Yes, you read correctly, that is a Virtual Victory Garden. This week we unveiled the latest of our Victory Garden initiatives: a virtual field trip that explores the steps to grow a garden right through your computer or television screen.
As evidenced by the multitude of home and urban gardens springing up in the past few years, along with the local and slow food movements, students across the country are encountering gardens in their schools, communities, and backyards. This program demonstrates the key steps to grow a successful garden while exploring the important values from the war such as teamwork, community service, and optimism. It also facilitates discussions on nutrition and food choices. Gardening can be one of the many ways to become more active, involved, and healthy.
This weekend, I had the chance to travel to the West Baton Rouge Museum’s 16th annual Sugar Fest to promote The National History Day program to students and parents in the Baton Rouge area. The West Baton Rouge Museum is one of four regional partners for National History Day in Louisiana, with the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport, the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum in Monroe, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette serving as the additional regional sponsors. As the program grows throughout Louisiana, our regional partners are vital in serving students and teachers in their regions.
The Sugar Fest was a celebration of South Louisiana history. Volunteers in dress from various periods were present throughout the grounds. (more…)
Postcard Gift of Cherie Messore, The National World War II Museum, Inc., 2006.046
On October 3, 1942, the Hollywood Canteen opened its doors in a former livery stable at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard. Modeled after and affiliated with the Stage Door Canteens founded by the American Theatre Wing, the Hollywood Canteen was to become a haven for servicemen—a place where they could enjoy entertainment and dancing free of worry and free of charge. The opening was a spectacular affair with tickets sold for bleacher seats at $100 a piece, ultimately raising $10,000. The Hollywood Canteen’s President Bette Davis recalled that it was so crowded that she had to climb through a window to enter. The décor played on the western theme– the sign was made of rope lettering and chandeliers were constructed from old wagon wheels and retrofitted kerosene lanterns. The piano was donated by Cary Grant. In the Hollywood Canteen’s 3 years (ending on Thanksgiving Day 1945), over 3,000 volunteers, many famous stars among them entertained nearly four million servicemen. Three million packs of cigarettes were distributed; six million pieces of cake; 125,000 gallons of milk; and nine million cups of coffee were served. When the Hollywood Canteen closed after the war, the $500,000 surplus was applied to veteran’s relief funds.
Visit the Stage Door Canteen at The National WWII Museum for live entertainment and also to see artifacts related to the Hollywood and Stage Door Canteens. This post by National WWII Museum Curator Kimberly Guise
In partnership with the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation, the National WWII Museum is proud to host Teaching with Defiance: Jewish Resistance and the Bielski Partisans, a free workshop for area educators on the Holocaust and those who fought back against the Nazis. Each participating teacher will receive a free DVD of Defiance excerpts and primary source interviews, a teacher’s guide and curriculum, and nine documentaries to use in the classroom.
When: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
How to Register: Contact Gemma Birnbaum, Digital Education Coordinator, at (504) 528-1944 x246. Registration is REQUIRED and spaces are limited.
Gift of Rosemary Deutsche, The National WWII Museum Inc., 2003.443.335
Justice Given for Victims of Nazi War Crimes
The Nuremberg Trials began in November 1945 and went on for nearly a year. A program of sorts from the Museum’s collection describes in detail the proceedings at the trial and even includes a scale map of the courtroom’s layout. Representing the United States, the French Republic, the United Kingdom, and the USSR were four chief officials prosecuting some of the most infamous German leaders including Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Hans Frank, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Wilhelm Frick.
Göring, Hess, von Ribbentrop, and Keitel under guard during the trial. Courtesy of the National Archives.
A letter written by Pvt. Herman Obermayer who traveled to Nuremberg (then known as Nurnberg) to witness the historic events describes the extent of the strict security throughout the city during the trials:
“Dear Folks, Someday years from now when a dinner partner of mine looks at me with that stop-boring-me look I’ll pull the rabbit out of the hat and tell her how I watched Goering and Hess and Jodl squirm and make faces during the Nurnberg Trials. Yesterday afternoon I spent three hours watching and listening to the trials, and really spent three of the most interesting hours I can remember.
