The museum was established by Royal Decree in 2007 and was inaugurated on January 29, 2018, by King Abdullah II. It has been built on a specially designed site which consists of a 20,000-square-meter building, an outside display area and a tank driving course.

The museum building is described as an “architectural concept that rises from the old desert fortress of the 1800s and 1900s with four pillars, modernized and made ‘stealthy’ for the 21st century.” It has a spacious interior with all the vehicles being on one level that is set up into 14 separate halls, covering tanks from Leonardo da Vinci’s concept tank to the latest Main Battle tanks. The vehicles in the museum have come from Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) military stock, sourced from around the world, and generous donations from 16 countries of 24 further tanks.

Each of the separate halls runs in chronological order from the Armouring Origins, World War I, Great Arab Revolt, World War II, Arab Legion, Jerusalem, Jordanian Armoured Forces (1950s–1960s), Al Karameh, Arab Israeli, King Abdullah II, Sectionalized Tank, Operations and Tank Support, Tank in Battle, International and KADDB which have tanks, armoured cars, tracked and wheeled artillery, armoured recovery, soft-skinned vehicles and small arms relevant to that hall.

Among the vehicles on display in the various halls are an Israeli 75mm Super Sherman M50, British Charioteer (a Cold War-era tank, that is fitted with an Ordnance QF 20 pounder gun and uses Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) ammunition out to an effective range of 2,000 metres), French 75mm AMX-13, American 37mm Stuart, Russian 100mm T-54 and an Austrian SK-105 Kürassier. The SK-105 is fitted with a 105mm gun which has a semi-automatic, revolving magazine-type autoloading system with two revolving magazines holding 6 rounds each of Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) rounds.  These are an extremely accurate round out to 2000 metres. There were also the Chinese 100mm Type 59, Polish WZT-1 Armoured Recovery Vehicle and a German 75mm STuG III. The STuG III was mounted with a 75mm KwK L/48 gun which was the main anti-tank gun used by the Germans in WWII.  It fired a High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) round up to 1800 metres with great accuracy.

Small Arms are also on display and include a .30 Browning machine gun, 3-inch mortar, Bazooka, an M15A1 Jeep with a 105mm Recoilless Rifle and a very good example of the M45 Quadmount .50 BMG mounted on an M20 trailer, which is used to enhance the dioramas.

There is also a Huey Cobra helicopter slung from the roof over the King Abdullah II Hall.

There is an upper level where there is a “World of Tanks” gaming area that all visitors to the museum can play for free, experiencing tanks that are on display in realistic computer tank battles.

You can get up close to most of the exhibits, and there is good use of dioramas, sound effects and laser graphics. Many of the vehicles have information boards on them, and there are less well-known examples of vehicles built in the area from the Middle East conflicts.

One unusual exhibit is a “sectionalized” American 105mm M60 Tank, which has been cut through the middle so that you can walk in-between the two sections, giving you an up-close perspective of the interior.

Outside there are six further Tanks/Armoured cars on display. The tank driving course is in its last stages of construction where they will be holding Tank demonstrations and Tank rides for visitors.

There is a large gift shop within the museum. There is no Café, and food/drink is not permitted in the museum.

The location of the museum is very convenient to the main hotels in Amman as it is only a 15-20 minute taxi ride.

Opening Hours: Every day except Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Entry Fee: 5 Jordanian Dinar ($7 USD) per person

Address: King Abdullah II Park, Amman, Jordan

Telephone: +962 4381881

Website: rtm.jo/en-us

The Republic of South Africa has a short history compared to the human presence in the region; it was formed in 1961 after enduring more than 4 centuries of European influence and foreign control. The military effects of that presence have led to many events that are well-known outside of South Africa- the Zulu Wars, the Second Boer War, and South Africa’s participation in both the First and Second World Wars. While the primarily English and Dutch (Boer) colonization had been ongoing over those centuries, the discovery of diamonds and gold in the mid-1800s had vastly increased the influence over what had previously been only a location-focused importance to those countries. South Africa rules over the seas that lead between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and proved its worth to the British during two World Wars.

The Museum is situated in Erlswold Way in the northern Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold adjacent to the Johannesburg Zoo and close to the recreational area of Zoo Lake. It takes a special trip to get there and that is well worth the time and effort. While the rich history of the region is covered in many ways, the primary displays that would be of interest to the readers of this magazine would probably begin with the Zulu Wars and the Second Boer War. The influence of South Africa in those World Wars is not to be understated.

