The current temporary exhibition at the Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim features artifacts associated with American bombing raids on German industrial facilities during World War II.
The first is a bag that belonged to one of the airmen aboard the B-17 bomber St. Francis, which was shot down by German forces on December 17, 1944. The aircraft crashed near Wilamowice. The crew had bailed out by parachute beforehand. All of them survived except 19-year-old Alvin J. Ellin, who was shot by a German gendarme. The second artifact is half of an oxygen tank from a B-17. After a handle was attached, it was intended to be used as a well bucket. It was never used for this purpose. The artifacts are accompanied by an enlarged photograph from the collection of the Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim, taken in 1949. It shows Czesława Baranek with her mother, Stefania, at an aircraft scrapyard in Brzezinka. The exhibition is open to visitors until mid-November 2026 during the Museum’s regular opening hours.
Eksponat muzealny: połowa zbiornika na tlen z bombowca B-17.
Eksponat muzealny: połowa zbiornika na tlen z bombowca B-17.