The American Airpower Heritage Museum (AAHM) d.b.a. CAF Airpower Museum, is adjacent to the Commemorative Air Force

Commemorative Air Force

The Commemorative Air Force , formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showing historical aircraft at airshows primarily throughout the U.S. and Canada...

 (CAF, which in older days stood for "Confederate Air Force") Headquarters in Midland, Texas

Midland, Texas

Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...

. The museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 opened in its first building in Mercedes, Texas

Mercedes, Texas

Mercedes is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,570 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mercedes is located at ....

 in 1965 as a location to house and display World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 artifacts as they began to be donated to the CAF. Both the CAF and AAHM moved to Harlingen, Texas

Harlingen, Texas

Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...

 in 1968. In 1989 the AAHM became a separate non-profit organization, and in 1991 both the AAHM and CAF moved to their current location. The museum is an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program.

Collections

The museum's collection focuses on the complete history of World War II military aviation culture and other material culture of this era. It has one of most complete collections of World War II aviation culture in the United States with items that represent all of the axis and allies that participated in the air wars of World War II. The AAHM collects items, artifacts, and historical information of inherent value to World War II aviation and related culture, focusing on the period of 1939 - 1945.

Featured collections in the museum include:

• Over 4,900 oral histories
  Oral history
  Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
  
   from World War II Veterans of aviation
• The largest collection of original World War II nose art
  Nose art
  Nose art is a decorative painting or design on the fuselage of a military aircraft, usually located near the nose, and is a form of aircraft graffiti....
  
  panels in the world
• A library of over 6,000 books, over 13,000 periodicals, more than 900 videos, as well as newspapers, microfilm, and numerous technical and field manuals related to military aviation

American Combat Airman Hall of Fame

The museum contains the American Combat Airman Hall of Fame.

External links

• CAF Airpower Museum website (American Airpower Heritage Museum)
• American Combat Airman Hall of Fame webpage (on CAF Airpower Museum website)
• American Combat Airman Hall of Fame inductees webpage (on American Airpower Heritage Museum website)