There are some very interesting aircraft in the museum, as well as a large display area of cannon and howitzers. Our viewing was concentrated on the small arms. Since this issue of SADJ is being handed out at the AAD show, we hoped to give attendees an interesting museum to visit. One side benefit of visiting the museum, is that there is actually a store inside the main store, which has a collector’s corner of real historical items for sale. Usually all you can find are the current made collectables, but this author was able to purchase several historic medals. No national treasures are up for grabs or we would have offered on the “Pom-Poms” but it was certainly nice to have a military antiques dealer on premise.

The Ditsong Museum of Military History

The South African War Museum was opened in 1947 and underwent several name and control changes, and finally became part of the Ditsong Museums of South Africa in 2009.

Ditsong- National Museum of Military History
PO Box 52090
Saxonwold, 2132
Tel: +27 010 001 3515
www.ditsong.org.za/militaryhistory.htm

Right front view of one of the two Maxim “Pom-Poms” guarding the entryway.

Feed tray of a Maxim “Pom-Pom.”

1882-1904 uniform and gear used by South African forces.

1908-1937 display features the standby 1914 Lewis machine gun at bottom center.

Second Model FG-42 8mm (7.92x57mm) machine gun- the “Fallschirmjagergewehr,” an exceedingly rare German WWII machine gun for paratroops. Serial number is 02634.

View from the galleries section into the main area of cannon; in the front is a brass Maxim from Vickers Sons & Maxim Ltd; then an Austrian 07/12 Schwarzlose machine gun; and a Breda Model 30 machine gun on a rare light tripod.

ZPU-1 single mounted 14.5x114mm KPV machine gun.

1920-1950 semi-automatic and submachine gun display. Left column top to bottom: Model 1918/30 Beretta Gardone; Beretta Brescia Auto Carbine; Villar Perosa Semi-Automatic Carbine; Beretta MP38 SMG; Beretta MP38/42 SMG; Thompson M1A1 SMG. Right Column top to bottom: MP35 Bergman SMG; MP34 Bergman SMG; MP41 SMG; Vollmer Erma EMP SMG; Soviet PPSh-41 SMG.

1914-1945 Anti-Tank Rifles display, Top to Bottom: Mauser 1918 13.2mm “T-Gewehr” anti-tank rifle; Maroszek 35 anti-tank rifle; PzB 38/39 anti-tank rifle; Boys MK I .55 caliber anti-tank rifle.

In the beautiful countryside of northern England just a few miles from York, is the Yorkshire Air Museum.  Based on the former World War II Bomber Command Station of RAF Elvington, the Museum retains the authentic atmosphere of the period, with many fascinating exhibits housed in restored wartime buildings.

The Museum is a memorial to all the Allied aircrews of Bomber Command, including French, Canadian, Australian and other nationalities that served in the Elvington area.

The unique aspect of this Museum is that the entire facility is the Museum with 17 preserved buildings of a World War II base that operated bombing runs across the channel to the heart of Germany.  Each of the buildings contain exhibits pertaining to the people and operations that was home at Elvington.  Originally the home of 77 Squadron of Number 4 Bomber Group, the first operational aircraft were Handley Page Halifax four-engine bombers and took part in the Battle of the Ruhr and many other battles aimed at the destruction of German industry.

Turrets used by Air Gunners and Wireless Operator/Air Gunners in the RAF Bomber Command line one wall of the Air Gunners Memorial in Building 3 at the Yorkshire Air Museum.

During 1943, 77 Squadron alone suffered heavy losses, particularly against heavily defended Berlin.  By the end of the hostilities, the squadron had lost almost eighty Halifaxes, with over five hundred aircrew killed, missing or taken prisoner.  (The normal squadron strength was approximately twenty aircraft.)  In all, more than one hundred Halifaxes left on missions from Elvington during World War II, never to return.  Almost 900 air and ground crew members were killed or missing due to enemy action or accidents.

In 1944, 77 Squadron moved to another station and in May 1944, Elvington became host to the only base to be operated entirely by French personnel with the arrival of No. 346 (Guyennne) and No. 347 (Tunisie) Squadrons operating within No. 4 Group.

In October 1945, the French Squadrons left and in 1952 RAF Elvington was part of an expansion program with the US Strategic Air Command that included a new control tower and lengthening the main runway to accept the latest jet aircraft.  The base never became operational and was vacated in 1958 and in March 1992, RAF Elvington was closed.  The original air traffic control tower and adjacent buildings were derelict and overgrown.  The land and buildings were privately purchased and a band of devoted volunteers set to work to clear 40 years of undergrowth and to restore and upgrade the buildings to the way they were in 1944.  The Museum is privately financed and supported with no government, state or local authority funding.

Lewis Mk III Light Machine Gun. Introduced in 1918, it was the improved version of the standard infantry gun with a lightened and faster firing mechanism. This gun proved to be a useful stopgap until the introduction of the Vickers Gas Operated “K” gun and Browning machine guns in the mid 1930s.

