That war history museum in Auburn IN

The display was ominous, imposing. The oil portrait of the Fuhrer in black riding boots, Adolph himself - the old painting ornamented with gilded frame, mounted within Plexiglas, dangling overhead.

It was very heavy, hanging from cables to the roof's metal beams, and it was tilted forward - we suppose for one's better viewing. Yet it swayed slightly overhead, suspended from its cables, and creaked. It was so ominous it made even a sensible person wonder if Hitler was about to claim yet more victims when his portrait came crashing down, breaking through its Plexiglas case.

The display was entitled, "Rising Tyrants," and gave histories of four of the world's most infamous leaders at the beginning of WWII. It was sobering, dramatic, and I saw more than one person stop and read the whole thing in its entirety - lessons about absolute power corrupting absolutely, one might say. It sets the tone at the large open 'pole barn/airplane hangar' structure that houses the museums, setting the stage right before one walks up to all the vehicles, tanks, trucks and armament unfolding behind.

The museum has equipment and displays about different phases of the war - warfare in Poland, Italy, the Soviet Union, etc. It features themes such as the Battle of the Bulge, the Meeting on the Elbe (where the Russians and the U.S. met), and an Atomic Bomb exhibit. You could easily allow a whole day or more to see and read about everything here.

I don't know what one calls a diorama when it's large, three-dimensional, and free-standing in the middle of a room - a scale model with buildings, planes, tanks, soldiers, etc. representing a snow-covered European town, now battlefield - but there's an awesome thing such as this in the museum, bringing reality and perspective after one walks through all the big tanks and such. Saddening, to feel the imposing reality of war - but necessary for us to contemplate and remember, and help to educate the younger generations.

The so-called World War II Victory Museum is just one entity in this large structure - they have plenty of land out in the country, across the interstate from the Kruse auction park - the place where thousands of cars have gone for auction over Labor Day weekends. You may have read about it - the business that was sold to e:bay, was later bought back, and then went under, owners unable to collect on the promised funds for some of those auctioned cars. Still lots of legal messes surrounding all that and Dean Kruse, but it's nice all of these artifacts on the other side of the highway have been preserved.

Meanwhile, these airplane hangar-like buildings hold an automotive and carriage museum, a local baseball history museum, and more odds and ends. There are presidential and celebrity cars, and stuff from the movies and memorabilia. But more on all that later. Be sure to check out the large war history side - there are personal mementos from people's war experiences, lots of enlarged photographs - it's worth your time.