WW2 Collection

The Mikoyen-Gurevich MiG-3 was created to tackle the Luftwaffe and its bombers at high-altitude, but the nature of combat along the Eastern Front often meant that this diminutive fighter had to operate outside of its original design parameters.

The Me 262 was the world’s first operational jet fighter. The Museum’s example was reconstructed from plans created during the restoration of an original Me 262 now on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

Perhaps the most well-known German fighter aircraft of WWII, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the primary adversary which American pilots faced in the skies over Europe.

Gliders were used widely for transporting airborne troops and cargo during WWII. Types like the U.S. Army Air Forces’ TG-4A provided training platforms for the combat glider pilots.

The Museum’s aircraft, known affectionately as Tante Ju, is the only flying example of its kind in North America. Our specific ‘Tante Ju’ is a Spanish-built variant of the Junkers Ju 52 manufactured as the CASA 352.

Along with the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force. A rugged and stable gun platform which packed a potent punch, the Fw 190 became Germany’s preeminent weapon for attacking heavily-defended, American bomber formations.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 44 was so popular with pre-war flying clubs and saw such extensive use as a trainer with the Luftwaffe, that every German pilot of the WWII-era may well have flown an Fw 44 at some point in their career.

Famed for its incredible Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) performance, the Fieseler Fi 156 ‘Storch’ was deployed across all European and North African Theaters of Operation from virtually the first day of WWII until the very last.

Nicknamed the ‘Cradle of Heroes’, the PT-19 was one of just a handful of primary trainer designs which provided future American aviators with their first taste of military flying on their journey to becoming pilots on the front lines.

The de Havilland Tiger Moth was the Royal Air Force’s predominant primary trainer in the lead-up to, and during, WWII. It provided many pilots with their first taste of solo flight and helped prepare their path into combat flying.

Unlike many other training aircraft of its era, the Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister lacked a second seat for the instructor. The aircraft served the Luftwaffe in the advanced training role. With a high power-to-weight ratio and ailerons on its upper and lower wings, the Jungmeister was also an excellent aerobatic aircraft.

The P-26 was the first all-metal fighter produced in America, and the first monoplane fighter to enter service with the United States Army Air Corps.