406th Fighter Group Permanent Display

Pima Air and Space Museum
Tucson, Arizona

The 406th FG WWII Memorial Association has funded, with the generous help of Maggy Grossetta and the Grossetta family, a project to develop and build a permanent display to reside in Hanger 3 of the Pima Air and Space Museum. The project is awaiting the cataloging of the 406th Archive so that the collection's full content may be assessed for possible use in the display. PASM archival personnel and the 406th jointly share the responsibility for the project, with PASM then going on to provide the curatorship skill and knowledge to create a display with a completion date of late 2007. What follows are the dictates of the Permanent Display Project.

Project

To create a permanent display depicting the WWII 406th Fighter Group's history in a way that museum guests will find compelling and done to a high standard.

Display Case

The display will be housed in a self contained, conservation safe show case of museum quality finished in glass, wood and steel. The interior space is configured with adjustable glass shelves, fixtures and lighted attic. Dimensions to fit within the approximately 25 foot by 20 foot floor space allotted.

Location

The display case is to be located within the main body of PASM in a way that 1) conforms with other existing displays; 2) though still providing a niche specific to the 406th experience while 3) overall enhancing the quality and aesthetics of the entire Museum. This will be Hanger 3.

Theme

The theme is to be determined and will give consideration to what is in the archival collection. It will have a "personal touch" to it... such as "A day in the life of the 406th". Secondarily it will recognize marketing tags like "Tucson's Own"; the famed Grossetta Tucson pioneer family; "406th Calls Tucson Home; A Tucson Original, Discover Your WWII Fighter Group or Home Town Of The Stardusters".

The theme would be incorporated about the display; in any advertising or outsider reference or use of the 406th display or archive; interface with the media and local community and by PASM when it proves useful in the gift shop, on printed materials or associated with events.

Display

A display drawn from the narrative and generally laid out in chronological order perhaps starting in the States with training, then sailing overseas, fighting across Europe — ending in Germany with mission accomplished and armistice. This timeline is conceived in a way that allows the viewer to engage at any story point without having to start necessarily at the beginning.

While chronology provides for structure, it is the 406th's highlights, using elements of design and content, that turns time into a succession of vignettes and keeps the display interesting and easy to grasp.

Narrative

The narrative recites selected details from the 406th history; the time, place, men, planes, squadrons, key events, family and the curious. Some recent history, like the commemorative stamp, may be included.

Stay tuned and watch for the date of the Grand Opening of the 406th Permanent Display at Pima Air and space Museum!