Here is a picture of part of the front of the George Bush wing:
So that I can stay as "on topic" as possible, here is a picture of the only Thompson on exhibit at the museum. I believe there may have been another in the Nimitz part of the museum, but it is under renovation at the moment. The M1 in this picture is part of a Saipan exhibit, along with a Japanese Type 97 grenade, and a pair of children's slippers found on the beach where the invasion took place.
I'm not going to post every picture as an active picture in this thread, but if you would like to continue on, I have provided links to see many more interesting weapons and artifacts from the museum.
This picture is of a gun sight from the #3 gun on the USS Ward. This sight was on the gun that fired the first shot of World War II on December 7, 1941, when a Japanese submarine was spotted off the coast of Oahu, and fired upon.
http://www.sturmgewe...ard_Gunsite.JPG
This photo contains a flight jacket and M1911 pistol from one of the pilots that participated in the Doolittle B-25 raid on Tokyo. I was very honored and privileged to have met General Doolittle in 1982, along with over 100 other Medal of Honor recipients who were alive at that time. As a Boy Scout in Honolulu, Hawaii, our scoutmaster's wife was head of the Chamber of Commerce, and arranged for our troop to greet incoming Medal of Honor recipients who were attending their convention that takes place every 2 years. Our job was to meet them at their planes at the airport, get their bags collected, and make sure they got to their transportation to Waikiki. I also met Pappy Boyington and Joe Foss, and many others who left quite an impression on me.
http://www.sturmgewe..._Raid_Items.JPG
Here is a picture of a piece of the life raft that George Bush Sr. used after being shot down in 1944.
http://www.sturmgewe...h_Life_Raft.JPG
A portrait of George Bush Sr. that hangs in the entryway to the museum:
http://www.sturmgewe...sh_Portrait.JPG
Admiral Nimitz apparently used to like to take out his frustrations by shooting "hundreds" of rounds in evening target practice with this suppressed .22 pistol that is on display. It looks like a High Standard of some sort, but it has an exposed hammer. I have not tried to identify the exact model, but someone here may be familiar with it. The pith helmet and radio also belonged to Admiral Nimitz.
http://www.sturmgewe...mitz_Pistol.JPG
Several other small arms on display:
http://www.sturmgewe.../Nimitz/BAR.jpg
http://www.sturmgewe...Nimitz/DP28.JPG
http://www.sturmgewe...Type_11_LMG.jpg
http://www.sturmgewe...hnson_Rifle.jpg
http://www.sturmgewe...3_Greasegun.JPG
http://www.sturmgewe...tz/Owen_SMG.jpg
http://www.sturmgewe...panese_M100.JPG
Bazooka and Flamethrower:
http://www.sturmgewe...ker_Busters.JPG
I found these two paper items on display to be very interesting. The magazine in the background shows a picture of a girlfriend back home who is writing her sweetheart to thank him for the Japanese skull he sent her as a token of his affection. In front of the magazine is a "Japanese Hunting License." It states the following:
"Japanese Hunting License, Good from 7 December 1941 Until Their Rising Sun Goes Down
This certifies that ________ , private first class, U.S. Marine Corps, having this date qualified as Marksman with the M-1 Rifle, is hereby authorized to observe open season on all Japanese wherever contacted, be it on land, sea, or in the air. The use of additional G.I. or personal weapons is permitted. Fists or feet are not barred during this hunting season. This license carries no bag limit, and may be used to good advantage during the blackout hours.
Hot Lead Leaves Them Dead"
http://www.sturmgewe...ing_License.JPG
This Japanese 20MM gun landed at the feet of a sailor, wounding his leg, and sent him to the hospital for several months. This all happened as the kamikaze plane that contained the weapon hit a U.S. ship.
http://www.sturmgewe...mikaze_20MM.JPG
A new addition to the museum is a Japanese dual purpose 3-inch Naval gun, and an M-3 Stuart tank from U.S. lend-lease to the Australian Army. The cannon on display is apparently the cannon that fired upon the Stuart tank in New Guinea, killing 2 crew members, and wounding another.
M-3 Stuart Tank:
http://www.sturmgewe...z/M3_Stuart.JPG
Caption from Stuart Tank:
http://www.sturmgewe...art_Caption.JPG
Japanese 3" Dual Purpose Naval Gun:
http://www.sturmgewe...nese_Cannon.JPG
A British 5-lb gun, and a U.S. 75MM gun:
http://www.sturmgewe..._US_Cannons.JPG
The museum boasts a Japanese Midget Submarine, a B-25, and a Hellcat that was recovered from the bottom of a lake in Michigan, I believe, and is now on display as part of an island aircraft maintenance display. Here are some shots I took. They were a little dark due to the nighttime themes in the museum, so I had to brighten them up slightly in Photoshop.
http://www.sturmgewe.../Nimitz/B25.JPG
http://www.sturmgewe...Maintenance.jpg
http://www.sturmgewe...aintenance2.jpg
The museum has one of the first U.S. guided missiles, which was radar guided, and used successfully in World War II against a Japanese ship. They were launched from the wings of B-25's, I believe. Here is a picture of it:
http://www.sturmgewe...ded_Missile.JPG
This is a hatch from a very successful torpedo tube that received credit for sinking 8 1/2 Japanese merchant vessels, and 1 Japanese military vessel.
http://www.sturmgewe...rpedo_Hatch.JPG
The museum has another section about 2 blocks away that is called the "Pacific Combat Zone." This is an area where re-enactments are held, and some more displays have been put together.
http://www.sturmgewe...Combat_Zone.JPG
It has one of 6 remaining PT boats on display. PT-309 has 2 sets of dual mounted .50 caliber aircraft MG's, a 20MM Oerlikon, and a 40MM Bofors cannon mounted on the rear. It also has torpedoes and depth charges. Here are some pictures:
http://www.sturmgewe...itz/PT309-1.JPG
http://www.sturmgewe...itz/PT309-2.JPG
This rare Japanese tank was rescued from a U.S. Military target range. It has been restored, and you can see a few holes it it from target practice.
http://www.sturmgewe...panese_Tank.JPG
http://www.sturmgewe...anese_Tank2.JPG
Japanese 105MM Howitzer:
http://www.sturmgewe...anese_105mm.JPG
LST Landing Craft:
http://www.sturmgewe.../Nimitz/LST.JPG
U.S. M2 105MM Howitzer:
http://www.sturmgewe...tz/M2_105mm.JPG
This part of the museum also has a Grumman Avenger, which was the type of plane that George Bush Sr. flew in combat.
http://www.sturmgewe...itz/Avenger.JPG
I hope you enjoy the pictures. The trip is certainly worth it to anyone within range of the museum, and might even entice someone to make a road trip to Texas. Re-enactments are often scheduled at the Pacific Combat Zone. This coming weekend, the museum features an "Island Assault" on a "Japanese" pillbox with a flamethrower.
Flags at entrance:
http://www.sturmgewe...imitz/Flags.JPG
If people like this post, I may do a "Thompson Tour of Texas," and post as many pictures of Thompsons on display around here that I can find. I went to the Museum of Texas Military Forces recently, but forgot to put the card back in my digital camera, so I'll have to go back. I might also go to the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco, where there is supposed to be a 1921 Thompson on display.
Enjoy!
David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com