2020 Impact Report - Collings Foundation and American Heritage Museum

2020 IMPACT REPORT HOW YOUR SUPPORT MADE A DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR

Our first-ever Annual Fund campaign at the end of 2019 for the Collings Foundation and American Heritage Museum was a crucial part of our growth in 2020. With the help of supporters like you, we achieved our campaign fundraising goal of $400,000 between both organizations.

It could not have come at a better time. Little did we realize that only three months into the year, the American Heritage Museum would be closed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts and would remain closed until July.

The donations received during our Annual Fund appeal went directly into the restoration projects you see inside this report and we continued forward progress because of your generosity.

Additionally, membership continued to grow as supporters anticipated our reopening, further bolstering our efforts.

The Collings Foundation and American Heritage Museum strongly believes that fundraising should be dedicated to the growth of our artifacts, exhibits, and programs to support our living history mission.

We employ only a small staff with significant support from volunteers and we work very hard to maintain low operations overhead so your donations go to what really matters... the collection and the programs that help keep history alive.

Be proud of what you have helped us to accomplish in this challenging year - we could not have done it without you! With your help during our 2020-2021 Annual Fund campaign, we look forward to doing even more in 2021 and beyond - completing major restorations, developing new living history events, and planning new expansions of the museum.

Thank you for being such a huge part of our mission and making a difference through your generosity.

READ OUR FULL 2020 ANNUAL REPORT:

HTTP://REPORT.CFDN.ORG

PIPER L-4 GRASSHOPPER “ROSIE THE ROCKETER” After a two-year restoration, the original L-4 Grasshopper flown by Major Charles Carpenter is flying once again. This very aircraft destroyed six German tanks with custom mounted Bazookas on the wings. This incredible tank killer will become a unique and powerful display at the American Heritage Museum to showcase a true David and Goliath story from World War II.

VISIT HTTP://GRASSHOPPER.AHMUS.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

TP-51C MUSTANG

“BETTY JANE” BECOMES “THE STARS LOOK DOWN” The beloved North American TP-51C that was a core part of the Wings of Freedom Tour for ten years as “Betty Jane” was brought to American Aero Services several years ago for a full rebuild to transform the unique dual control variant into arguably the most famous modified two-seat P-51C of WWII, “The Stars Look Down” - the P-51C that was modified by the 354th Fighter Group to fly General Dwight Eisenhower on a personal reconnaissance mission over Saint Lo, France on July 4, 1944, flown by Major General Elwood “Pete” Quesada. We anticipate the Mustang will fly again in the first quarter of 2021 in these new, historic markings.

VISIT HTTP://STARSLOOKDOWN.CFDN.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

NIEUPORT 28

AMERICA’S FIRST WWI FIGHTER

Our original Nieuport 28 project was started in 2018 and has moved forward at a rapid pace in the hands of restorer Mikael Carlson in Sweden this past year. One of only four original Nieuport 28’s in existence, this will become the only airworthy example in the world when complete in late 2021 and shipped back to the American Heritage Museum. Considered to be America’s first fighter aircraft when our nation formally entered WWI in 1917, the Nieuport 28 is arguably one of the most important aircraft in our collection to tell the story of early air power.

VISIT HTTP://NIEUPORT.AHMUS.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

PANZER 1A LIGHT TANK One of only five remaining examples in the world, our original German Panzer 1A light tank from 1941 originally from the Littlefield Collection is in the final stages of restoration in MA. Started three years ago by the late restorer Greg Taylor, Our volunteers will complete it in early 2021 for placement in the War Clouds gallery.

VISIT HTTP://PANZER.AHMUS.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

B-17 FLYING FORTRESS - S/N 44-83785

The B-17 Flying Fortress donated in 2018 was ferried from Mississippi to New Smyrna Beach, FL to begin the inspection of the wing spar at American Aero Services to bring it back to operational status before a full repaint. The wing spar work is estimate to take at least 10 months at a cost of over $800,000 to allow it to become an important part of the Wings of Freedom Tour in the future.

