Imperial War Museum

About 5 minutes away from our Airbnb in London was a free exhibit called the Imperial War Museum. It showcases modern war and conflict. To be honest, this museum went a little too depth for me! We spent almost two hours just in the WWI section and after that I was wiped! But another exhibit I found interesting focused on spies and how they influenced different wars. It was really cool and I learned a lot, but I think other people probably would have appreciated it a little more than I did.

modern car after a bombing

T-34 Tank
Soviet Tank design built in 1954

This is a uniform of a German private of the 56th Infantry Regiment
(it tried to autocorrect "infantry" to "infancy" and I was picturing a bunch of German babies fighting)

This is a French 75mm quick firing field gun. It could fire up to 20 shells a minute with incredible accuracy. Fun fact: there's a cocktail named after it! 

This is a British sniper robe that was hand painted by a sniper to help him blend into his lair, which usually was a pile of earth or rubbish. Fun fact: British snipers operated in pairs; one to observe and the other to shoot

These are gas masks used to protect the soldiers during WWI. Inhaling a large amount of chlorine made soldiers choke and suffocate. Those poisoned by phosgene threw up yellow liquid and mustard gas caused blisters on the skin that could burn down to the bone.The soldiers needed these masks for protection. 

This uniform was worn by a private of the 1st Battalion Australian Imperial Force

This British 9.2-inch howitzer was one example of heavy artillery that opened fire on June 24, 1916 and pounded the German lines for a week with over 1.5 million shells.

reminds me of Sybil from Downton Abbey

This sea mine was laid by a German submarine (U-boat) in the Thames Estuary. It was designed to float just below the surface of the water and to detonate when a ship struck one of its horns. This mine was recovered in 1917.

This coat kept the troops, but not dry. When it rained they got really heavy and almost impossible to wear. The bag shown here too carried everything they needed, but weighed around half the average man.

John Higgins was the commander of Landing Craft Tank 157, which carried tanks to beaches. They flew this flag made my a friend back home's mother

the armies needed air support so in order to get it, they used these Clarkair bulldozers to build temporary landing strips

This Sherman M4A4 tank landed in Normandy with the Guards Armored Division. It was made in the US and used by British troops so it became a symbol of the combined Allied effort that helped liberate Europe

This stone and bronze German eagle adorned the Chancellery where Hitler committed suicide 

The Mitsubishi A6M fighter was a symbol of Japan's military might. It was well-armed, fast, and light. It became known as the "zero" to the Allies. This wreck was found 50 years after the war.

On September 7, 1940 through May 16, 1941 the Germans heavily bombed British cities. This 1,000 kg (2,200 pound) mine was meant to be used at sea, was dropped on land instead.

The jumper and helmet were taken from a German spy who landed in the UK during WWII

Connor reading up on how to become James Bond

The suitcase radio set here was used by a German spy. Icelander Ib Riis was recruited by the German military in 1940, but gave himself up to the Allies in 1942 and became part of the British "Double Cross" deception strategy

The Enigma Machine was used by the German Navy, Army, and Air Force, but British, French, and Polish code breakers knew about the machine and figured out the messages.

Uniform used by the Force 136's Eastern warfare School based in India that trained in weapons, field craft, and map reading, as well as survival techniques and jungle warfare.

All the different floors of the museum with planes, trucks, and boats dedicated to military use.