RAF Elvington served as a base well past World War II and the present collection of aircraft at the museum encompasses pre-Second World War (9 aircraft), Second World War (9 aircraft) and post-World War II (24 aircraft).  The crown jewel in their collection includes an operational Handley Page Halifax II (III) (named Friday the 13th) as well as a De Havilland Mosquito NF.II.

Air Gunners Memorial
A truly unique aspect of the Yorkshire Air Museum is in building number 3.  This building is devoted to air gunners from the early World War I rear open cockpit planes that were armed with a Lewis gun with a 97-round drum magazine mounted on a Scarf Ring mount through the powered turret gunners of World War II.

The Air Gunners’ Collection is believed to be the only one of its type in the world and is dedicated to the memory of the tens of thousands of Air Gunners who lost their lives in World War II.

Nash and Thompson FN 150 Turret. Used on the Lancaster in the mid-upper position, it was operated by hydraulics. It was armed with two .303 cal. Browning Mk IIs and carried four 500-round boxes of ammunition within the turret. The gunsight used was the Mk IIIA or Mk IIIN reflector sight. The wood-capped arms extending beneath each gun are depression restrictors.

The Air Gunner’s tasks were complicated and hazardous and his life expectancy was appallingly short.  It could be as little as two weeks before a rear gunner on bomber operations could be expected to be shot down or killed.

The display at the Yorkshire Air Museum shows an array of weapons, turrets and air gunnery techniques used by these aircrew who played such an important part in the achievements of the RAF effort.

In the years prior to World War II, the Air Ministry wanted a more purpose designed gun and the Vickers Gas Operated “K” gun using a 100-round drum magazine was adopted and became standard issue for air gunners in the early years of the war.

With the introduction of enclosed turrets that were being developed by Boulton Paul, Frazer Nash and Bristol Aircraft, powered by hydraulic or electrical power supplied by the engines that enabled them to be rotated, the first of these power-operated turrets were fitted with a single .303 Lewis gun and installed in Boulton Paul Overstrand medium bombers and used between 1935 and 1938 by 101 Squadron.

Recovered from crash sites, these Brownings show the affects of their destiny. The fatality rate of Air Gunners and Wireless Operator/Air Gunners was extremely high.

As World War II began in 1939, mid-upper turrets were fitted to aircraft such as the Boulton Paul Defiant, Bristol Blenheim and Avro Anson.  Not long after, the twin-engined Whitley, Wellington and Hamdens were not only fitted with mid-upper turrets, but a rear turret and often a nose turret.  They were fitted with Browning Mk II machine guns in .303 caliber and installed in either banks of two or four guns.  The number of air gunner stations on aircraft increased as the fleet of four-engined bombers increased in 1942, initially again with the .303 caliber Mk II Brownings.  However, the .303 Mk II Browning’s weakness was its lack of range and German fighters, usually equipped with cannon, could easily outrange the Browning air gunners who had to wait until the enemy plane was within 400 yards before returning fire – a deadly time indeed as they would have been under fire from the German guns for several seconds before being able to respond.  Later in the war they were replaced with the much more effective .50 caliber Brownings.

The job of the air gunner required a highly trained and skilled individual.  Not only was he to defend his aircraft from enemy fighter attack but it required excellent night vision (as Bomber Command conducted bombing raids at night) and he had to be proficient with bullet trail, drift, range finding and harmonization in order to maximize fire power as well as be proficient in correcting stoppages (particularly while manning the turret and under fire) and understand fully how the turret functioned.

Nash and Thompson FN 121 Turret. Used on the Lancaster in the tail position, it was operated by hydraulics. Armed with four .303 cal. Browning Mk IIs, it carried a total of 10,000 rounds of ammunition with four 1,900 rounds carried in boxes in the fuselage and servo-fed to the guns.

Air Gunners (AG) and Wireless Operator/Air Gunners (WOP/AG) made up approximately half of the crew of an aircraft.  Bomber Command estimates that 125,000 aircrew served in the squadrons and the operational training and conversion units and approximately 73,000 were casualties of which 55,500 were fatalities.  The losses of AGs and WOP/AGs within this group would be 20-25,000.  It is also important to note that the RAF crew losses noted above apply only to Bomber Command in the European theater and do not include losses of Coastal Command, Transport Command, 2nd TAF, SEAC and the Mediterranean.  Thus, the loss figures would be substantially higher.  This Air Gunners Memorial in Building 3 pays homage to those intrepid gunners, the risks they took and the losses they incurred.

