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The National World War II Museum offers an unforgettable
experience for all ages
The country’s official WWII Museum is also a
premier New Orleans attraction
NEW ORLEANS (December 7, 2007) – Founded as the National
D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s
official World War II Museum, The National World War II
Museum in New Orleans illuminates the American
experience during the war years with moving personal
stories, historic artifacts and powerful interactive
displays. From the Normandy invasion to the sands of
Pacific Islands and the Home Front, the Museum brings to
life the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of
the men and women who won the war that changed the
world, providing an incomparable experience for the
entire family.
The 16,000-square-foot galleries of The National World
War II Museum are divided into four, state-of-the-art,
interactive exhibits featuring oral histories from
veterans worldwide, artifacts, documents, photographs
and never before seen film footage. These series of
exhibits take Museum visitors through the weeks and days
leading up to the D-Days of World War II to the foggy
morning of June 6 when the Allies landed on the beaches
of Normandy to the other decisive air and sea assaults
that led to victory in Europe and the Pacific.
The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion showcases essential
tools of the war effort, including the famous Higgins
landing craft. More than 20,000 boats were designed and
built in New Orleans and used in all the amphibious
landings of World War II. Dwight Eisenhower credited
these boats with winning the war for the Allies. Other
artifacts include Sherman tanks, jeeps, halftracks and a
restored C-47. This plane dropped paratroopers into
Normandy on D-Day and saw action in the Battle of the
Bulge and the “Rhine Jump” airborne assault in 1945. An
interactive exhibit on the C-47 features the story of
this plane and others like it.
A changing exhibition gallery houses special displays
related to the Museum’s mission. The current changing
exhibition Duty, Honor, Country: When Baseball Went to
War will run through March of 2008 to be followed up by
Real to Real: Hollywood in World War II.
The Malcolm S. Forbes Theater features two alternating
films focusing on the D-Day invasions at Normandy and in
the Pacific, The Price for Peace and D-Day Remembered.
With an eye towards the future, The National World War
II Museum is currently moving ahead with a $300 million
expansion that will quadruple its size and help lead the
renaissance of New Orleans’ tourism. The expansion was
planned prior to Katrina, and the Museum Board
rededicated itself to the project after the Museum
reopened in December 2005.
Construction is currently underway for an advanced
format theater scheduled to be opened in spring 2009.
The theater will have regular showings of Beyond All
Boundaries, a cinematic experience designed exclusively
for the Museum by Director Paul Hettema and Executive
Producer Tom Hanks. Through an array of multi-sensory
special effects, viewers will be taken on an immersive
virtual journey that spans the entirety of World War II.
“This country showed the world what its soldiers and
citizens were capable of during World War II. Continuing
on with this project will demonstrate that we are as
committed to the city’s future as we are to preserving
the legacy of the Greatest Generation,” said Dr. Gordon
“Nick” Mueller, President and CEO of The National World
War II Museum. “We are expanding the Museum to be as
epic as the war it honors. The National World War II
Museum will be one of the great educational and historic
institutions of the world.”
Also opening in 2009, a USO venue and restaurant will be
linked to the theater and open to the general public.
Additional expansion components include a Campaigns
Pavilion exploring all campaigns of the war, including
North Africa, Italy, China-Burma-India, and an expanded
treatment of the Pacific War. In the United States
Freedom Pavilion, visitors will be able to follow the
stories of actual World War II soldiers and experience a
simulation of going off to war by train. Additional
components include a Land, Sea and Air Pavilion for such
large artifacts as planes and tanks, II, a Liberation
and Victory Pavilion, and a Pavilion to house special
exhibitions, all surrounding an expansive parade ground.
Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the Museum drew about
300,000 visitors a year. Eighty percent of those
visitors were tourists, and as many as 72,000 annual
visitors said that the Museum was their primary reason
for coming to the city, making the Museum a major
destination attraction.
The National World War II Museum, dedicated in 2000 as
The National D-Day Museum, has been designated by
Congress as the country’s official National World War II
Museum. The Museum illuminates the American experience
during the war era and celebrates the American spirit,
the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men
and women who won World War II. For more information on
The National World War II Museum, visit
www.nationalww2museum.org or call 877-813-3329.
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