Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor To Display Rare WWII Japanese Torpedo Plane

A rear view of the Kate's forward fuselage. This is the area of the aircraft where seats for the pilot and navigator/bombardier are located. (PRNewsFoto/Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl...)

The outer wing and forward fuselage of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor's Nakajima Kate, shown behind a WWII torpedo. Members of Lt Ted Shealy's Restoration Shop perform preservation work on the delicate airframe. (PRNewsFoto/Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl...)

HONOLULU- The Nakajima B5N Torpedo Bomber was the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy and was considered the most effective aircraft of its kind at the beginning of World War II. She caused most of the battleship damage during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941. Seventy-five years later, the Type 97 Carrier Torpedo Bomber, dubbed the "Kate" by the allies, will return to the exact spot where she made aviation history and be displayed at Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor on Ford Island.

"This aircraft is one of a few known to have survived the war," said Kenneth DeHoff, executive director of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. "An estimated 1,149 B5N's were built, and only bits and pieces survive today, except for this Kate with its intriguing history.

Work has begun on the Kate's fuselage and wings in the Museum's Lt. Ted Shealy's Restoration Shop, located in historic Hangar 79. "We expect it will take five years to restore the B5N for static display quality" according to DeHoff. "With this year being the 75^th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the museum is honored to be able to display the Kate where she made aviation history, sharing a legacy with thousands of visitors worldwide."

Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located on Historic Ford Island, where the first bombs fell during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Visitors to the Museum can see remnants from that day of infamy, including the 158-foot tall, red and white iconic Ford Island Air Field Control Tower, Hangars 37 and 79, and bullet holes that still remain. Through its preservation and restoration of World War II fighter planes and accompanying artifacts in the

Museum's historic hangars, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor shares the story of the vital role aviation played in winning of World War II, and its continuing role in maintaining America's freedom.

Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to develop and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum on Historic Ford Island that educates young and old alike, honors aviators and their support personnel who defended freedom in The Pacific Region, and to preserve Pacific aviation history. Contact: 808-441-1000.

Travelore News: Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor Named Hawaii's "#1 Historical Spot Worth Traveling For" By TripAdvisor's® FlipKey®

 Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor has been named

 Hawaii's "#1 Historical Spot Worth Traveling For" by FlipKey®, TripAdvisor's® leading vacation rental service.

Based on industry research and traveler feedback, FlipKey® named the "50 most loved and most talked

about historical attractions in each state across the country." Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor was

awarded the number one spot for Hawaii.

"Receiving this tremendous recognition is such an honor for us," said Kenneth DeHoff, Pacific Aviation 

Museum Pearl Harbor Executive Director. "Hawaii has many notable historical sites, especially at Pearl

Harbor and on Ford Island. For us to be given this designation couldn't have come at a better time as we

celebrate our 10^th anniversary this year. We remain committed to giving visitors the best experience at a 

historic site where they learn of the sacrifices of those who served in WWII."

With more than 5 million monthly unique visits, FlipKey® is a TripAdvisor® company and helps power

 the vacation rental experience on TripAdvisor.com® – the world's largest travel website.

Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located on Historic Ford Island, where bombs fell during

 the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Visitors to the Museum can see remnants from that

 day of infamy, including the 158-foot tall red and white iconic Ford Island Field Control Tower, Hangars

 37 and 79, and bullet holes in Hangar 79. Through its preservation and restoration of World War II fighter

 planes and accompanying artifacts in the Museum's historic hangars, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl

 Harbor shares the story of the vital role aviation played in America's winning of World War II, and it

s continuing role in maintaining America's freedom.

Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to develop

and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum on Historic Ford Island that educates

 young and old alike, honors aviators and their support personnel who defended freedom in The Pacific

 Region, and to preserve Pacific aviation history. A Smithsonian Affiliate, it is rated one of the top 10 

aviation attractions nationally by TripAdvisor®. It is located at 319 Lexington Boulevard, Historic Ford

 Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818.