You probably have to prove less about your identification and background to get into the Holy of Holies or the swankiest club of Newport than you do to get into the trials. Unless you have a friend like Bob Wolf to guide you through and around the security system the ordinary human being who wanted to see the trials would leave Nurnberg more frustrated than a Midwest businessman in Washington. The area for a block or two around the Palace of Justice is restricted which means that no civilian or soldier without proper identification can enter the area. There are guards at the gate to the Palace of Justice grounds and unless you have a pass stating your exact business you go on to a security office where you are checked and interrogated, etc…You cannot wear an overcoat or hat into the courtroom or even carry it with you as they are afraid you might be able to conceal a grenade, weapon, etc. “
[Gift of Herman Obermayer, The National WWII Museum Inc., 2004.344]
This entry by The National WWII Museum Curator Meg Roussel
In Memory of Archbishop Philip M. Hannan (1913-2011)
Born to an Irish-American family in the Washington D. C. area in 1913, Philip M. Hannan would go on to travel the world in service to his country and God. Following studies stateside, Hannan traveled to Rome where he continued seminary studies at the North American College from 1936 to 1939, a firsthand witness to the rise of fascism in Europe. He traveled extensively throughout Europe after completing his studies, and spent much of that time in Germany. His experiences in Europe where war clouds were gathering inspired him to join the military.
In 1942, Hannan enlisted in the U.S. Army, becoming a chaplain. Initially sent to Florida to minister to Army Air Force recruits, Hannan sought to be sent to the front lines where he was the most needed and could do the most good. Eventually, after multiple transfer requests, Hannan served with the men of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd “All American” Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest. Chaplain Hannan immediately went into action tending to wounded men, Americans and Germans alike. He spoke in awe of his fellow officers: “They were absolutely admirable…It didn’t matter to them if [the wounded] were German or American; if they were alive they would bring them into the hospital.” He felt a very different type of awe when weeks later his unit entered a concentration camp near Wöbbelin, Germany, an experience he would never forget.
After the war, Hannan played a major role in preserving the priceless art and relics in the historic Cologne Cathedral, which had been badly damaged by bombs and street fighting. Through negotiations with the German Archbishop of Cologne, Chaplain Hannan was made temporary protector and pastor of the ancient Cologne Cathedral in order to both preserve the artwork and minister to the troops of the 505th PIR. Archbishop Hannan remained a revered member of the Cologne Cathedral for the rest of his life.
After the war, Hannan returned to the United States and served the Catholic community as in the Baltimore-Washington Archdiocese. It was in this capacity that Hannan become well-acquainted with the Kennedy family, and would later give the homily at President Kennedy’s Requiem Mass in 1963. He remained in Baltimore for two more years, when he was called to New Orleans to help with recovery efforts from the devastation of Hurricane Betsy. He was named Archbishop of the Diocese of New Orleans on September 29, 1965 and remained in that post until December 6, 1988. Archbishop Hannan passed away on September 29, 2011, leaving behind a legacy of hope, love and generosity.
You can see Archbishop Hannan’s A2 jacket in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion of The National WWII Museum, and you can watch part of his oral history interview here: Archbishop Hannan’s Oral History Interview .
Our current special exhibit,Roosevelt, Rockwell and the Four Freedoms, gave the Museum a great opportunity to address one of our core missions – to tell the story of what World War II means today.
We hoped that visitors would reflect on the idealistic world that Roosevelt hoped would flourish after the war and ask themselves whether we have achieved it and what each can do to further that goal. To that end, we put up a comment wall and asked the public to pick one of the Four Freedoms and list how they personally can help achieve it.
Thoughtful comments are coming in, including: “Stand up for what you believe” and “If you don’t respect all four freedoms, what was it all for?”
These and other comments have been inspirational to visitors and staff and a few have even made us laugh. For instance, related to Freedom of Speech, one visitor pledged to “Stand up to my wife.”