This World War II airfield with all its restored buildings and displays is a unique experience and well worth a visit should you be traveling in Northern England or visiting the Royal Armouries in nearby Leeds.  Also located on the grounds is a beautifully maintained Memorial Garden in memory of all the aircrew of the many nationalities that flew out of Elvington.  There is a small restaurant on premises as well as a gift shop.  Admission is £5 for adults, £4 for seniors and £3 for children (5-15).  Parking is free.  They are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (in winter, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) and closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day (the day after Christmas).  Directions to find the Yorkshire Air Museum are to take the York by-pass, take the Hull exit (A1079) and then an immediate right to Elvington (B1228).  The Museum is sign-posted on the right.

Armstrong Whitworth Turret. Manually operated, it was used on the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Avro Anson, Airspeed Oxford, AW29 and DH Don aircraft. It was armed with a single Lewis Mk II or Vickers “K” gun.

Yorkshire Air Museum
Halifax Way
Elvington, York  YO41 4AU
Phone: (01904) 608595
Fax: (01904) 608246
www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

There is one absolute “Must-See” military museum in the Jakarta area in regard to small arms.  It has amazing dioramas on the first floor, but once you find the basement full of small arms, and the back yard full of cannon, mortar, recoilless, vehicles and aircraft, it will be worth the trip.  The upper floor of carefully made dioramas showing important events in Indonesian military history is carefully displayed and well crafted.  The downstairs held a lot of surprises in that hundreds of small arms were on display.  We found examples of most of the common small arms of the pre- and World War II era, but there were many treasures of local origin or adaptation that have never been shown outside of Indonesia.  Heading back outside, there is a large cannon display with many historic pieces, and an aviation display as well.  If you are in Jakarta, it’s definitely worth a side trip to spend time in this museum.  The next IndoDefence Jakarta is scheduled for 10-13 November, 2010.  We at SADJ urge you to take some extra time and visit the museum.

Museum Satria Mandala 
(Armed Forces Museum)

14-16 Jalan Gatot Subroto
Kuningan Timur Village
Jakarta Pusat, 12710
Phone: +62 21 522 7949

A good photo review of this museum can be found at: www.aroengbinang.blogspot.com/2007/02/satria-mandala-museum.html.

In the basement of the museum were several rooms full of firearms. In this room, the tripod and wheel mounted 20mm and larger weapons were displayed. Note the Oerlikon 20mm on naval mount and the B-10 82mm recoilless in the center of the photo.

Part of the “assault rifle” section, left to right: Indonesian SP-2 in 7.62x51mm, HK G3 (Model 58 with collapsible stock) called a Popor Lipat, HK G3 (Model 58 with fixed stock) called a Popor Kayu, U.S. Model of 1918A2 BAR (no bipod) made by NE Small Arms, serial number 563945.

A Russian DShK 38/46 on wheeled mount with the armor sits next to a Yugoslav M55AB3 triple 20mm Hispano setup.

Russian DShK 38 on AA tripod in high position, showing the “humped” receiver top indicating the rotary drum feed. This is not the later DShK 38/46 or DShK M with the side-to-side feed shuttle action, and it uses a much earlier non-disintegrating metallic belt for feeding. The early twin circle sight, a crude yet very effective “computer” that allowed the assistant gunner to keep the gunner’s aim leading the target, is center.

Soviet era B-11 107mm recoilless rifle. This is the big brother to the more common B-10 82mm recoilless.

Very rare Italian Scotti .50 caliber machine gun on even rarer ground tripod.

Left to right: U.S. Model of 1928A1 Thompson submachine gun in .45 ACP, Australian Owen MK2 in 9x19mm with shortened solid wood buttstock, Australian Austen MK2 in 9x19mm with modified foregrip, U.S. Reising Model 50 submachine gun in .45 ACP.

Type 100 Japanese Aircraft twin barreled 7.7mm machine gun from 1940 series. (Could be in 7.92x57 – 8mm.)

Several vintage airplanes are exhibited outside the museum, including this well-armed B-25 medium bomber.

What many readers may not be fully aware of is the Knight commitment to preserving the history of modern small arms.  Mr. Knight has been involved not only in the design of many modern weapon systems, but he has devoted a significant amount of time, money, and energy into the study of these systems and expanding a reference library of these weapons and their development.

The Hall of Modern Arms started as a reference library of Stoner family weapons; AR-10, AR-15/M16 series, AR-18, Stoner 63, etc., but after 30-plus years of growth, it has become one of the finest collections in the world chronicling the weapons used by modern armies, and the development phases of these weapons. Here the crowd is guided through a section of WWI and WWII US weapons.

In recent years, what had been a personal passion that Mr. Knight shared with a few other like-minded individuals and used in his daily research, turned into a quest to put together what many are now calling the finest and most inclusive military small arms and vehicle collection in the United States.