The National WWII Museum Presents New Permanent Exhibit Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries

Museum completes Campaigns of Courage pavilion with 10 immersive galleries on

World War II in the Pacific, opens additional stand-alone gallery on US Merchant Marine

On December 12, 2015, The National WWII Museum will open its newest permanent exhibit: Richard C. Adkerson & Freeport-McMoRan Foundation Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries. Retracing the grueling trail that led from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay, Road to Tokyo explores the evolving strategy for fighting relentless Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific, examining cultural differences, logistical challenges and the staggering range of extreme conditions that confronted American military forces in Asia and the Pacific.

Along with Road to Tokyo, a new exhibit on the US Merchant Marine is scheduled for completion in December. LTJG Ralph E. Crump Merchant Marine Gallery is a stand-alone gallery that honors the mariners who risked their lives transporting weapons, men and matériel to distant warfronts. Features include a video, artifacts, a model of a Liberty ship and an engaging array of personal narratives. The gallery will be situated in the Solomon Victory Theater complex, at the end of the American Spirit Bridge – a new glass-and-metal bridge that connects the Museum’s Louisiana Memorial Pavilion with the rest of the six-acre campus for the first time.

Rich in content and expansive in scope, Road to Tokyo, Merchant Marine and the American Spirit Bridge offer visitors a more complete story than ever before of the American experience in World War II. After visitors begin their WWII journey in the Museum’s replica Union Pacific train car (just like new recruits heading to boot camp in the United States), the American Spirit Bridge takes them “overseas” to immersive exhibits that explore how the war was fought and won in Europe (Road to Berlin), and now the Pacific (Road to Tokyo).

Road to Tokyo encompasses 10 richly layered galleries showcasing over 400 artifacts (including a shark-faced P-40 Warhawk), interactive oral-history kiosks, serialized Dog Tag profiles, short films and re-created wartime environments. Located on the second floor of the Museum’s Campaigns of Courage pavilion, the galleries collectively explore the story of a world that was unimaginably alien to American GIs, a conflict of searing brutality and a victory so devastating it is hotly debated even today.

“The United States plunged into World War II following the Japanese surprise air attack on the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor,” said Dr. Keith W. Huxen, Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Director of Research and History for The National WWII Museum. “The war forced President Roosevelt and his chief advisors to confront strategic challenges on an epic scale. Securing US victory in the Pacific required mobilizing American industry, gaining control of sea lanes and air zones, developing new technologies, executing  amphibious landings and overcoming vast distances.”

Road to Tokyo also highlights the story of the tenacious American spirit that carried the day. “The men and women who fought in the Pacific were courageous and deeply determined,” Huxen continued. “The exhibit features content on the relentless work of the Seabees who built runways for island-hopping aircraft, and the steadfast scientists who created vaccines against devastating new diseases. This is the story of the Americans who literally forged a path to Tokyo through ingenuity and great sacrifice.”

The opening of Road to Tokyo will complete Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters, a pavilion that addresses the heart of the Museum’s mission: telling the vast story of how the war was won. Set in the center of the institution’s campus, Campaigns opened in December 2014 with the launch of Road to Berlin on the first floor. Together, the two exhibit floors draw visitors through a riveting narrative in a way that leaves a lasting impact and redefines the Museum experience – with emphasis placed on experiential storytelling.

Campaigns of Courage is also the primary setting for the Museum’s Dog Tag Experience, an interactive  exhibit that allows visitors to select a servicemember or civilian and follow the individual’s story through the war. As guests move through the galleries, they use digitally enabled dog tag cards to check in with one American’s unfolding story, viewing that gallery’s events through the lens of a personal narrative. Following their Museum experience, users can revisit the stories online and add digital artifacts and oral histories to create a personalized online gallery atdogtagexperience.org.

“Campaigns of Courage contains more than 19,000 square feet of exhibit space so that we can take visitors inside the details of each major challenge, deepening understanding of the heroic story of the war generation,” said Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, President and CEO of the Museum. “This tale is one of determination and sacrifice, and we’re honored to share firsthand narratives directly from those who fought to bring the war to an end. Completing this pavilion helps us complete our mission. We’re excited to forge ahead with our expansion while we still have WWII veterans alive to see it.”

