The great museums of the world are repositories of our history and culture, helping to preserve for us - in a tangible way - how people lived and expressed the artistic spirit within, how they waged war and settled peacefully, what they invented, and how they contributed to the realization and evolution of civilization.
There's a parallel to be drawn between museums and cigars, too. You might ask, "What could museums and cigars possibly have in common?" Well, both are a pleasure for the senses, providing enjoyment and diversion from everyday routine. The finest of each also invigorate our minds, inviting us to ponder the complexities - be they ideas that challenge preconceived notions or nuances that enhance aroma and flavor - lying behind our appreciation of their stimulative effects. And the best way to enjoy museums and cigars to the fullest is to savor them slowly, in a measured manner. "There's nothing to be gained in rushing the experience or trying to take in too much at one go," I say.
Though I'd thought about it before, I became acutely aware, during Holy Week just past, of this link between the enjoyment of museums and cigars. Since I was off on Holy Thursday, my mother and I decided to take my sons to the National World War II Museum here in
New Orleans.
The National World War II Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, began life as the
National
D-Day
Museum
in 2000, and has since won acclaim for the excellence of its exhibits. I am almost embarrassed to admit that this was my first visit to the museum - especially since I read a fair amount of World War II material as a boy, and the topic of war has always interested me and captured my imagination.
About two hours into our visit, I started to 'zone out', feeling almost light-headed and unable to concentrate. We were nearing the middle of the 'European Theater' section when I realized I was barely skimming the exhibits. I had run smack into the sensory overload wall, and felt my head beginning to swim. But up to that point, the experience had been incredible!
I do believe the National World War II Museum in New Orleans counts as one of the world’s great museums. I know that there are good exhibits on World War II all over the globe - especially at and around the battlefields, as well as in the capitals where much of the war took place. Nonetheless, the National World War II Museum is the first major institute here in the
United States to be
dedicated to D-Day. And it took until the late 1990s for it to take shape and come to life. Credit has been given, over the years, to the noted
University
of
New Orleans
historian, Dr. Stephen Ambrose. Ambrose chronicled the genesis of the museum, in a chapter entitled “The National D-Day Museum”, in his memoir To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian (published in 2002 by Simon & Schuster).
As Dr. Ambrose has told it, he met with Eisenhower many times over a number of years, beginning in 1964, to work on an authoritative biography of the President. It was at their first meeting that Ike asked Ambrose if he had met a fellow New Orleanian by the name of Andrew Jackson Higgins. When Ambrose responded in the negative, Eisenhower told him, “If Andy Higgins had not designed and then built those landing craft, we never could have gone in over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have changed.” Ike was referring to the 'Higgins Boat', called a LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle-Personnel) by the military. Until the opening of National World War II Museum, there was nothing at all in
New Orleans
remembering and honoring Andrew Jackson Higgins, called by many the 'man who won the war'. Hitler himself labeled Higgins the 'American Noah'.
In the early 1980s, Ambrose opened The Eisenhower Center (which remains open and operating) at the
University
of
New Orleans.
He began interviewing veterans of the war and collecting oral histories. Actually, this task began with the High Command, most notably Eisenhower and General Omar Bradley, well before the opening of the Center. Ambrose and his colleagues worked their way from the High Command all the way down to enlisted personnel. (The Center continues to welcome submissions from veterans to this very day.)
At the time of its inception, the
Eisenhower
Center
focused primarily on collecting documents and sponsoring conferences, the latter of which drew many noted historians as well as veterans. These conferences grew over the years, attracting more participants and garnering greater acclaim. Ambrose was thus able to compile even more oral histories for his book,
D-Day, and for the 1994 anniversary of Operation Overlord.
As the celebrations ensued, there was as yet nothing in
New Orleans
honoring Andrew Higgins. In subsequent years, efforts were made to contact former Higgins employees (30,000 had worked during the war). Ambrose and Dr. Nick Mueller began to dream of what might happen should the
Eisenhower
Center
expand, or should a funding drive make an actual museum in honor of Higgins a possibility. Things soon began to fall into place. Property was acquired, and a board of directors convened in order to raise awareness of the desire for and funds necessary to accomplish establishment of a museum. Some financial support came from the royalties of Ambrose’s own D-Day, which sold much better than expected.
The Museum, located in an abandoned and refurbished brewery building in the Warehouse District (Faubourg St. Mary) of
New Orleans, officially opened on June 6th, 2000. The inaugural ceremonies included a parade, speakers and massive military flyovers. When the museum opened, it contained a newly constructed, fully commissioned LCVP. And while it had taken Higgins Industries only 3 days to build an LCVP in 1944, it took a dedicated group of volunteers nearly two years to build the one on exhibit. This craft is currently on display in the Louisiana Pavilion of the museum. One of the few remaining Supermarine Spitfires, a
Sherman
tank and artillery pieces (including a 105 mm Howitzer, a German 88mm and other hardware) are also housed in the Louisiana Pavilion.
LCVP
Interior of LCVP
Louisiana Pavilion
One of the other showpieces is a C-47 'Gooney Bird' purchased off of the internet site, ebay. The plane, still in flying condition, was acquired at auction from a seller in
Texas.
It was quickly refurbished and then flown to
New Orleans.
A video on the third floor describes the whole process, including the plane's 7-hour journey from
Lakefront
Airport
to the Museum and its enshrinement therein.
