The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world. The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing is a two-story gallery that highlights the stories of courage, dedication, heroism and the triumph of the human spirit of those involved in fighter aviation in World War I and World War II. The second story of this wing looks at World War I. World War I—“The Great War”—established airplanes as an important part of modern warfare. For the first time in history, combatants took to the skies over the battlefield and their presence changed military strategy forever. Shown below is some of the World War I memorabilia which was on display.
Shown above is a leather flying coat and a leather flying helmet.
Posters
In the era prior to the internet’s social media, posters were used to recruit soldiers, promote the war effort, and as mechanisms of propaganda.
The Trenches
While World War I—the Great War—was the first war in which airplanes played in important role, it was also a war characterized by trench warfare and the use of gas.
More from the Museum of Flight
Museum of Flight: Some classic jet passenger planes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War II carrier-based airplanes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: Some classic passenger planes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: The Boeing 747 Prototype (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: Jet fighters of the 1950s (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: Building early airplanes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War I German airplanes (photo diary)
