Military aviation during World War II was essential for victory and changed the nature and experience of war—and behind every piece of this technology were the people that made it possible or felt its impacts. 

From carriers and kamikazes to flying fortresses, the Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air exhibition will feature people and artifacts that put aviation at the center of the twentieth century’s largest and most impactful conflict and made America a superpower. These range from famed aircraft of the aces, like the North American P-51D Mustang, to the tools used by concentration camp laborers to assemble German V-2 rockets. Visitors will gain new perspectives on the remarkable story of how the Allies won the war in the air through some of the museum’s most notable never-before-displayed artifacts, such as a rare surviving Soviet Ilyushin IL-2 that devastated German tank columns. 

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 National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC Plan Your Visit Related Topics: Aviation War and Conflict World War II Aircraft Military aviation People Technology and Engineering Weapons Take a Look Inside the Gallery

Enjoy this artist's rendering depicting what the gallery will look like.

 World War II Military Reconnaissance
In this Exhibition North American P-51D Mustang Object Eastern Division FM-1 (Grumman F4F-4) Wildcat Object Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/R3 Object Sight, Gun/Bomb, Japanese, Navy, Type-2 Object Medal, Air Medal, Louis Purnell Object V-1 Cruise Missile Object
Who Were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)? Who were the Tuskegee Airmen? Explore Our World War II Blog Series See More Stories
Meet Jacqueline Cochran October 28, 2021 Stefan A. Cavallo: Test Pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) November 12, 2020 Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service: The WAVES Program in World War II September 14, 2020 Body Art During World War II: From the Lyle Tuttle Tattoo Art Collection September 09, 2020 Latin America in the Air War September 03, 2020 Celebrating the End of the War September 02, 2020 The Cactus Air Force’s Forgotten Spine: The Royal New Zealand Air Force at Guadalcanal August 27, 2020 A Special Delivery for the Doolittle Raiders August 26, 2020

The Museum gratefully acknowledges those who have generously supported this gallery.

Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air is made possible by the generous support of:

Kislak Family Foundation / Jay I. Kislak

About Jay I. Kislak >>

Daniels Fund in Honor of Bill Daniels
In Memory of Harold E. Hodel
Stuart and Paula Fred
The Delman Family

Mary E. Jenkins
Foster and Coco Stanback
In Honor of Jim Todd
Paul R. Wood

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