A historic victory for an extraordinary aircraft.![]()
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The American Heritage Museum’s PBY-5A Catalina, BuNo 2459, has been named the World War II Grand Champion Warbird at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026. American Aero Services also received the prestigious Golden Wrench Award for its remarkable seven-year restoration.![]()
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Discover the story behind this historic achievement and the dedicated team that returned the world’s highest-scoring anti-submarine aircraft to the sky.![]()
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Read the full story at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/2026/07/american-heritage-museums-historic-pby-5a-catalina-wins-wo...![]()
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Photos: Al Sauer, Jim Harley, Doug Birkey
America’s Tank Demo Weekend starts today at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA! See our WWII tanks in operation along with our new Cold War Era tanks for their first running display! See the M4 Sherman, M5 Stuart, M24 Chaffee, and M36 Jackson along with the M41 Walker Bulldog, M47 Patton, M60 Main Battle Tank, M88 Recovery Vehicle, and the M60A2. Gates open at 9am and live demos at 11am and 2pm. Lots to see and do - all three museum buildings are open, and speakers in the main museum on tank topics all day. Buy tickets and get info at the link in our bio or at americanheritagemuseum.org. #americanheritagemuseum #visitma #tanks #worldoftanks #hudsonma
If you haven't already had a chance to see our PBY-5A Catalina at EAA AirVenture, there's still time! Come on out and pay us a visit before the show is over!![]()
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#AmericanHeritageMuseum #WWIIHistory #PBY #eaa #osh
This Weekend! America's Tank Demo Weekend - Saturday, July 25th and Sunday, July 26th! Learn More: ahmus.me/atdw2026 - Here's a sneak preview of the incredible new Cold War Era tanks that will be featured including the new M41 Walker Bulldog, M47 Patton, M60 Main Battle Tank, and M88 Recovery Vehicle and M60A2. These will be joined by our WWII tanks: M5 Stuart, M4 Sherman, M24 Chaffee, and M36 Jackson! You don't want to miss it! Get Tickets at ahmus.me/atdw2026
Rounding out our Cold War era tanks that will be on the roll for America’s Tank Demo Weekend on July 25-26, 2026 this weekend - the last light tank designed by the U.S., the M41 Walker Bulldog. Though we have an M41 in the Vietnam Gallery, this second operational example is a great addition to our operational tank lineup… more info on the event at the link in our bio or at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/americas-tank-demo-weekend-july/ ![]()
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The M41 Walker Bulldog was developed in the late 1940s to replace the aging M24 Chaffee and provide the U.S. Army with a faster, more heavily armed light tank for reconnaissance and airborne support missions. Entering service in 1951, the M41 featured a high-speed gasoline engine, torsion bar suspension, and a powerful 76mm gun capable of engaging both enemy armor and fortified positions. Named in honor of General Walton H. Walker, who was killed during the Korean War, the tank combined mobility, firepower, and reliability, making it one of the most capable light tanks of its era. Although it saw only limited combat with U.S. forces, the M41 was widely exported through American military assistance programs and served with dozens of allied nations for decades. It participated in conflicts throughout Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, with many countries modernizing the design long after its retirement from U.S. service. Today, the M41 remains one of the most recognizable and successful light tanks of the Cold War. #m41 #walkerbulldog #tanks #worldoftanks #tankmuseum
- This event has passed.
Speaker Series: The Party Dolls – Escape from the Zoo Annex – Vietnam POW Story
July 5, 2025 @ 1:00 pm, ending 2:30 pm
Free with standard museum admission
Join us on Saturday, July 5th, 1pm to 2:30pm, for an engaging talk by award winning author George Hayward on his book The Party Dolls.
On 10 May 1969, two American prisoners of war escaped from a brutal Hanoi prison camp called the Annex. Their story is one of incredible bravery against the longest of odds. It’s also one of bitter conflict. Air Force Captains John Dramesi and Ed Atterberry escaped with help from their fellow prisoners, but that help was not given freely. The suffering it brought killed Atterberry, and scarred others for life.
Photo: John Dramesi on the left, AHM’s Hanoi Hilton Exhibit center, Ed Atterberry on the right.
THE PARTY DOLLS is the riveting, award-winning* true Vietnam War story of a failed escape code-named “the Party,” told by the former POWs who planned it. Author and former Air Force journalist George Hayward wrote it based on interviews he did between 1995 and 2002 with those POWs, and never released until this book. This is the most detailed account ever released of a heroic yet divisive—and little-known—episode from a divisive American conflict.
*2021 winner for Nonfiction Military History, Best Indie Book Awards® (BIBA®) and 2022 winner Military Nonfiction, Independent Press Awards.
