Registry of exhibits
WW2 machines and instruments, rebuilt in 3D
Each exhibit is an interactive model that is meticulously reconstructed from manuals, drawings, and a vast collection of reference materials.
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Cipher machine
Enigma machine
An electromechanical cipher machine used to encrypt German military communications. Its rotors and plugboard changed the electrical path for each letter.
enigma.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Fighter planes
Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
A lightweight, carrier-based fighter built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Zero combined long range and maneuverability in a compact airframe.
mitsubishi.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Heavy bomber
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
A four-engine American bomber used for long-range daylight bombing. Its crew operated the aircraft, navigated to targets and defended it with machine guns.
boeing.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Gyro-stabilized bombsight
Norden bombsight
An optical bombsight used in American bombers to calculate when to release their bombs. Gyroscopes stabilized the sight while a mechanical computer accounted for altitude, speed and drift.
norden.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Military utility vehicle
U.S. Army jeep
A compact four-wheel-drive vehicle used for transport, reconnaissance and light towing. Bantam’s prototype helped establish the design that became the wartime jeep.
bantam.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Gear hobbing machine
Pfauter gear hobbing machine
A machine tool that cuts gear teeth by turning a toothed cutter and a gear blank together. Machines like the Pfauter No. 00 made the gears used in vehicles and industrial equipment.
pfauter.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Crawler tractors
Caterpillar tractors
Diesel tractors that run on continuous tracks for traction on rough ground. They cleared land, built roads and airfields, and towed heavy equipment during the war.
caterpillar.ww2.design
Use arrow keys to rotate the model, Home to reset, or Enter to open the exhibit. On touch screens, drag sideways to rotate or tap to open.Codebreaking machine
The British Bombe
An electromechanical machine that tested possible Enigma settings. Used at Bletchley Park, it helped codebreakers recover the keys needed to read German messages.
bombe.ww2.design