National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force facts for kids
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| Established | 14 May 1996 |
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| Location | 175 Bourne Avenue Pooler, Georgia |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Founder | Major General Lewis E. Lyle |
The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is a special place in Pooler, Georgia, near Savannah. It's a non-profit museum that teaches people about the brave history of the Eighth Air Force. This was a group of American airmen who flew planes during World War II in Europe. The museum uses cool exhibits, real artifacts, and amazing stories to share their history.
You can see many cool things from World War II here! There's a huge B-17 Flying Fortress bomber that you can watch being fixed up. There's also a model of a Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighter plane and a smaller model of a P-51 Mustang fighter. Outside, you'll find even more planes like the B-47 Stratojet, MiG-17, and F-4 Phantom II. These planes are from the time after World War II, called the Cold War.
The Museum's Story
Planning for this amazing museum started way back in 1983. After thirteen years of hard work, the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum opened its doors on May 14, 1996.
In 2003, the state of Georgia officially named the museum as its center for character education. This means the museum helps teach important values. In January 2009, the museum received a special B-17 Flying Fortress project from the National Air and Space Museum. Then, in February 2011, a fire truck that was used at Hunter Army Airfield during World War II was given to the museum.
The museum changed its name to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in March 2013.
In February 2024, the museum started building a new 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) expansion. In June 2025, the museum shared exciting news: it would be getting a B-24 bomber from the Barksdale Global Power Museum. A 1902 German boxcar also arrived at the museum in August 2025. This type of boxcar was used to transport American prisoners of war during World War II.
What You Can Explore
The museum has several interesting areas for visitors:
- Major General Lewis E. Lyle Rotunda
- Colonial Group, Inc. Art Gallery
- Miss Sophie's Restaurant
- Museum Gift Store
- Memorial Garden
Aircraft You Can See
Here are some of the amazing aircraft on display at the museum:
- Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
- Boeing NTB-47B Stratojet
- Boeing-Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet
- McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
Images for kids
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F-4 Phantom II in front of the museum
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MiG-17 in front of the museum
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Boeing B-47
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B-17 being restored
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Tail of B-17 being restored
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B-17 tail view
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B-24 nose art
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The B-47 before being repainted
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Strategic Air Command logo on the B-47
More to Learn
- List of aerospace museums
