Tuesday, November 13, 2012

World War II Museum - New Orleans

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH


After watching the Veteran’s Day parade at Jackson Square we felt it was appropriate to tour the WW II Museum.  The exhibits were extensive, focusing on the build up to the war, and the strategic planning of the D-Day invasion.  One exhibit detailed the extensive planning that took place to deceive Hitler about the time and place of the inevitable invasion.




The biographies of the generals was of interest, but the personal diaries of the individual soldiers made the greatest impression.  The letter to the troupes signed by President Eisenhower the day before D-day was on display and veterans had donated many items from journals, uniforms, canteens and  rations to add to the museum collection. 
 One could not help but be moved by photographs of hundreds of infantry soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder in the landing craft awaiting their fate on the shores of  Normandy. 

 Of course, the Hollywood star, Clark Gable, who joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 was a featured  celebrity.
 
 
 
 
 
 This concrete structure was an individual air raid shelter to protect German workers from Allied bombing attacks. 

The highlight of the museum visit was the 4-D movie “Beyond All Boundaries” experience.  During the hour-long historical film footage, lights flashed as shots were fired, the floor and seats shook as tanks rumbled by and props dropped from the ceiling to complete the total experience.  Just imagine the special affects during the atomic bomb attacks that ended the war. The lives lost in WWII totaled 65 million, when combining all army and civilian casualties from participating countries. 









 We took scenic US 90 along the coast to return to Mobile Bay, passing through Pascagoula, Bay Saint Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach and Biloxi.
The Gulf of Mexico was beautiful and we chose our spot for lunch based on the mass of shrimp boats in port.  This completed our four-day binge of seafood and gumbo.  

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