VISIT HTTP://FORTRESS.CFDN.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

PBY-5A CATALINA

OUR ORIGINAL BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC U-BOAT KILLER Since its epic repatriation flight from the Netherlands in 2019, our PBY-5A Catalina with 3.5 U-Boat kills to its name during the Battle of the Atlantic in 1942 has been under restoration in Florida at American Aero Services. Though the airframe is in excellent condition, much work remains to bring it back to 1942 configuration. The original bow turret is being added currently and replacement of the blister turrets in the rear with original units will begin in early 2021. We hope to have this incredibly historic U.S. Navy warrior back in the skies in late 2021 wearing its original VP-73 markings.

VISIT HTTP://CATALINA.AHMUS.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

FOCKE-WULF FW 190F-8

Under restoration in Case Grande, AZ at Gosshawk Unlimited, our Fw 190F-8 “White 1” is coming very close to completion and we hope will be flying in early 2021 as the most original restoration of this rare German fighter ever. The original BMW 801 radial engine has been run after a very comprehensive overhaul and the team at Gosshawk are completing final systems installation before the engine is mounted and ground tests begin in the first few months of the new year. Read more about the extensive history of this rare fighter with documented use in the Western Front in the link below.

VISIT HTTP://FW190.AHMUS.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

M4A3 SHERMAN UPDATE Our beloved M4A3 Sherman “Liberty” underwent significant upgrade this year with the installation of a second set of controls for inclusion in our new driving program.

While this was being done, our volunteers completed a full interior and exterior cosmetic restoration to bring “Liberty” back to 1944 condition for our participants!

VISIT HTTP://DRIVE.AHMUS.ORG TO LEARN MORE!

2021 MAJOR FUNDRAISING GOAL

HANOI HILTON POW/MIA EXHIBIT The American Heritage Museum received an incredibly historic donation in late 2020 that will become the basis for a powerful exhibit in the Vietnam War gallery honoring the Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing-in-Action (MIA) soldiers of that war. Three truckloads arrived carrying the contents of four deconstructed cells of the infamous the Hỏa Lò prison in Hanoi. Coined the “Hanoi Hilton” by American prisoner Robert Shuemaker, the Hỏa Lò prison became synonymous with the POW plight during the War, and long after.

American prisoners of war in the Hỏa Lò prison were subjected to extreme torture and malnutrition during their captivity. These cells were determined to be from the area known as “Heartbreak” - a section of solitary cells where new American prisoners were housed upon their arrival.

During 1994, the Hỏa Lò site was selected for redevelopment and the prison complex was slated for demolition. Due to the infamous colonial history of the original prison, the entrance house and west side buildings were retained as a museum focusing on French oppression and cruelty. The post 1965 “American” side of the prison, which had been converted to hold captured pilots, was to be destroyed. Through the efforts of Mr. Jeet Mahal, a collector of artifacts for U.S. Museums in the 1990’s, four complete cells were saved, along with associated bricks and artifacts. (Initially, the Vietnamese thought these pieces were going to be moved to a Caribbean island museum to tell the story of French colonial prison history.) Stored for 6 years in Vietnam, and another 20 in North America, the many pallets of bricks, materials, shackle beds, and cell doors have now been moved to the American Heritage Museum and are awaiting reconstruction.

In honor of their resistance and courage against their captors, two Medal of Honor commendations were issued to Hỏa Lò POWs Bud Day and James Stockdale. For this reason, Hỏa Lò prison artifacts are a touchstone for Medal of Honor history and preservation. Exhibiting the original Hỏa Lò prison cells will provide a compelling opportunity to tell the stories of brave POWs who survived, as well as the long and tumultuous history of this notorious prison.

The cells will be carefully reconstructed within the American Heritage Museum’s Vietnam War exhibit. This will be the only place in the world where you can see them. The Hỏa Lò display will serve as a tribute to our soldiers’ bravery and a reminder of the horrors they suffered. This important project requires a substantial financial investment. We hope you will contribute this reconstruction, as well as the ongoing educational programs that will help us tell stories of our POWs for generations to come.

Your support is greatly needed in 2021 to make this incredible exhibit possible.

A special program donation fund has been established and major sponsorship opportunities exist. Please visit the site below for details or contact Ryan Keough, Director of Development at rkeough@collingsfoundation.org or 978-562-9182 for more information.

TO LEARN MORE OR DONATE: HTTP://POW.AHMUS.ORG