NEW ORLEANS >> The National World War II Museum has opened “Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries,” its newest permanent exhibit explaining how the war was won by the American-led Allied forces.
Dr. Gordon H. Mueller, president and CEO of The National World War II Museum, said Saturday’s opening of “Road to Tokyo” will complete Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters, a pavilion that goes to the heart of the museum’s mission.
“Road to Tokyo” retraces the path of war that led from the Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, through the Pacific engagements, to Tokyo Bay and the atomic bomb attacks on Japan. More than 400 artifacts are showcased, including a shark-faced P-40 Warhawk aircraft, interactive oral-history kiosks and serialized dog tag profiles.
The exhibit explores the evolving American strategy for fighting relentless Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific. It also examines the cultural differences of the combatants, logistical challenges and the extreme conditions confronted by U.S. forces in the Pacific theater.
One gallery shows what it was like to live aboard a Navy warship or to fight in the “Green Hell” of mosquito-plagued Guadalcanal, a strategic Pacific island. Others explore fighting in the Philippines and elsewhere, and “island hopping” by American forces gaining airstrips as B-29 bombers pulled within range of Japan. There’s even a gallery on the atomic bombs called “Downfall: Endgame Against Japan.”
“The new ‘Road to Tokyo’ exhibit is fabulous. When I saw it for the first time, it was like I was reliving it all,” said Forrest Villarrubia, a Marine veteran of WWII.
Villarrubia, who just turned 90, was stationed in the Philippines. He now volunteers at the museum.
The museum plans to further its expansion with two additional pavilions, one of which will honor the home front during the war.
The National World War II Museum, in New Orleans’ warehouse district, is open seven days a week.
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