Not Just the Hangars of World War II: American Aviation Museums and the Role of Memorial

• Published in: Curator (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 49; no. 4; pp. 419 - 434
• Main Authors: Dechow, Douglas R., Leahy, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2006
• ISSN: 0011-3069; 2151-6952
• DOI: 10.1111/j.2151-6952.2006.tb00234.x

In aviation museums throughout the United States, World War II aircraft have become crucial objects in shaping a narrative of memorial for millions of people. The museums' warehousing function allows them to be both the long‐term home of these wondrous and resonant airplanes, and the collective “hangar” of our commemorations. These museums offer reasons for serious study, since in many respects our mental images of World War II are constructed within aviation museums. This article explores the narrative of memorial through illustrations from four representative institutions, and examines one of the anomalies, the case of the Enola Gay.