The Imperial War Museum Duxford
In order to describe Duxford and its exhibitions you need to use words such as "unbelievable" or "fantastic". This museum stands on historical ground since it was here that one of the first military airstrips was built for the Royal Air Force during World War I. It was here April1, 1918 when the Royal Flying Corps was merged with the Royal Navy Services to form the new RAF. The worlds first true Air Force was established.
After the war Duxford enlarged its primary role as a flight school and became a nucleus of the fighter pilots squadron no.19, 29 and III. After 1924 Duxford became a fighter pilot base for the next 37 years. Here the really new planes like the Gloster Gauntlets flew in 1935 first, too. Flight Lieutenant Frank Whittle (later the Air Commodore Sir) used the field as a member of the Cambridge University Air Squadron a year later. It was Whittle who developed the jet drive for aeroplanes in England first and who fitted the Gloster Meteor with it in 1943.
In summer 1938 the no.19 squadron stood in such high repute that it was equipped with the brand-new Spitfire first. It was the Supermarine test pilot Jeffrey Quill who flew the first Spitfire to Duxford. In February 1940 Douglas Bader, one of the great heroes of World War II, was transferred to no. 19 Squadron. Bader had lost his legs at an accident a few years ago. This, however, did not prevent him to convert a Spitfire into a fatal weapon. Leadership qualities soon made him and his crews a powerful unit who could prove their know-how in the Battle of Britain. The most effective operation of the Bader squadron was its use against German bombers on September 15.They forced them to dissolve their formations and to jettison their bombs over South England.
After the great battle Duxford developed into the centre for proof testing of enemy aircraft. Machines which were obliged to a forced landing or simply had lost bearings and regarded Duxford as an airfield in France were taken over. Here, the Me 109, He 111 or the Ju 88 were put to the acid test and weak points searched for and found that could be used against them. Later, the Duxford men developed the low level raider Hawker Typhoon that got to the plague for the German privates in the Battle of Normandy.
In April 1943 Duxford was submitted to the 8. U.S. Air Force, which rechristened the airfield into Base 357 and stationed the 78. Fighter Group, equipped with P 47 Thunderbolts. This group was re-equipped to P 51 Mustang as of December 1944. It was also the 78. which first managed to shoot down a Me 262 turbo jet. Altogether, 697 German aircraft were lost by the 78. Fighter Group.
Duxford is the biggest and most important aeroplane museum of Europe today. The exhibits on display are simply extraordinary. The British Aircraft Collection holds treasures such as the four-engine legend Avro Lancaster, the Mosquito, the Spitfire or the first British jet, the Gloster Meteor. As an after-war model the enormous Avro Vulcan, England's nuclear weapon carrier, must be mentioned.
The American Air Museum is exclusively dedicated to the USA. Here treasures can be admired which you can only find in very few museums in the USA, but nowhere in such concentration as in Duxford. On display are: B 17 Flying Fortress, B 24 Liberator, B 25 Mitchell, B of 29 super Fortress or a P 47 Thunderbolt. Only two after-war models shall be emphasized. The Lockheed SR 71 Blackbird, the fastest spying plane of the world and the enormous B 52, America's strategic bomber with nuclear capacity.
Another permanent exhibition is "Battle of Britain" is. Here you find everything connected with the battle so decisive for England. Aside from the Spitfire and Hurricane there are artefacts of participants of the battle, film and audio photos. Besides that Duxford also has to offer an exhibition for the land warfare. Changing scenes like Normandy or North Africa are on display. There is all kind of vehicles, weapons and uniforms to be seen.