Gallery full of war’s history
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A major new exhibition opened at the Patterson Library Octagon Gallery this month.
Entitled, War in the Pacific, the presentation covers the war from its beginnings in China in the early 1930s through the Japanese surrender in 1945. Featured are more than 70 historically accurate dioramas and museum quality scale models, each with a detailed narrative. Dioramas featured include U.S. allied and Japanese military units in iconic places like Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway, Bougainville, the Burma Road, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, along with lesser known, but very significant actions. Extensive research into U.S. and Japanese Naval camouflage has resulted in accurate models of submarines, destroyers, cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers. Included are the Hornet, Enterprise, Saratoga, and Lexington, as well as the Japanese carriers Atagi and Shokaki -- two of the six carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor.
The flavor of the exhibit is educational as well as entertaining, with examples showing: "Submarines in the Pacific-The Unreported Campaign", "Japan's Fatally Flawed Air Force" , "Amphibious Invasions-The Way of War in the Pacific", "The Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal", "Unsung Heroes of the Burma Road", "The Stalingrad of the East", "The Japanese Plan to bomb the Panama Canal" and "The Last plane shot down in World War II".
In total, over 250 models, narratives and artifacts make up the exhibit. Included is a listing of Westfield, New York veterans who served in the Pacific during World War II along with photographs and memorabilia.
The War in the Pacific exhibit will run through Sept, 8 with two topic films, Across the Pacific, shown Aug. 15, and Run Silent, Run Deep at 6 p.m. Aug. 29.
The library is located at 40 S. Portage St., Westfield. The Octagon Gallery will be open during regular library hours. For more information call the library at 716-326-2154, or visit their web site: www.pattersonlib.org