing room
Located in an abandoned farmhouse in North Africa, the briefing room recreates the enormous pressure on Allied strategists, covering the events and conditions of the war up to November 1942, including the strategic choices and landings the Allies faced in early 1942 in North Africa later that year. Learn about the rationale behind the decision to go "Germany first" and understand the problems faced in deciding to invade North Africa and Europe before turning to the Pacific.
Desert Wars - North Africa
Discover the story of how American and British troops attacked the Axis of Africa before attempting to attack Hitler's "European Fortress" to secure a Mediterranean stronghold. This 1,500-square-foot immersive space conveys the Tunisian landscape as U.S. troops first tried to stem the Nazi wave. Surrounded by desert and rocky landscapes, visitors can see projections of tanks rolling on the beach and get up close to dozens of European weapons on display in a giant artifact box. Macro workpieces include a 105 mm howitzer and a 1943 jeep.
Invasion of Sicily
A wooden-beamed Sicilian villa is filled with sights, sounds and artifacts of the Allied conquest of Palermo and its advance towards Italy. Although the first Allied liberation of axis capitals was a fierce blow to axis European "soft underbelly," fierce competition among Allied leaders and terrible friendly fire accidents showed that citizen soldiers were still not a lean fighting force.
Italian movement
The Italian Battle Gallery tells the story of the Allied invasion of Italy, which turned into a difficult and deadly attack that lasted months. U.S. troops and their allies made Italy's leaders surrender — they changed sides and declared war on Germany amid political turmoil and chaos.
Listen to the soldiers' experiences in their own language by telling oral histories of battles and everyday life in war. This gallery conveys the broad strategic complexities of war and the personal bravery and leadership of the military personnel involved in it.
Air combat
Surrounded by reconstructed Nissen huts, much like those mass-produced in Britain and used for storage and operational needs, listen to stories of the air power of war – from the famous Tuskegee Air Force, to the mighty Luftwaffe, to the relentless American air raids in Europe. Artefacts, videos and oral histories illustrate that mastery of the European skies was crucial to everything that followed – including the major invasion of Normandy.
Landing Day Theater
The exhibition showcases a rich D-Day film documenting the courage and sacrifices of thousands of people who invaded the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, enabling the Allies to protect the beachheads and begin to cross France. Get a glimpse of the aftermath of Day D through a small exhibition dedicated to soldiers killed on the beach.
NorthwestErn Europe: Invasion and Liberation
Hitler's Atlantic Wall was breached and a safe beachhead was established in Normandy, followed by a dramatic movement of highs and lows, victories and defeats. The gallery showcases the obstacles the Allies experienced —from the frustrating struggle in the thick hedges to the German counterattack in Mortain to the major setbacks in Operation Market Garden. Follow the Allies in the liberation of Paris and eventually push the Germans back to the border.
Break through the German border bunkers
The Allies stopped advancing when they encountered the Siegfried Line, a network of bunkers, minefields, and barbed wire built into the hills. Mimicking the interior of a bombed-out German bunker, this exhibition hall allows you to see the powerful infrastructure that the Germans used to defend their homeland. It also focuses on the story of the Allied march into Germany, including the capture of Aachen, germany's first surrendered city, while also foreshadowing the many battles that U.S. troops will still face.
The battle for inflation
This immersive exhibition hall laid the groundwork for the six-week Battle of the Salient, the largest campaign of the U.S. Army in World War II. Hitler launched a sudden winter counterattack through the Ardennes Forest to repel the Allies. Battling the bitter cold weather, more than 30 divisions and 600,000 soldiers desperately tried to stop the Germans. Oral history stations, artifacts, and content panels guide visitors from the German surprise attack to the siege to the hard-won final Allied victory.
Step inside Germany
American troops entering Germany witnessed and experienced unimaginable violence and destruction. Our last exhibition hall reveals the last major obstacle to the construction of a German bridge over the Rhine, the discovery of the Okhdrów concentration camp (the first Nazi death camp liberated by the American army), the occupation of Cologne, hitler will do everything in his power to almost destroy his own people in the process, and finally Germany finally surrendered, thus ending the war in Europe.
The above content is reproduced from the public account "Ceyi Science Exhibition Company".