Mr. Knight has always shared the knowledge and learning experiences with others, but in recent years the ability to acquire more collections of small arms, vehicles, tanks, and cannon had created such an overflow situation that the KAC facility was beginning to fill.  This inspired a new commitment to building the collection into a usable and sustainable museum, and in typical Knight fashion this would not be done in a half-hearted manner.

The Hall of Modern Arms is mutely guarded by 17th century suits of armor at its entrance.

Over the years it had become harder and harder to find qualified, trained people who would work in small arms because the US doesn’t really have any educational focus on these things.  It became increasingly evident to Mr. Knight that in order to fulfill his destiny of sharing the knowledge and pushing others to excel in theirs, he must form an educational entity.  Thus, the idea of the Institute of Military Technology was born.  The Institute had to be formed with open ends on the knowledge pool to work with, and the collection was honed to fill those requirements.  (For more information on the Institute, and how you can participate in this new American think-tank or make donations to help support this massive endeavor, go to www.instmiltech.com.

Once the final form of the Institute was put together, the ideas started to gel as to what the displays of the collection might look like.  Approximately six months before the SHOT Show of 2009 in Orlando Florida, Mr. Knight realized that this was the perfect opportunity to launch the Institute, and to share his vision with the small arms community.

Guests gather round to hear the presentation on the tank part of the collection.

Mr. Knight’s son, C. Reed Knight, III, “Trey” to his friends, was tasked with putting the vision of the Knight Museum together and making it a reality.  To add to the pressure, the SHOT Show was scheduled in nearby Orlando, Florida, for 2009.  In recent years, during the infrequent appearance of SHOT at Orlando, KAC would sponsor a wonderful party at their facility in Titusville and bus the invited attendees to and from the facility as well as feeding them a local Florida type meal, and giving them the grand tour of the collection.  What was becoming a tradition for Knight’s, now offered the opportunity to launch the public perception of the collection to a new level and it was up to Trey to oversee the new displays and expansion.

In all, over 30,000 square feet of display space was put into place in less than six months.  Friends and employees worked for months to get the tank and cannon displays organized, and the entire organization was in a frenzy to put their best foot forward in time for the SHOT Show attendees.

Guests in the Hall view the backlit section of US weapons from the World War II era. Visible immediately on the right (top to bottom): US M1A1 Thompson, US M1928A1 Thompson, US 1928 Colt Thompson with 100-round “C” drum, US M3A1 “Greasegun,” US M3 Greasegun, and US Model 55 Reising submachine gun.

When the launch day occurred, KAC and the new Institute of Military Technology had approximately 2,500 people show up.  They registered on-line and if pre-accepted by Knight’s, were organized into custom bus coaches that departed from the SHOT show to the facility, and they proceeded to show the collections and serve up a wonderful BBQ and had live music for entertainment.  The event was a tremendous success and will be talked about for years in the small arms community.  Of course, that was the point.  The Knight legacy is fast moving into place: a legacy of quality merchandise, responsiveness to the customer, support of the community, and the sharing and furtherance of knowledge in our small but essential community.  The Institute and the collection will help our martial history live on and to help new generations understand where their freedom came from.

A Knight Armament Company volunteer gives a guided tour of the collection to the guests.

The people who put this outstanding Florida shin-dig together were C. Reed Knight, Jr., C. Reed Knight, III, June Wetherbee (replacing Ginger Vossen Roberge during this time, as she was out on medical leave) as well as Bonnie Werner (who did a big part of coordinating and scheduling volunteers, etc.) plus a host of other people – approximately 100 volunteers (KAC personnel) that helped make this event a success.  Mr. Knight would like to thank them all for helping to make the event such a success.  There are some others who helped put this production on that deserve thanks: Joe McClain of the Historical Military Armor Museum who helped tremendously with the shipping in and organizing the tanks along with Gary Perry, VP of Quality for KAC.  Mr. Knight would also like to thank Daniel Mattozzi and Dave Hoerig for helping Joe McClain in getting the tanks moved in and ready for the Open House.

The museum was founded by Marshal Jozef Pilsudski in 1920.  In World War II, Hitler’s forces took control of the museum regarding it as a military institution and removed most of the contents.  The Waffen SS used the building as a warehouse.  In 1944 and 1945 the museum building suffered major damage from aerial bombing.

The Polish Army took possession of the plundered, partially ruined museum in 1945.  About three quarters of the exhibits taken by the Germans were restored to the collection.  Other contributions came from soldiers, private collectors, and from the donation of a major collection of weapons, uniforms and relics owned by the Polish Institute & Sikorski Museum in Great Britain.

Some of the larger crew served weapons on display in the outdoor exhibit area.

