SECOND WORLD WAR COMES BACK TO LIFE IN HEART OF TEXAS

Military museum highlights battles in Pacific

Located almost 2,000 kilometres from its namesake ocean, a remarkable museum in Texas is bringing the Second World War to life in exacting detail.

On a quiet side street in quaint Fredericksburg, the National Museum of the Pacific War is astounding for the size of its collection — 55,000 words on display and 900 artifacts in the main exhibit, which isn’t even three per cent of the collection — and the fact that it’s really three separate galleries in three adjacent sites over six acres.

It rivals some of the best military museums in the world and the fact it’s in Fredericksburg, while curious, is completely by design.

This small town in Texas Hill Country is the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, the commander of more than two million seamen in the Pacific during the height of the Second World War.

One of the museum’s galleries is in the restored Nimitz Hotel, once operated by the admiral’s grandfather. That gallery tells the story of the humble man who led the way after Pearl Harbour was bombed.

The main part of the museum down the block is the George H.W. Bush gallery, which takes visitors through a chronological journey from 1800s Japan through to the end of the war. It’s chock full of artifacts and images, and is interactive and engaging with multimedia screens and video tables that detail specific battles.

“We start with 1815 Japanese history to give some historical context. They didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to attack America. We try to give some perspective as to why they felt they had to,” said Brandon Vinyard, marketing director of the museum.

There are large displays such as the Stuart tank with a crippling hole blasted open in the front, and down the hall is the Japanese gun that rendered it useless.

There’s a rare Japanese Kawanishi N1K float plane (code-named Rex by the Allies) — only 89 of the fighters were produced from 1942-44.Twoothertanksareknown to still exist, but this is the only one restored and on public display.

One display houses a heavily damaged Japanese dive bomber, another with a two-man submarine that ran aground on a sandbar after attacking Pearl Harbour, and yet another is the landlocked home of a small cruiser boat that ferried the admiral from ship to shore.

But some of the most touching items are small and personal: a piece of the life-raft H.W. Bush was rescued from, a poster of the iconic image of the flag raising on Iwo Jima, signed by three of the survivors, and the more than 5,000 oral history panels in which veterans or their families recount battles or other moments.

One such exhibit features a woman’s voice dictating a letter to the military after she tragically lost five sons aboard the USS Juneau.

The voice is that of the granddaughter of the youngest Sullivan son from Iowa.

Some of the personal artifacts come with amazing stories, such as the American flag with 48 haphazardly applied stars. That’s because some sailors removed the stars from a ship flag just before being captured and kept them hidden the entire time they were prisoners of war. Once freed, they sewed them back on the flag.

One of Vinyard’s favourites displays is a Japanese fighter pilot’s helmet and goggles — the terrible evidence of where a bullet struck him in the face. The pilot miraculously survived and years later came to the museum for a symposium, where he met the American airman who shot him.

“We pride ourselves on telling the unbiased human story. We’re not beating our chests and talking about glory of war,” said Vinyard.

Outside the main gallery is a courtyard filled with more than 2,000 plaques honouring units, ships and service members. There’s also a Japanese garden of Peace, a gift from Japan for what Admiral Nimitz did after the war to repair Japanese-U. S. relations.

The third gallery, at the end of the quiet street, is the Pacific combat zone. The $8-million indoor/ outdoor gallery includes a torpedo bomber building that simulates being below deck on an aircraft carrier, a building with a torpedo patrol boat, and the piece de resistance — a living history theatre.

Built to resemble a Pacific island beachhead, battle re-enactments are conducted with special effects like artillery bangs and heat and fire from flame-throwers.

The dramatic show highlights the equipment, weapons and tactics of the U.S. army and Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army as they fought on Tarawa, Peleliu, Saipan and Iwo Jima.

“We don’t do it to glorify war, but to give a little sense of what war was like in the Pacific,” said Vin- yard. “We want people to have a better understanding of what the older generation did,” said Vinyard.

“Our motto here is to inspire youth by honouring our heroes.”

The museum is open seven days a week. To learn more about it, go to pacificwarmuseum.org.

For more information on Texas and to order a free copy of the Texas State Travel Guide and Map, visit TravelTexas.com.

The National Museum of the Pacific War in the Texas city of Fredericksburg rivals the best military museums in the world. It’s really three separate sites on six acres of land.

The stars on this American flag were sewn back on by PoWs after they were rescued. It’s on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

These cap and goggles show where a bullet struck the Japanese pilot who wore them. They’re on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War.

National Museum of the Pacific War marketing director Brandon Vinyard participates in a re-enactment of a tank battle.

Re-enactments of Second World War battles in the Pacific feature special effects such as artillery bangs and fire from flame-throwers.

MICHELE JARVIE Plaques listing the names of those who served in Pacific battles are embedded in the walls of the courtyard outside the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.

The Nimitz Hotel bears the name of Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of more than two million seamen in the Pacific during the Second World War.