Legend, Memory and the Great War in the Air

This exhibition is now closed.

An impression many people have of World War I is that of gallant fighter pilots dueling high above the grim trenches, in a realm where combat was ruled by a code of honor, victory brought glory, and death came quickly and cleanly. The true nature of aerial combat was quite different. This exhibition reexamined aviation during World War I and contrasted romance with reality.

In this exhibit displays of popular culture showed how some of these myths were passed on, while other exhibits examine the many new roles aircraft played during the war, from battlefield reconnaissance to strategic bombing. The gallery featured several rare airplanes: German Pfalz D.XII, Albatros D.Va, and Fokker D.VII fighters; a British Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe fighter; and a French SPAD XIII fighter and Voisin VIII bomber.