The two floors of the museum are divided into sixteen rooms with the first floor containing seven rooms.  These first floor rooms detail the history of:

Polish Soldiers in the Middle Ages 966-1497.  Exhibits of note include a cone-shaped gilded helmet from the 10th or 11th Century which probably belonged to a sovereign from the period of the first Polish rulers, a Gothic reliquary made in 1388 for the Teutonic district chief in Elblag, taken as a spoil of war during the battle of Grunwald in 1410 and a Gothic suit of armor of the 15th Century.

The Polish Army in Renaissance 1497-1576.  Exhibits of note include 16th Century two-handed swords, armor for rider and horse, parade shields and helmets.

The Period of the First Elected Kings.  Exhibits of note include a portrait and saber belonging to King Stephan Batory in the second half of the 16th Century and armor and equipment of the Husaria in the mid 17th Century.

Rare Vickers .50 caliber machine gun.

The Swedish Invasion of 1655 and the Wars with the Ottoman Empire 1648-1697.  Exhibits of note include the collection of late 17th century Husaria armor, the roof of the Turkish tent taken during the battle of Vienna in 1683 and equipment of “Pancerini” Polish cavalry of the late 17th Century.

The Saxon Era 1697-1763.  Exhibits of note include the Order of the White Eagle, founded in 1705, the first and the supreme Polish state order, oriental-style saddle used by Stanislaw Leszcynski during his election as the King of Poland and parade sabers of the first half of the 18th Century.

The Revival of the Nation and the Downfall of the State.  Exhibits of note include Polish uniforms from the second half of the 18th Century, Virtuti Militari Order, established in 1792, the supreme military order in Poland and a portrait and souvenirs of Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

The Napoleonic Era.  Exhibits of note are a saddle which may have belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte used during the Egyptian campaign, uniform of General Jan Henryk Dabrowski, commander of the Polish Legions in Italy (1797-1803) and uniforms of the First Regiment of Chevau Legers of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon.

A surprising find in the museum was this beautifully preserved 25-shot manually operated volley gun.

The November Insurrection 1830-1831.  Exhibits of note include the Polish General’s uniform belonging to Tsar Alexander I, painting of the Battle of Olszynka Grochowska and uniforms of the army of Congress Kingdom of Poland.

The second floor contains the remaining rooms of exhibits and displays and includes:

The Springtime of Nations (1848-1849) and the January Insurrection (1863-1864).  Exhibits of note are flags of partisans units from 1863 with arms of Poland, Lithuania and Ruthenia, dress of a Polish partisan from the 1863 January uprising and patriotic jewelry worn by Polish women.

Struggle for independence 1914-21.  Exhibits include a portrait of Pilsudski, uniforms of the Polish Legionaries and the uniform of General Haller, Commander of the Polish Army in France, and various weapons of the period.

Fights for Frontiers (1918-22).  Exhibits of note include the uniform of General Dowbór-Muśnicki, Commander of the Wielkopolska Army, badges from the Silesian uprising and the Bolsheviks’ standard from the battle of Warsaw.

Armed Forces of the Second Republic of Poland (1921-1939).  Exhibits include presentation sabers of the Polish Army, portrait and Marshal’s baton of Rydz-Śmigly, Polish weapons including the semiautomatic rifle M1936, Mors submachine gun M1939, Ur anti-tank gun and an Enigma enciphering machine.

Com-bloc 12.7mm DShK 38; note the rotary style feed cover.

Poland’s Military Contribution to the allied Victory in the Second World War.  The Polish Army in France exhibits include a portrait of General Sikorski, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces France in the West and uniforms of the Polish Army created in France; The Polish Air Force 1940-1945 with exhibits that include the flying suit and uniforms of Col. Falkowski, Commander of the Polish 303 Squadron; The Polish Navy 1939-1945 with exhibits of uniforms of the Polish Navy and equipment from Polish ships; 1st Polish Corps in Scotland with exhibits of the uniform of General Sikorski and uniforms of soldiers of the 1st Polish Corps; The Polish Army in the USSR with exhibits of a greatcoat and fur cap used by General Sikorski during his visit to the USSR and the first uniforms for Polish soldiers given by the Russian authorities; The 2nd Polish Corps with exhibits of uniforms of the Polish 10th Commandos Company, a uniform of a soldier of the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division and pieces of equipment recovered from the battlefield of Monte Cassino; Battles Involving Polish Soldiers in Western Europe 1944-1945 has uniforms of the 1st Armored Division commanded by General Maczek and a portrait and uniform of General Sosabowski; The Polish Army in the East has exhibits of uniforms and equipment of the 1st and 2nd Polish Armies in the USSR and captured German banners.

Polish BAR Model wz28, second model w/ MG08/15 style oversized buttstock.

