Museums

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World War II museums play a vital role in preserving the history, experiences, and lessons of the global conflict. Located around the world, these museums use artefacts, documents, photographs, and personal stories to explain how the war affected soldiers, civilians, and entire societies.

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The Armistice Museum – Rethondes, Compiègne, France

For Adolf Hitler, the signing of the Franco-German Armistice of 22 June 1940 in a railway carriage at …

Posted October 9, 2015 (updated January 11, 2026) by Pascal

Stelling Kornwerderzand – Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands

Position Kornwerderzand was constructed between 1931 and 1936 and consisted of two lines of defense with a total …

Posted July 16, 2015 (updated January 6, 2026) by Pascal

Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O’Brien – San Francisco California United States of America

The construction of a Liberty Ship took about 240 days, later on, when the construction yards specialised and …

Posted June 19, 2015 (updated January 6, 2026) by Patrick

USS Missouri BB-63 Iowa Class Battleship – Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States of America

At the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor lies USS battleship Missouri which hosted the surrender of Imperial …

Posted June 18, 2015 (updated January 6, 2026) by Patrick

Kazemattenmuseum Kornwerderzand – Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands

During the construction of the 32 km long and 90m wide Afsluitdijk, a number of man made islands …

Posted April 5, 2015 (updated January 6, 2026) by Pascal

The John Frost Bridge, Operation Market Garden in Arnhem – Netherlands

The British 1st Airborne Division under the command of General Roy Urquhart landed on 17 September 1944 near …

Posted September 9, 2014 (updated August 10, 2026) by Patrick

The John S. Thompson Bridge, the 11th bridge of Operation Market Garden near Grave in the Netherlands

The bridge over the river Meuse was one of the objectives of Operation Market Garden in September 1944. …

Posted September 7, 2014 (updated August 10, 2026) by Patrick

Maisy Battery – Widerstandsnest 83, Grandcamp-Maisy – Normandy, France

Battery Maisy or Widerstandsnest 83 was a coastal fortification on the Atlantic Wall near the French town of …

Posted August 13, 2014 (updated January 16, 2026) by Patrick

The Massacre at Oradour sur Glane Memorial Center – Limousin, France

Some villagers had barely seen a German soldier from up close and it even seemed like the Second …

Posted August 9, 2014 (updated August 8, 2026) by Pascal

Hotel Hartenstein Oosterbeek, Operation Market Garden

Hotel Hartenstein, Airborne Headquarters during Operation Market Garden – Oosterbeek near Arnhem, The Netherlands

There had been reports of bombardments on the cities of Ede, Arnhem, airfields, and anti aircraft positions, but …

Posted July 12, 2014 (updated August 10, 2026) by Patrick

Tankograd, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant in Oblast Chelyabinsk, Russia

Челябинский тракторный завод (ЧТЗ) or phonetic "Chelyabinskiy traktornyy zavod" (ChTZ), is the full name of the tractor plant …

Posted July 10, 2014 (updated January 5, 2026) by Patrick

Fuhrerhauptquartier Wolfsschlucht 1 Bruly-De-Pesche, Couvin, Belgium

Fuhrerhauptquartier Wolfsschlucht 1, Brûly-De-Pesche, Couvin, Belgium

On June 6th 1940, Hitler and his general staff observed the advance of the German forces through France …

Posted June 25, 2014 (updated January 11, 2026) by Pascal

Fort Breendonk, Willebroek, Belgium

Breendonk was built as part of the fortification defence to protect the city of Antwerp and especially the …

Posted March 28, 2014 (updated January 5, 2026) by Patrick

Poland under the Nazis (part 1) – Oskar Schindlers Factory, Krakow

From October 29 till November 3th I took a short organized trip to Poland. The organizer called this …

Posted February 25, 2014 (updated January 11, 2026) by Patrick

Poland under the Nazis (part 1) – Auschwitz 1 (Stammlager)

The camp is located South-West of the small city of Auschwitz. It was together with Auschwitz II -Birkenau …

Posted February 19, 2014 (updated January 11, 2026) by Patrick

Poland under the Nazis (part 2) – Auschwitz 2 (Birkenau)

The Birkenau concentration camp is a place where I was transfixed. I never imagined it had this size. …

Posted February 19, 2014 (updated January 11, 2026) by Patrick

Fuhrerhauptquartier Wolfsschlucht 2, Margival – Laffaux France

Situated along the railway line Laon-Paris in the thick wooded area surrounding Margival, this steep sided valley proved …

Posted October 1, 2013 (updated August 8, 2026) by Pascal

Arnhem War Museum 40-45 Operation Market Garden, Netherlands

In the years after Operation Market Garden multiple museums, memorials and other reminders of the battle could be …

Posted September 14, 2013 (updated January 5, 2026) by Patrick