Permanent

IWM London

Free exhibition

Explore key moments of the Second World War through people’s lives and the objects on display. Discover the role of strategic bombing and the fighting fronts in Russia and Africa, through to the D-Day landings.

War on the way

Trunk belonging to Leonard and Clara Wohl
Trunk belonging to Leonard and Clara Wohl © EPH (2472)

Facing growing persecution as Jews, Leonhard and Clara Wohl felt they had to get out of Germany. Their daughters had already reached Britain safely.

In the summer of 1939 the Wohls booked tickets to Chile, sending their belongings ahead, some in this trunk. Two weeks before they hoped to leave war broke out, trapping them in Germany and the couple later died in Auschwitz. Only their belongings survived, reaching their daughters in Britain in 1947.

This is one of many personal stories and objects on display in Turning Points.

War in the Pacific

Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter plane on display in the Turning Points gallery
Mitsubishi Zero A6M3 fighter © IWM (2010.220.2)

The Mitsubishi A6M fighter (the Zero) was flown by the Imperial Japanese Navy and feared by Allied pilots early in the war. 

Badly damaged in 1943 during combat over the remote Marshall Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, it was left a decaying wreck until found 50 years after the end of the Second World War.

Under the suffocating cover of the tropical jungle, large pieces of the Zero disappeared. But what survived offers tantalising clues of its vanished history: a British bullet lodged in the fuselage and a dried Lotus flower, carried by Japanese pilots for luck.


Don’t miss the newly installed Japanese Okha Kamikaze aircraft in Witnesses to War.

The Second World War

Three Grumman Avengers flying over the battleship HMS KING GEORGE V and other units of the British Pacific Fleet when on the way to attack Sakishima targets in support of the American landing on Okinawa.
© IWM A 29174
Second World War

A Short History Of The War In The Pacific During The Second World War

On 7 December 1941, Japan launched a surprise air attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Japanese forces also overran Allied possessions in south-east Asia and The Philippines. Japan hoped for a short war, seeking to quickly weaken US naval strength and capture strategically vital oil supplies. But what happened next?

Bad weather and strong German resistance hindered the British 3rd Division’s assault on Sword beach.
© IWM (B 5004)
D-Day

Powerful Colour Footage of the Beaches after D-Day

On the morning of 6 June 1944, D-Day, Allied forces launched Operation 'Overlord', the largest amphibious invasion in history. This rare colour footage captures the aftermath on Gold Beach on 7 June 1944, where nearly 25,000 men of the British 50th Division had landed the day before.  

Infantry ride on Sherman tanks in Holland, 24 September 1944.
Second World War

A Quick Guide To The War In Europe During The Second World War

The Second World War engulfed the people of many countries in Europe. The conflict saw devastating battles, widespread destruction and an unprecedented industrial genocide. Its repercussions continue to be felt today.

Discover more at IWM London

Ashcroft Gallery view
IWM
Permanent Display

Lord Ashcroft Gallery: Extraordinary Heroes

IWM London
Permanent

Visitors exploring the Second World War exhibition
© IWM
Permanent Display

Second World War Galleries

IWM London
Permanent

Holocaust exhibition with two visitors
© IWM
Permanent Display

The Holocaust Galleries

IWM London
Permanent