The Polish Resistance Movement (1939-1945 and the Warsaw Uprising (1944).  Exhibits of note include the Sten and “Blyskawica” submachine guns made in an underground workshop in Warsaw, a catapult made from a car spring used during the Warsaw uprising, uniforms of insurgents and German Goliath.

The Museum of the Polish Army is one of the great military museums of the world making intellectual sense of their convoluted history.  Their logical display of Polish military historical artifacts as well as their collection of original artwork is stunning in its thoroughness.  Students of military history and devotees of all kinds of small arms will not be disappointed and is a wonderful way to discover Poland’s history through its military victories and defeats.  A visit to this museum while visiting Warsaw is a must.  Plan on spending a good part of the day there to fully absorb its content: it is well worth your while.  Unfortunately, while there is a color tour book available for purchase and all the displays have descriptive placards, none is in English.

The Museum is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Thursday through Sunday the hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Admission is about five US dollars but you must pay in Polish Zlotys; it will cost an additional three dollars to shoot photographs inside the museum.  Admission is free on Saturdays.

The Museum of the Polish Army
Aleje Jerozolimskie 3
Warsaw, Poland
Tel: 629 52 71
Email: muzeumwp@wp.mil.pl

Located in the center of Athens just several hundred yards from the Athens Hilton hotel is the Greek Ministry of Defense War Museum.  Opened in 1975, the museum’s mission is to gather, safeguard and display military artifacts and memorabilia of Greek history to reinforce the national memory and highlight the historic continuity and unity of Hellenism.

The outdoor exhibits feature a fine display of a number of howitzer light field guns, anti-aircraft and mountain artillery pieces from different periods used by the Greeks, or their war booty.  These include a French 47mm M1937 Puteaux, Bofors Mk I Rapid Fire 40mm AA gun, Hotchkiss 25mm M1938 light AA gun and two unique armored metal horse drawn carriages each armed with a Krupp-Schuman Model 1899 57mm gun.  These carriages were used by the Central Powers during World War I and are spoils of the Hellenic army from the Bulgarian army in 1918.  Also on display are some aircraft used by the Hellenic Air Force that include a replica 1912 H. Harman, Bell helicopter OH-13S, F-5A, F-104, F-84F, T6-G Harvard and F-86D.  Guarding the entrance to the museum building is a British 40mm Model 1940 Pom-Pom gun used by the Greek Navy in World War II.

Inside the museum, the first floor is dedicated in twelve specially laid out halls devoted to antiquity, the Alexander Years, Byzantium, Latin and Turkish rule, the National Uprising, the Greek War of Independence in 1821 and the New Hellenic State.  The exhibits display the arms and armor of these periods and include pikes, spears, swords, cross bows, daggers, armor and early European rifles and pistols.

The mezzanine level is dedicated to the action and contribution of the Greeks to the success of allied operations against the Axis forces during World War II including Sacred Company, El Alamein, Rimini in North Africa and Middle East, Italy, the Aegean Islands and the coast of Normandy.  The Occupation, Resistance and Liberation of Greece complete the section on World War II.  There is a separate section on the mezzanine that highlights the contributions of Greece to the United Nations mission to Korea.

Weapons on exhibit on the mezzanine level are displayed both openly and in enclosed glass display cases with placards identifying the weapons in both Greek and English.  Mannequins in various uniforms add to the well thought-out displays.  While the display of heavy machine guns, light machine guns, submachine guns, rifles, bayonets, pistols, grenades and mortars are highlighted, they of the common WWII variants; but they are well represented by the United States, Britain, French, Italian, Czech and German origins as used and encountered during World War II.

The museum is housed in a purpose built building and is well thought out in its layout and displays.  If visiting Athens, it is time well spent to visit this museum.  The museum is located at the corner of Vassilissis Sophias Avenue and 2 Rizari streets in the center of Athens.  The museum is open weekdays except Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Admission is free.

Be sure to make arrangements to visit the museum during the next Defendory International show in Athens, Greece, October 2010.

A nice representation of selected artillery pieces embellish the terrace level of the Greek war museum.

A Russian DP, Browning M1919A6 and M191A4 surround a flame thrower – all used by the Greek army.

Along the mezzanine level hallway are two examples of early French machine guns used by the Greek army: the Hotchkiss Model 1914 and St. Etienne Model 1907.

British 40mm Model 1940 Pom-Pom gun used by the Greek Navy in World War II stands guard at the entrance to the Ministry of Defense War Museum.

Armored metal horse drawn carriage armed with a Krupp-Schuman Model 1899 57mm gun. Used by the Central Powers during World War I, they are spoils of the Hellenic army from the Bulgarian army in 1918.

