Click on any image to view a larger version of it. |
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The
Battle of Britain was one of the first areas collected and the
comprehensiveness of the artifacts, printed material and documents
exhibited reflects this. Included with this section is the original manuscripts of John
F. Kennedy's Why England Slept Numerous posters
represent life in Britain during the war, and a separate case focuses on
leaflets and pamphlets giving information on how to survive air raids and
how to beat the invader. Artifacts from this area include an original
butterfly bomb, a home made mask for fire fighting, and a contribution box
for a Spitfire fund. A table from an R.A.F. Headquarters (not restored)
centers an area in which many artifacts from the Battle of Britain are
exhibited. |
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"A Last Appeal To Reason: Hitler's speech before the Reichstag" urging England to submit to Germany's demands and avoid an all-out war. |
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Churchill's Response |
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German Bombing Map of London |
German bombing map of southeast England and London |
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London |
German bombing map of Glasgow, Scotland. |
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The Gestapo's briefing book of information on Britain,
prepared as a guide for the security and intelligence services during the
invasion of Britain. Marked "secret," page 63 begins a chapter,
" Jews in Great Britain." |
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John F. Kennedy's heavily-revised manuscript of Why England Slept. |
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German invasion plans for England. |
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This table was used in a R.A.F. Fighter Command operation room
during the Battle of Britain to plot incoming enemy aircraft and positions
of R.A.F. fighters. Information from Radar and other sources was relayed via headphones to the
plotters manning the table. This information included height, progressive
map coordinates, and the identity of aircraft as friend
or foe. |
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R.A.F. Fighter Command Control Room clocks. To the left is the clock used
to plot British aircraft; on the right, the clock used to plot incoming German bombers. |
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This R.A.F. Hornchurch Air Raid Alarm sits
beside a stack of helmets used during the Blitz by different personnel. |
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Edward
Ardizzone's "Shelter Scene". Ardizzone was a full-time war
artist appointed by the War Artists Advisory Council, and this was his
view of the subterranean world of war-time London. |
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Control
panel from a wartime British Spitfire, a highly maneuverable
aircraft for its time. The Spitfires performed well against
the German Messerschmitt 109 fighter aircraft. |
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This
table shows a R.A.F. clock, surrounded by instruments
from German planes shot down during the Battle of Britain. In
the lower right is a rattle used to warn of a gas attack |
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WOMEN'S UNIFORMS from the Battle of Britain and the Blitz stand in front of a series of wartime
posters. |
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INSTRUCTIONS for Wartime including how to handle anti-personnel bombs and
how to handle an invasion. |
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R.A.F. posters for Pilots: "Sheer Carelessness" and "Beware the Hun in the Sun" |
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