A series of private and public Grand Opening events will be announced at the beginning of December. These events serve as a capstone to a year of accomplishment for the Museum, which celebrated its 15^th anniversary in June and was recognized as the No. 3 Museum in the nation by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice™ awards – up from No. 4 last year.

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today – so that future generations will know the price of freedom, and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit nationalww2museum.org.

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WWII Museum In New Orleans: 2 Days Of D-Day Vets, Historians

Contributed by Janet McConnaughey

Eighty-nine-year-old Roland Chaisson, who stormed Normandy on D-Day when Germans killed half his squad before they could reach shore, poses for photographs in his home in Metairie, La., Wednesday, June 4, 2014. Chaisson is among D-Day veterans who will describe that day Friday and Saturday at the National World War II Museum. More than 15 hours of observances are planned Friday, the invasion’s 70th anniversary. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - For months, 19-year-old Cpl. Roland Chaisson and his demolition squad had trained in England to invade Normandy. Twice a day they scrambled down rope ladders from troop ships to the flat landing craft called Higgins boats. They'd be setting explosives under huge, pointed steel anti-tank defenses called hedgehogs. So once ashore, they repeatedly ran and dropped to set dummy explosives while Royal Air Force machine-gunners overhead fired at targets.

Now it was June 6, 1944. Practice became bloody reality. Heavy German fire killed about half of the 18 soldiers in Chaisson's squad before they hit the shore, he said.

Chaisson, now 89, is among D-Day veterans who will describe that day Friday and Saturday at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. More than 15 hours of observances are planned Friday, the invasion's 70th anniversary.

They open with a ceremony at "H-Hour" - 6:30 a.m. June 6, when U.S. troops began slogging toward Utah and Omaha beaches - the allies' names for those shorelines in Normandy.

Keith Huxen, the museum's senior director of history and research, will discuss the invasion's importance.

He called D-Day the crucial moment on which the Allies' ultimate success depended.

"If Nazi Germany had succeeded in pushing us back into the English Channel, there was no Plan B," he said in an interview Monday.

Other museum buildings will open from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Friday. Then the first two episodes of the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" will be shown outdoors.

Both days, uniformed re-enactors will talk about the lives of military men and women. Visitors can try on replica uniform coats and vintage helmets, and watch movies about and veterans' videotaped accounts of D-Day.

Visitors will get rare tours on the museum's rebuilt Higgins boat.

"People will have a chance to see what it was like to be with 30 others" in the 36-by-10-foot space, said Tom Czekanski, director of collections and exhibits.

Authors of books about D-Day and World War II will give presentations. They include John C. McManus, whose "The Dead and Those About to Die: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach" was published in April.

"The Big Red One" was the 1st Infantry Division, which saw about 3,000 of its 16,000 men killed, wounded or captured on D-Day. That's where Chaisson was assigned after leaving a bank job to enlist when he was 17 - with his father's permission, since he was underage.

McManus wrote that soldiers were upset that a bombing barrage expected to soften the way for the invasion had done almost nothing; the bombs were dropped too far inland. Chaisson, however, remembers being surprised that the sky was clear of German planes.

"Our Air Force must have done a really good job," said Chaisson, who lives in Metairie, a New Orleans suburb. "Had there been German aircraft I don't know if we'd have made it because they could have strafed like mad." With their heavy packs and rifles, the troops would have been easy pickings in the waist-deep choppy water, he said.

Just jumping into the Higgins boats as they reached the top of 4- to 8-foot swells was dangerous.

"The boat next to me, one fellow got his leg crushed between the boat and the ship," Chaisson said. "They had to pull him back onto the liberty ship."

On the beach in Normandy, he said, training held: "You reacted the way you were supposed to. You'd hit the sand, get up and run a little bit more, hide behind one of those obstacles, put a bit of the explosive under it and fuse it and go on. It was all more or less reaction."