Weathering the Storm – December 1941 to February 1943

This gallery examines America’s entry into the war and the role of airpower in the struggle to confront enemy advances in both the Pacific and European theaters.  Visitors learn about the superiority of Japanese and German aviation technology at the outset of the war, and America’s efforts to overcome that challenge.

Key events in this gallery include the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, America’s strategic approach to a war on two fronts, the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway, the invasion of North Africa, and the feedback loop from the battle front that led to the development of new aircraft designs and aerial combat tactics.

Weathering the Storm is the story of America’s resilience as it faced the technological superiority of the Japanese and German air forces, and how it leveraged its design and production capacity to close the technology gap.