Imperial War Museum at Duxford
Background on the Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum at Duxford stretches across seven different buildings alongside a runway. It was built during the World War I, used by the Royal Air Force, and later played a significant role in World War II, specifically, in the Battle of Britain. After World War II, it was used as an American base for two years, and, in 1969, the base was handed to the Imperial War Museum.
The American Air Museum, located on the western end of the base, boasts the largest collection of US aircraft outside of America. Aircraft on display include the U2-C Spy Plane, the Stealth-SR-71A Blackbird, and the B-52D. The Land Warfare Hall, which also sits on the Western end of the base, displays an impressive collection of military tanks, artillery, and other military land vehicles.
Several other hangars display British and American aircraft. There also is a maritime exhibit, including a miniature submarine, and one building dedicated to the restoration and conservation of aircraft where visitors can see ongoing restoration projects taking place.
The Battle of Britain Operations Room exhibit closely tied in with our coursework. This exhibit displayed the command center where radio operators and commanders made strategic decisions during the Battle of Britain. There were several posters which emphasized the importance of proper protocols when using radio communications. One poster read "Don't Help The Enemy! Careless talk may give away vital secrets."
Why did we go there?
Being able to touch a piece of the Berlin Wall was an amazing experience. It really caught me off guard how much it moved me.
Visiting this museum gave us a better understanding of war outside of cryptography. Information cards accompanied most items in the exhibits. Stories of competition and secrecy between countries mirrored the lectures provided by Dr. Robert Himmer, associate professor of history, about historical events in cryptography. For example, we were able to see first-hand that Iraq made excellent use of steganography when it sneaked the largest gun ever made into the country by declaring the massive barrel pieces as oil pipes.
We also were able to look at some of the spy planes used to gather intelligence and were able to observe older aircraft in the British Aircraft Collection. For example, an RE8, an experimental reconnaissance plane introduced in 1916, was on display. In the American Air Museum we got a look at the U-2. This plane was used for many reconnaissance missions, including the mission that discovered the Soviet long-range missle deployments in Cuba.
Seeing pictures of the aircraft on our computers during class just didn't compare to seeing the real thing. The trip was an excellent supplement to Dr. Himmer's lectures and made learning about historical events in cryptography even more interesting.
- Eric Carr and Allen Na