Skarżysko-Kamienna is a relatively young city receiving its city charter in 1923, yet a settlement has existed in the Kamienna river valley since prehistoric times due to the ore-rich region in which it is located.  Steel mills prospered in the region and the State Ammunition Factory, as well as many other defense related industries after World War II, are located in the city.  It was here where Polish squads ordered by Józef Piłsudski fought during World War I.  In 1939, the Polish Army defended the area from the German invasion and legendary commander Major Henryk Dobrzański “Hubal” undertook his heroic battle against the Nazi aggressors.

The museum is housed in a renovated steelworks administration building originally built in 1836-1838.  The museum was organized by the Society of Skarżysko-Kamienna Amateurs as the Community Municipal Museum in 1969.  In 1982, management of the museum was taken over by the local government and was then called the General Zygmunt Berling Memorial Museum.  In 1991, the name was changed to its present name – the purpose of this name change to commemorate the heroism and commitment of the members of the White Eagle resistance organization who were shot in 1940 during mass executions in the Bór and Brzask districts.  The White Eagle Museum now has one of the largest military equipment collections in Poland.

There a number of permanent exhibits connected with the Defense War that took place in September 1939 with weapons, equipment and uniforms of soldiers of the Polish Army, military badges and personal documents.  Among the many interesting items is a Polish anti-tank rifle (kb. Ur M1935), Polish Vis pistols, Polish BARs Model 28, Polish Browning Model 30 machine guns and Sten-type submachine guns produced locally for the underground.

Soviet rocket launcher nicknamed Katyusha (Little Katy) after a popular song of the time.

One exhibit is committed to the extermination of citizens of Skarżysko-Kamienna and the people who lived in the surrounding area.  It is worth mentioning that the Skarżysko-Kamienna community incurred huge fatalities during the German occupation.  In February, 1940 independent “White Eagle” organizations working for the underground were discovered and broken.  In June, 1940 over 1,200 people connected with this organization were killed in massive executions.  Moreover, the State Ammunition Factory was taken over by the German armaments concern “Hasag” and a labor camp was established.  Prisoners massively died as a result of hard work in inhumane conditions.  This exhibit illustrates these tragic events and one can find a rich histo-graphic documentation that include many documents, victims’ personal memorabilia of terror, letters from concentration camps, letters smuggled from prisons, numerous photos and orders of occupation authorities.

Another exhibit shows the development and activity of conspiracy and partisan troops in the region that include original documents of individual structures used by the underground as command, instructions, reports, secret newspapers, soldiers documents and well as a rich collection of different weapons and equipment of guerrilla warfare.  There are Polish and German weapons, guns from the allies, as well as home-made weaponry consisting of mines and grenades and the British Sten-type submachine gun.

Soviet PTRD 1941 anti-tank rifle, DP 28, a battlefield recovered DT and a restored DT.

Exhibits continue post World War II with the Russian occupation containing Soviet weapons such as the PPSh 41, PPS 43, DP 28, rare belt fed RP 46, SG 43, etc., and then as a member of the Warsaw Pact with armament of the People’s Polish Army with AKMs, AKMSs, RPGs, etc.

A significant section of the museum, and its main attraction for tourists, is the open-air exhibit.  Here is displayed one of the largest collections in Poland of heavy weapons with over 100 examples of large military hardware.  Thanks to cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense and the Polish Army, many kinds of historic heavy armament have been assembled that include: artillery guns, anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft weapons, missile launchers (S-2), German tanks, Russian T-34s, aircraft such as MIG 21s, SU-7 bomber and Ił-14, armored vehicles and military vehicles of many different types.  Also included is a unique exhibit in all of Poland: the ORP “Odważny” (the Brave) motor torpedo boat.  Made in Poland according to a Polish technical design, this Type 664 motor torpedo boat is one of seven boats built and the only one that remains.

DShK Model 1938.

The museum has as one of its principal tasks, the collecting of material relics from the Second World War that include a German self-propelled tank destroyer (Sturmgeschütz IV); one of the two such vehicles preserved in the world.  There is also a hull of a German tank Pz Kpfw IV and a part of the self-propelled gun StuH 42 that are being renovated.

The White Eagle Museum is a bit off the beaten path but absolutely well worth the visit.  The rich military history of the constantly contested region is well presented as is its many exhibits of weaponry and artifacts.  Located approximately 40 kilometers from Radom and 140 kilometers from Warsaw, it is 500 meters from the E7 road and buses number 3, 7, 19 and 20 are available from the railway station.  The White Eagle Museum is open every day from 8 a.m. to dusk.  Adult admission is 6 PL (about US $3).

The White Eagle Museum
90 Słoneczna Street
26-110 Skarżysko-Kamienna, Poland
Tel/Fax: (+48 41) 253 13 31