Louisiana Pavilion C-47
Just off of the Louisiana Pavilion toward the rear of the museum, on the second floor, is a gallery dedicated to topical, changing themes. At the moment, this exhibit is filled with artifacts relating to baseball during World War II. The display touches upon baseball on the home front, which continued at the Major League level even though the big name players were serving in the military. Mention is made, along with the inclusion of a representative uniform, of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Photos of Major Leaguers serving in the military and playing on military teams abound, amongst them portraits of Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial and my wife’s distant cousin, Mel Ott. A uniform jacket belonging to the manager of the Bainbridge, Maryland Naval Training Center team, Jerry O’Brien, can also be seen, as well as a copy of the 'Picture News' featuring Hank Greenberg. Like those in the rest of the museum, the photographs here are astounding, many of them not having been available for viewing by the public before.
Mel Ott (shaking hands), Frankie Frisch (to Mel's right) and General Omar Bradley
Stan Musial in the chow line
One interesting uniform display, located next to the AAGPBL’s South Bend Blue Sox uniform, dates from
Camp Topaz
,
Utah.
Camp
Topaz
was a Japanese Internment Camp where detainees of Japanese descent were rabid about baseball despite their incarceration.
Blue Sox uniform
Camp Topaz uniform
The permanent collection is divided between the second and third floors, each section featuring different theaters. Visitors following the museum along its designed path will begin in an area concentrating on the 'Imbalance of Power' and 'Road to War'. These two displays principally demonstrate the militarization of
Germany
and
Japan,
highlighting the isolationist bent of the American public during the 1930s. A dynamic feature with model soldiers quantifies the number of men serving in the German, Japanese and American military services at the time. The vastly overwhelming statistical superiority of the Axis powers, in terms of manpower, is astounding.
Manpower disparity displayed
Each section of the museum features at least two short video presentations, accessible inside small, mini-theaters, lasting around seven to ten minutes individually. Other smaller viewing/listening stations allow the visitor to listen to oral histories all along the way. Typically, each station has five different recordings from which to choose. Beyond the 'Road to War' and 'The Home Front' lies one of the museum’s main raisons d’être - a small one-room exhibit honoring Andrew Jackson Higgins and Higgins Industries. Here, visitors find models of Higgins vessels as well as mementos and artifacts, which include workplace magazines and sheet music from the house band. A short video presentation is featured as well.
Model Higgins Boats and Higgins Industries artifacts
Leaving the Higgins exhibit, our next stop was the European Theater. At the Atlantic Wall ( the original one begun in 1942), we overlooked the
Normandy
beaches from inside a pillbox before moving onto 'Tools of War'. As we wended our way past the artifacts on view here, we were able to peruse American and German small arms, blade weapons, parachutes and much more. One of the most interesting displays in this particular area is one that shows a typical American paratrooper/infantry soldier’s pack, and everything in it, including C-rations, cigarettes, tooth powder, toothbrush, shaving kit, brush, safety razor, towel, comb and V-Mail stationary (among about thirty items in total).
V-mail and K-rations
Toothbrush, Gem blades, safety razor, Barbasol shaving soap and tooth powder
Soap and other personal effects, sitting on standard issue towel
A full-wall map of the Operation Overlord beaches dominates the entrance. Directly in front of the map, visitors stop at an innovative circular screen set in the floor. This screen plays a feature about the landings, giving viewers a bird's-eye view of the beach maps as well as film footage of the invasion. The European Theater exhibit features many of Robert Capa's photographs that managed to survive rush development in
London
. (Of all the rolls of film he shot, only one survived. The remainder were, unfortunately, opened before they reached the
London
darkroom.) Capa actually went ashore with a unit, shot as many photographs as he could before being overcome with fear, and then boarded a craft back to
England.
Capa's seminal image is of a single G.I. prone in the water, raising his head. A letter signed by Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery is another notable feature of this particular exhibit.
Orders Autographed by 'Monty'
At this point (as I've related previously), my head started to fade into a fog of sensory overload - just as well, I suppose, as my sons, despite really enjoying their experience, began to get restless. We quickly walked through the Pacific Theater exhibit on the way to the finish of the tour.
This rush toward the exit doesn't mark the end of our journey, though. We'll definitely be back. And The Pacific Theater section will be the first we visit on our next trip. I know my sons can't wait!
The National World War II Museum is a part of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program.
Its address is:
945 Magazine Street
,
New Orleans
,
LA
70130
Telephone 504-527-6012
The main entrance through the Louisiana Pavilion opens onto Andrew Jackson Higgins Boulevard, which was formerly known as Howard Avenue.
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays as well as on Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas
Admissions (individuals):
Adults - $14.00
Members - FREE
Active Military and Spouse (with ID) - $6.00
Military in uniform - FREE
Seniors $8.00
Students - $8.00
Youth (12 years and younger) - $6.00
Children under 5 years - FREE.
Membership:
1-877-813-3329, ext. 341
www.NationalWW2Museum.org
Museum entrance from just within doors
Museum expansion... Note the PT boat in the background next to the ramp.
_______________________________________________________
Thomas Bender is a husband and father of two, and hails from Greater New Orleans, Louisiana. He appreciates fine cigars, good food and even better friends, especially when he's able to enjoy all three at the same time. Oftentimes (at least in the fall of the year), these activities are tied to following the Fighting Tigers of Louisiana State University. A university reference/outreach/database librarian and Church musician, Thomas expends entirely too much time and too many keystrokes perusing internet forums, and doesn’t know when to stop typing once there.
