Museum director opens Eisenhower's B-25

  • Published
  • By Airman Corey Hook
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's North American B-25 Mitchell personal transport during World War II, preserved for decades at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum, was opened May 21 to catalog the contents for historical reference.

"It isn't far-fetched that General Eisenhower used this B-25 during the Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944 (D-Day)," said Tech. Sgt. Steven Wilson, South Dakota Air and Space Museum director. "General Eisenhower's movements were most likely a highly-guarded secret, making it tough to have facts on where the aircraft was during the invasion."

General Eisenhower's plane and others are on loan as part of the United States Air Force Heritage Program from the National Museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

"The idea behind opening Eisenhower's plane was motivated by recent findings in the museum archives; eventually all the planes will be opened, searched and documented," Sergeant Wilson said.

A 1980 air show sticker found in the plane could indicate the plane was possibly opened in 1980, but the last opening of the plane is unknown. No historic items were found in the plane May 21, but the inside was well-preserved.

Although the B-25 heralded no artifacts, the museum has recently discovered other artifacts of note.

The latest items found in the archives at the museum include rare World War II-era Japanese flags, a book involving the Nazi Propaganda movement before the invasion of Poland in 1939, a detailed scrapbook containing flight logs (which includes documentation of D-day), some old flight suits and many Ellsworth-related black and white photos.

"I try to spend an hour a day searching through items in the archives and researching a background on them," Sergeant Wilson said. This has led to the recent discoveries.

An estimated 21 to 25 percent of items in the archives have been searched so far, leaving the possibility for other items to be discovered.

The museum has scheduled a unique display to mark the 64th anniversary of D-Day June 6. The museum will allow, for the first time, public viewing of several artifacts from D-Day and the World War II era.

For more information about this event or the South Dakota Air and Space Museum in general, call (605) 385-5188.