Bill's Aviation Log

Looking down at the main entrance lobby. All the exihibits are on one side of the building, at the end of that hallway pictured below.

Before the truck, there was the Army mule. The U.S. Army's prime mover, a carefully loaded pack mule could carry up to 400 pounds. A six-mule army wagon could move 2,500 pounds of cargo. And a mule needed less food and forage than a horse.

The Sikorsky R-4 was the U.S. Army's first service helicopter. The Army bought 30 of them in 1942.

Here 1st Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge and Orville Wright discuss the 1908 Wright Flyer which was at Fort Myer, Virginia for demonstrations. The Army ended up buying a Wright Flyer for $30,000.

A diorama showing Knox's caravan crossing the Hudson River.

American Doughboys in World War One.

Army soldiers climb down a ship into a Higgins Boat for transit to the beach.

Sherman tank "Cobra King" of the 4th Armored Division links up with encircled defenders of the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne during World War II.

During World War Two, two mainstays of the G.I. were the M1 Carbine (top) and the M1 Garand Rifle (bottom).

It's easy to forget, or never even know, how real the threat was of a Soviet Bloc invasion of western Europe was during the Cold War. This interesting map shows how the NATO forces were deployed to meet the threat.

An excellent map showing the ground war in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Some of the present day weapons employed by the U.S. Army. Top to bottom: semi-automatic sniper rifle, M-20 shotgun, HK-416 assault rifle, Beretta M9 semi-automatic pistol, M249 squad automatic weapon, AT4 anti-tank missile, 50-cal machine gun.

A combat squad conducting an early morning raid in Iraq, 2010.

At center, the primary infantry weapon of the U.S. Army: the M4 carbine, designed to receive numerous attachments.

June 29, 2022 - National Museum of the Army
Today I drove down to Fort Belvoir, Virginia to visit the National Museum of the U.S. Army. It's relatively new, opening on November 11, 2020. The museum was excellent, with state-of-the-art presentation of artifacts, videos, dioramas and exhibits. The actual museum is in the building to the left. The center part is the entrance and lobby. I'm not sure what is in the tall building to the right. Offices? I think the second floor might be used for special exhibits, although none were open today.

As soon as you walk in, you face this large black wall engraved with the many wars, conflicts, expeditions and battles the U.S. Army has fought in.

Looking down at the main entrance lobby. All the exihibits are on one side of the building, at the end of that hallway pictured below.

Before the truck, there was the Army mule. The U.S. Army's prime mover, a carefully loaded pack mule could carry up to 400 pounds. A six-mule army wagon could move 2,500 pounds of cargo. And a mule needed less food and forage than a horse.

In World War One, the mule was phased out in favor of the truck. In 1918 the U.S. Army organized a committee to design a new 3-ton truck. They came up with this: the Standard B. Liberty Truck.

The Sikorsky R-4 was the U.S. Army's first service helicopter. The Army bought 30 of them in 1942.

Here 1st Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge and Orville Wright discuss the 1908 Wright Flyer which was at Fort Myer, Virginia for demonstrations. The Army ended up buying a Wright Flyer for $30,000.

Orville Wright took Selfridge up in the air, but one one flight on September 17, 1908, the Flyer crashed, Selfridge was killed and Orville Wright injured. Selfridge was the first person in history to die in an airplane crash.

During the winter of 1775-1776, Henry Knox moved 60 captured British guns, howitzers and mortars 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. The trip took 44 days. The guns were positioned on the high ground overlooking Boston, compelling the British to leave the city two weeks later.

A diorama showing Knox's caravan crossing the Hudson River.

The Minie Ball which killed and maimed so many during the Civil War.

A bone saw, used by Army doctors, to cut off limbs hit by the Minie balls.

American Doughboys in World War One.

A World War One French FT17 tank, used by the American Expeditionary Force.

B-17s of the Army Air Force pass overwhead on their way to Germany in World War Two.

Army soldiers climb down a ship into a Higgins Boat for transit to the beach.

Sherman tank "Cobra King" of the 4th Armored Division links up with encircled defenders of the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne during World War II.

An M1 Bofors anti-aircraft gun.

I watched an interesting film about the U.S. Army in this state-of-the-art theater.

At center is the ceremonial sword of Nazi Germany's Herman Goring.

During World War Two, two mainstays of the G.I. were the M1 Carbine (top) and the M1 Garand Rifle (bottom).

During the Vietnam war the US Army used the M14 rifle (top) and M-16 (bottom).

It's easy to forget, or never even know, how real the threat was of a Soviet Bloc invasion of western Europe was during the Cold War. This interesting map shows how the NATO forces were deployed to meet the threat.

A diorama of a MASH unit during the Korean War.

An excellent map showing the ground war in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

This M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle assigned to A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Division was the lead vehicle for much of the advance into Baghdad on April 3, 2003.

This badly damaged T-700 engine belonged to the first UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter shot down in the Battle of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993.

Some of the present day weapons employed by the U.S. Army. Top to bottom: semi-automatic sniper rifle, M-20 shotgun, HK-416 assault rifle, Beretta M9 semi-automatic pistol, M249 squad automatic weapon, AT4 anti-tank missile, 50-cal machine gun.

A combat squad conducting an early morning raid in Iraq, 2010.

A present-day Tactical Operations Center (TOC) for a Brigade-size unit.

At center, the primary infantry weapon of the U.S. Army: the M4 carbine, designed to receive numerous attachments.


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June 29, 2022 - National Museum of the Army