Museum partner National History Day has announced year two of Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom, an immersive two-week long institute that brings 15 teachers and 15 students onto the beaches of Normandy to appreciate and understand the sacrifices of the World War II generation. The institute begins in Washington, D.C. with lectures by leading WWII scholars, a study of WWII monuments in Washington, D.C., and research in the National Archives. Students will select a soldier from their state who is buried at the American Cemetery in Normandy and research that soldier’s life. The institute culminates in a day of remembrance with the students laying a wreath at the cemetery in honor of their chosen soldier.
Who Can Apply
Teachers of students in grades 10 or 11 who have participated in National History Day or are participating in National History Day for the first time this year are encouraged to apply. Fifteen teachers will be selected by the National History Day committee. Each of the selected teachers will select one student to participate in the institute. The teacher must commit to making two presentations at school, state, or national conferences.
Selection Criteria
Teacher’s resume including full name, work title and institution; the applicant’s home and work addresses and phone numbers; and a work and home e-mail address.
An essay explaining the applicants’ interest in the institute, stating the applicants’ philosophy of teaching, including how students are engaged in historical research in the classroom now and confirming the applicants’ willingness to make the two required presentations and other school based assignments. The presentations can be school-based, state or national.
A letter of support from the applicant’s supervisor that attests to employment status in 2011-12 and agrees to the applicant’s making two presentations at workshops or conferences.
A letter of introduction by the teacher of the selected student – who the student is academically and why this particular student was chosen to be the team member.
For information on participating in Louisiana History Day, sponsored by The National WWII Museum visit http://louisianahistoryday.org.
For questions concerning the Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Institute, visit http://nhd.org.
This post by Louisiana History Day Coordinator Nathan Huegen.
Bearded sailors aboard the USS Pensacola. (Gift of Ray V. Snapp, 2010.572.107)
Sailors & Facial Hair
The Bluejackets’ Manual, the sailor’s essential handbook, lays out the regulations for facial hair as follows: “The hair, beard, and mustache must be worn neatly trimmed. The face must be kept clean shaved, except a mustache or beard and mustache may be worn at discretion. No eccentricities in the manner of wearing the hair, beard, or mustache are allowed.” The photos here show that the “eccentricities” clause was often ignored, and facial hair served as a means of self-expression among military seafarers. Not having to cut their hair or shave while at sea was one of the small treats sailors appreciated and took advantage of while they could.
Roy Miletta of the legendary USS Tang Trying not to singe his hard-earned beard
(Gift in Memory of Roy Miletta, 2010.261) (National Archives)
This post by National World War II Museum Curator Meg Roussel
As a World War II history buff that’s seen the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds, I would describe the plot of the film as highly entertaining, but not quite historically accurate. With that said, Inglourious Basterds is the only place to see the obscure but very real, Sedgley OSS .38 glove pistol in action. If you’ve seen the movie, Sedgley glove guns are used by Sergeant Donowitz and Private Omar to kill the two SS men guarding Hitler and Goebbels’ private box at the cinema. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, that last sentence probably left you scratching your head.
The glove gun was designed by the Office of Naval Intelligence and manufactured by the Sedgley Company of Philadelphia, and used by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The weapon was designated as an assassination pistol, and consists of a heavy cowhide glove with a single shot .38 pistol attached to the glove. The weapon is activated by making a fist and punching the intended target, and upon contact, a plunger-like trigger fires the .38 bullet into the target at point-blank range, eliminating the possibility of missing the target.
The glove gun in the Museum’s collection was donated by Robert Ramirez, whose father-in-law, Lawrence Nye Hanna, was a naval officer with Beach Jumper Unit 7. Beach Jumpers were highly specialized units whose job was to simulate amphibious landings, designed to lure and divert enemy attention away from the actual landing beaches miles away. The Beach Jumpers were the brain child of Hollywood actor and Navy Reserve Officer Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. who had witnessed similar tactics employed by British Commandos while on assignment with Lord Louis Mountbatten’s staff in England.
Hanna was issued the glove gun with the instructions that it be used in the event that his boat was boarded by the enemy. With his hands raised above his head in surrender, the enemy would not be able to see that the glove was a weapon. If the enemy came in range, Hanna was to strike them in the head. Luckily for the enemy, Hanna’s boat was never boarded.
Bearded sailors aboard the USS Pensacola. (Gift of Ray V. Snapp, 2010.572.107)
