Every year when we host the October 12th and 13th Battle for the airfield WWII re-enactment we are honored to have the WWII Veterans roundtable. As the years pass, it is increasingly harder to find WWII vets to participate. Do you know a WWII Veteran interested in talking about his or her adventures during the war? Please contact Hunter Chaney at hchaney@collingsfoundation.org.
Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - a close up of something in the museum or our collection for you to guess what it is in the comments!![]()
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What is it?! We are looking for what it might be part of within the museum and, for more of a challenge, what the exact part is and what it does! ![]()
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Thanks to everyone who played last week… the answer for August 28 was a ballistic computing cam in the Kommandogarat 40 fire control computer… see the previous post for the full details!![]()
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Good luck on this week’s challenge! ![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma
The answer to the “What is it? Wednesday” question of August 28th is one of the ballistic cams used in the German Kommandogerät 40 that is part of the anti-aircraft battery exhibit in the Defense of the Reich gallery. The Kommandogerät (“command device”) is a fire control computer that used a combination of optics and mechanical computing to develop a firing solution that would be relayed to the anti-aircraft gun crews, like the 8.8 cm Flak 36 German 88 mm anti-aircraft cannon we have displayed. What is pictured is a solid computing cam that, when combined with precision gears connected to rollers on follower arms, could solve multivariate calculus problems in real-time to provide accurate fire to track bomber formations and time shells to detonate at precise altitudes. There are a number of these cams within the Kommandogerät 40 and combined they made a powerful mechanical analog computer that made Flak the most dangerous defensive weapon against daylight precision bombing. ![]()
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Stay tuned for the next “What is it? Wednesday” later today! ![]()
#americanheritagemuseum #whatisitwednesday
Join us for a great 5K run around the American Heritage Museum grounds this Saturday, September 7th in support of the Travis Manion Foundation. We invite you to run, walk, or ruck to honor our nation’s first responders who selflessly sacrificed on September 11th and service members who have served in the wars since. Join us to raise awareness and honor the fallen. Participants get a 50% admission discount to the American Heritage Museum. For more information and to register see: www.travismanion.org/events/911-heroes-run/2024-bostonnew-england-ma/
The American Heritage Museum not only honors those who served in the service of the United States, but we also honor those who served with our allies during all wars and conflicts. Because of this, we’d like to take a moment in honor of Polish Aviation Day on August 28th, to highlight the story of Stefania Wojtulanis-Karpińska, a female pilot of the Polish Air Force at the outbreak of WWII. After the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, she evacuated to Romania with the Polish Air Force and made her way to France where she once again had to flee in 1940 as France fell. She made her way to England and was assigned to the Polish Air Force Headquarters in London until later in 1940. In January 1941, she and Anna Leska became the first two Polish women pilots to join the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which delivered aircraft to operational units from factories and ferry aircraft for maintenance. This role, very similar to that assigned to female WASP pilots in America, required pilots to learn and fly a wide variety of aircraft types in all sorts of weather and mecahnical conditions.![]()
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As it turns out, the American Heritage Museum’s Supermarine Spitfire IX, BR601 was one of the aircraft that Wojtulanis-Karpińska flew in her career with the ATA. On July 9, 1942, she ferried BR601 from Prestwick, Scotland to its first operational unit, 64 Squadron at Hornchurch, Essex, stopping in three places in poor weather before arriving on July 11th. The photo in this post is her in BR601 and her logbook entries of those flights!![]()
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74 years later, BR601 would fly once again after a full restoration by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar and arrive shortly after in the United States to join the collection of the Collings Foundation. Though not currently on display at the American Heritage Museum, Spitfire BR601 is maintained in flying condition and is stored off site to fly at events. The next event it will be taking part in will be Green Mountain Aviation Field Days in Burlington, VT on September 14-15, 2024. Eventually, when our expansion is built, BR601 will be displayed at the AHM.![]()
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#polishaviation #wwii #spitfire #supermarinespitfire #worldwarii #femaleaviator
Battle for the Airfield WWII Re-Enactment Weekend
October 12 @ 8:30 am, ending October 13 @ 5:00 pm
$25 – $40
EVENT IS RAIN OR SHINE
The American Heritage Museum presents the Battle for the Airfield World War II Re-Enactment, one of the premier events of its type in the United States! There will be over 350+ re-enactors representing several branches of Allied and Axis military participating in encampments and two battles each day. Fully restored military equipment of all kinds will be on display and operating in a captivating living history event. Allied and Axis camps will be set up with authentic materials and appearance. Re-enactors act as docents who share a wealth of information about life as a WWII military person. WWII Veterans from all ranks and branches of service will participate in a roundtable discussion.
