"Go to It!"--Day 57

That was one of the phrases that British WWII posters used to encourage British citizens to get involved in the war effort. Amanda and I had a very productive visit to the Imperial War Museum this afternoon, and, like I predicted, after seeing the artifacts at the museum, I know that my dad would love it. We logically started with the main level, which houses many examples of French, German, Russian, and British war machinery, including tanks, cannons, airplanes, and submarines. For class, we had to specifically focus on the World War I British tanks and compare them with the World War II German and Russian tanks. The British tanks are by far the least efficient. They are big and bulky and were prone to damage because of the tire treads that circled the whole tank on either side. If they got stuck in ditches, they were pretty much done for. Not only that, but the nozzle of the gun is located on the side of the machine, and it is fairly small. It is hard to imagine that the machine did much damage, especially since it must have taken awhile to get the tank into position to fire in the first place (not to mention actually doing any damage to the enemy with the small gun).

The Russian tank had a more practical design. The tire treads ran around a set of wheels on each side instead of all the way to the top of the machine. I noticed that there were two sets of wheels inside the treads, with the second row directly behind the first row. In addition, the cockpit looked like it could rotate for increased range of shot, and the nozzle of the gun was much bigger (and I'm sure it did way more damage). However, the German model was probably the most efficient. It had tire treads similar to those of the Russian tank, but the wheels inside the treads were staggered instead of one right behind the other, which I'm sure gave the tank more stability. The nozzle of the gun was similarly-sized, so I'm guessing it was able to do just as much damage. The cockpit was set low within the machine, which must increase stability and safety for the gunman. Finally, the German tank used diesel instead of coal or steam, so it was able to travel further distances.

Next, we took a look at the German V1 flying bomb and the V2 rocket. The V1 flying bomb was also called a "doodlebug," and it was notorious for sputtering through the sky, running out of gas without warning, and then dropping down on unsuspecting citizens below. As you can probably tell from the picture, the V2 was absolutely enormous. It used alcohol fuel in its combustion chamber, so I assume that the damage was pretty great. Reading about these incredible weapons was one thing, but seeing them in person helped me understand so much better how destructive they could be and how innovative the German engineers were.

This was seriously so much bigger than I expected it to be (the V2).

 On the main level is also a small display to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The museum has a piece of twisted steel from one of the windows of the North Tower, and it was really interesting and significant to see. Amanda and I thought, "We should probably look at this because this is our history." So, you can see a little bit of history yourself:

Then, we went up a small flight of stairs to the mezzanine level, which contained the little boat "Tamzine" used in the evacuation of British and French soldiers from Dunkirk. If you didn't already know, the German army had surrounded the troops at the port of Dunkirk, including notably the British Expeditionary Force. In an operation nicknamed "Dynamo" both British and French troops stationed in Dunkirk were evacuated across the English Channel in small vessels like Tamzine. What is so surprising about Tamzine is that it is an unassuming, very low-tech little wooden boat that had a big job to do in the war. Over 300,000 British and French soldiers were saved by their evacuation from Dunkirk.

Our next stop was the John Singer Sargeant room to find his painting Gassed, which depicts two groups of blindfolded soldiers being led to a medical tent by orderlies as their comrades lie also blinded and suffering on the ground. An interesting feature is the group of people playing some sort of game with a ball in the background, like they don't even notice or care about the pain going on right in front of them. These soldiers had obviously been subjected to mustard gas, which actually causes only temporary blindness (as well as vomiting and headaches). Amanda intelligently pointed out that the painting stands for being "blindly" led into war. I think it is more generally about the suffering of war and the nonchalance that people who have been around war too long inevitably adopt.

Afterward, we wandered down to the basement to watch a video of blitzkrieg and look at British WWII propaganda posters. We also saw some very powerful photos with accompanying quotes that generally illustrated how war is part of the human condition. In a poignant move, the Imperial War Museum has installed a clock in the basement gallery that charts the number of war dead from the beginning of the 20th century to now. The plaque near the clock states that an average of two people die in combat every minute. We were asked to ponder the significance of this clock, and I think that it shows the staggering number of lives that have been destroyed by war and also reprimands people who think of war casualties as numbers instead of real people with families and friends who are severely affected by their loved ones' injuries or deaths.

After we finished looking at the things we were required to by our history professor, we decided to check out the Holocaust gallery on the third floor. I felt like I was pretty much obligated to see it. It is such a dark and important part of the world's history. As I expected, the experience was extremely sobering and even put me in quite the melancholy mood. The gallery has your usual run-of-the-mill information about Hitler, the Nazis, eugenics, and the like, but I think that the Imperial War Museum has a done a good job of picking very emotionally-affecting images and videos because I was overwhelmed by the sheer evilness of the Nazis ideas and practices. In addition, it has a very haunting model of Auschwitz, the likes of which I have never seen. The model is stark-white, which is very fitting considering the bone-chilling things that went on there as well as the "winter" it imposed on those who were imprisoned there (by way of death and suffering).

On our way out of the building, we were instructed to look at the inscription in Latin above the doorway, which states "Hen VIII Rege Fundatum Civium Largitas Perfecit," which is roughly translated as "The King Henry VIII Foundation for the Achievement of the Bounty of the Citizens" or, in less wordy language, "for the Health of the Citizens." That means that the building was once a hospital--Bethlehem Hospital, to be exact. That was really cool to find out!

We spent a little less than two-and-a-half hours at the museum, and I think we hit most of the major things there. I definitely have a better understanding of the UK in World War II as well as a deeper understanding of the Holocaust. I just cannot believe how the Nazis could treat people like that! It definitely convinced me that I need to start truly loving my neighbors.

I am so looking forward to tomorrow because we are going to Brighton for the day! I really hope that we have nice weather because I am so excited for the seaside and Jane Austen country! A lot of students are traveling this weekend, so only 17 of us are signed up for the trip. It should be a pretty intimate and fun group. We get the whole coach bus to ourselves. :) I feel like the sea air will do me some good (it will be so nice to get away from smoke-filled, sometimes-smelly London), and I really think that I'll get some good pictures out of it. We will be seeing the Royal Pavilion and will have some down time to explore the shops and the general area on our own. Ooh, I can't wait! Until then... :)