From 1939-1942, the forces of tyranny and aggression ran almost unchecked around the world. By 1942 Hitler and his allies had conquered nearly all of Europe. The Japanese had conquered great swaths of land in China and Southeast Asia as well as many islands that gave them control of great expanses in the Pacific Ocean. The rapidity and large scale of Axis victories from 1939 to 1942 shocked the world. The fortunes of war, however, began to change in late 1941. In December 1941, the United States entered the war. By the end of 1942, the Allies had won dramatic victories at Midway, Guadalcanal, El Alamein, and Stalingrad. The tide of war had changed dramatically and irreversibly in favor of the Allies.
The World War II Victory Museum's Axis High Tide gallery presents these dark years of the war when much of the world seemed doomed to harsh and exploitative occupation by Axis nations, led by Germany and Japan. In this gallery, museum visitors will find eight exhibits featuring numerous small artifacts and more than forty vehicles from this period of World War II. Amongst the vehicles presented in this gallery, visitors will find several vehicles believed to be world's unique survivors such as a German SdKfz 251/6 model A half-track, a German 3-ton Pionieraufbau half-track, and a Polish C2P light artillery towing tractor. In addition to these believed unique survivors, the Axis High Tide includes numerous artifacts that cannot be found elsewhere in North America.
