Library Pass Program - The American Heritage Museum

How "Section T" Took Down a Nazi Superweapon and Helped Win the Battle of the BulgeAs you descend the American Heritage Museum's central staircase, be sure to look up to see our "Doodlebug" - one of the several nicknames (buzzbomb, Maybug) given to the V-1 rockets launched on England after the D-Day invasion. From June 1944 to March 1945, the Germans launched 6,725 V-1 rockets at Britain from launch pads in France and the Netherlands. Of those, 2.340 hit London causing 5,475 deaths with nearly 16,000 injured. While the RAF had some early success in downing Hitler's flying bombs, the superior speed of later V-1 models required new approaches to air defense. The most effective solution came from the top secret project of US engineers and scientists led by Johns Hopkins physicist Merle Tuve who comprised what was known as "Section T" of the US Army Research Laboratory. After three years of intensive research and testing, Tuve's team developed the VT (Variable Time) Proximity Fuse, a device that alerted an artillery shell when to explode. By August 1944, Allied forces were shooting nearly half of the V-1 rockets out of the sky, and by the end of the summer, their success rate neared 100%. The last V-1 launch site in the Netherlands was overrun on March 29, 1945.Allied artillery commanders in Europe were anxious to utilize their stockpile of new shells equipped with radio proximity fuses. But the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington and Allied leadership in Europe were reluctant to use the proximity shell against German ground forces. If the Nazis recovered a dud, which they would, they could reverse-engineer the invention and use it against the Allies - and share it with the Japanese. Dr. Vannevar Bush, chairman of the National Defense Research Council, convened a panel of scientists, including Tuve, that determined it would take the Germans at least 27 months to replicate and mass-produce their own proximity shell. Eisenhower then ordered that the shells could be used starting on December 25.However, on the morning a December 16, 1944, Colonel George Axelson, the commander of the 406th Artillery Group, had a difficult decision to make. The Germans had just launched an offensive along an 80-mile front in Belgium and Luxembourg that would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. Axelson decided that the emergency trumped Ike's restrictions and ordered his gunners to use the new shell. The German attack in his sector collapsed. Beginning on December 18, the U.S. First, Third and Ninth Armies unleashed the most devastating artillery fire German troops had ever encountered. Across the Ardennes, the VT fuse became the weapon of choice, particularly at night, in the open and through fog. Shells were showered on German troops crossing critical road junctions, bridges and highways.The development of the proximity fuse was one of the best-kept secrets of WWII and is regarded by many as the third most important technological achievement after the Atomic bomb and Radar. ... See MoreSee Less

American Heritage Museum Library Membership / Pass Program

American Heritage Museum Library Pass Membership Program

The American Heritage Museum Library Membership / Pass Program provides local libraries to offer patrons and local citizens discounted admission to the American Heritage Museum through permanent passes available for lending. Many museums in the region offer such programs to library patrons and their families and the American Heritage Museum is proud to offer the program as well to allow communities to learn more about the American efforts to fight for and defend freedom, the role of the citizen soldier in these efforts, and the role of technology in supporting these efforts.

The American Heritage Museum Library Membership / Pass Program is available for $200 annually and includes the following:

– Four (4) Reusable Half-Price General Admission Passes for up to Six (6) visitors under a single pass. Passes are not valid for special events or the annual WWII re-enactment weekend in October.

– One (1) Library Staff Membership allowing library staff, trustees, or volunteers free admission for educational and program development research.

– Member mailings of upcoming events, exhibits, and educational programs.

The passes also offer discounts on Membership purchases for the pass holder if they decide to become an Individual or Family Member when they visit. See passes for details.

If your library is interested in becoming a member of our Library Membership / Pass Program, please download and fill out the form at this link and mail with payment to:

American Heritage Museum
Attn: Library Membership
568 Main Street
Hudson, MA 01749

Or you may email it to Ryan Keough, Director of Development & Donor Relations at rkeough@collingsfoundation.org. If you wish to purchase over the phone or have questions, please reach Ryan Keough at 978-562-9182 M-F, 10am to 5pm Eastern.

Participating Public Libraries

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

American Heritage Museum Library Membership / Pass Program

Participating Public Libraries

Friday, January 7 - Museum Open, but Exercise Caution Driving In