National WWI Museum in Kansas City

While Susan remained behind in the motorhome, I drove into Kansas City to see the National World War I Museum. It is quite a place.

There's a 30 story high memorial tower beside this entrance and an additional memorial building on the plaza above the entry. This museum began shortly after the war when citizens of Kansas City built a memorial to remember the fallen Kansans. The museum has grown in size over the years.

The collection is a multimedia presentation of the events leading up to the war and the history of the war itself. It covers the war from the beginning before the United States entered the war until the armistice in November 1918.

There are exhibits of uniforms, equipment, light weapons, cannons, aircraft, and dioramas of the living and fighting conditions on the western front. I cannot imagine how these people functioned and lived under such horrendous conditions in the trenches and dugouts on the western front. They died by the millions on both sides.

It was a very powerful and sobering experience to go through the museum.



The is a pair of cannons. They were pulled by horses and manhandled by the soldiers in the mud and muck.

I think the cannons on the right are German and Austrian; and the cannon and mortar below are French and British.

The flying machine DH2 was used early in the war by the British Flying Corp. They were easy meat for the German fighter pilots.

The tank is the famous French Rennault. It was used by the allies, especially the American forces and made famous by (then) Captain George Patton.

The collection of WWI propaganda and recruiting material from both sides is outstanding!

The most humbling room for me is the memorial to the fallen Kansans. The artwork is allegorical and beautifully executed murals. The personal artifacts attest that we are honoring real people.

This is a great museum. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in the Great War. It is as good as any I've seen including the Imperial War Museum in London.