Gates open at 8:30am each day and close at 5:00pm. Battles take place at 11:00am and 3:00pm. The WWII Veterans Roundtable begins at 1:00pm in the hangar.
All three museums will be open: The American Heritage Museum, The Historic Aviation Hangar and Classic Automobile Barn. This is a unique opportunity to see some of the world’s most rare aircraft, extraordinary American classic automobiles, historic tanks, armored vehicles, military artifacts and much more.
There is over 100,000 square feet of space within the American Heritage Museum and Hangar combined.
Food and beverage will be available for purchase on site and picnics are allowed.
Daily Schedule
8:30am – 5:00pm – Gates Open – All museum buildings, displays, and encampments open to visitors.
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9:00am – 5:00pm – Tank Rides Open (scheduled and walk-up) – Woods driving grounds by Allied Camp.
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9:00am – 5:00pm – Paint-a-Tank Children’s Activity – For kids of all ages – come to the Paint-a-Tank tent in front of the main museum to get a 3D printed tank to paint in the battle colors YOU choose! $5 Donation per tank.
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10:00am – 5:00pm – WWII War Gaming & Modeling Demonstrations – Mezzanine level of Aircraft Hangar – Guides will be demonstrating tabletop strategy war gaming and modelling in the hangar through the day.
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11:00am – 11:45am – “Battle for the Airfield” – WWII Re-Enactment #1 – Performance Area / Airfield – Over 300 Allied and Axis WWII re-enactors clash on the airfield in a historic onslaught featuring operating tanks, halftracks, military vehicles, and artillery! Battles are fully narrated and feature amazing pyrotechnics!
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1:00pm – 2:30pm – World War II Veterans Roundtable – Aircraft Hangar – Join our invited veterans of World War II in the hangar for an opportunity to hear their stories of combat and service during the war nearly 80 years ago. As most of our veterans are 96 and older, this is a wonderful opportunity to honor them and ask them more about what their experiences were like.
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3:00pm – 3:45pm – “Battle for the Airfield” – WWII Re-Enactment #2 – Performance Area / Airfield – Over 300 Allied and Axis WWII re-enactors clash on the airfield in a historic onslaught featuring operating tanks, halftracks, military vehicles, and artillery! Battles are fully narrated and feature amazing pyrotechnics! (same scenario and outcome as the AM battle)
4:00pm – 5:00pm – (Sunday) ‘Love Letters From The Front’ – A musical tribute to the veterans of WWII. Featuring Bob Dicicco and Wendee Glick. Actual letters are read aloud between GI’s and their families with music of the 1940’s being performed.
5:00pm – All museum grounds, buildings, and encampments close for the day.
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Event Map
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Advance Sale and Event Day Admission Tickets
Daily Admission
Single Day pricing for the Saturday and Sunday events are as follows:
$40 Adults | $35 Seniors/Veterans | $25 Children Under 16
WWII/Korean War Veterans and Children Under 3 are Free – No ticket required.
Two-Day Admission
Weekend Passes Available for Two-Day Admission for both days
$70 Adults | $60 Seniors/Veterans | $40 Children Under 16
Buy Tickets Online Today!
Daily Admission
Weekend Passes
Tickets may also be purchased the day of the event by Credit Card or Cash at the entry gate on the access road as well.
MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT PRICING
Members: 25% off event tickets.
Tank Rides Available
Tank and Half Track Rides will be taking place over the weekend. You can register online, by phone, or on-site, but spaces are limited! No tank driving experience programs available this weekend.
Tank Ride Experience Prices:
– M24 Chaffee (10 minute ride) – $595 per group of Three (3) persons – two in the turret, one in the bow gunner position.
– M4 Sherman (10 minute ride) – $595 per group of Two (2) persons – one in the turret, one in the bow gunner position.
Schedule your tank driving or ride experience above or call 978-562-9182 to reserve.
