Our Collection

Along with its primary mission of collecting the stories of Stratford’s veterans, the museum is also a repository for select items donated by veterans and their families. If you are interested in possibly donating or loaning an item to the museum, please visit on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, Sundays and Wednesdays from 1 to 3 pm, other days by appointment, or email us at [email protected].

You can print out and use this form (feel free to send us a hard copy or email a scan) when providing information on the item you want to loan or donate. Also please feel free to include images of the item.

Check out photos of our current displays. PHOTOS 

Here are some of the items that have been donated and loaned to the Stratford Veteran’s Museum.

They are listed by period and alphabetically.

 

OUR DIORAMAS 

The Stratford Veterans Museum features a number of dioramas representing scenes from U.S. military history beginning with the Revolutionary War and continuing to the present day. Here is a listing of the dioramas complete with links to additional information about the subject.

1 ‘Let it Begin Here’

Minutemen retreat from British troops on Lexington Green where shots fired moments before beginning the Revolutionary War

2 A Christmas Surprise

Troops under General Washington surprise Hessian soldiers in Trenton.

3 Washington Reviews Continental Troops

As commander-and-chief of the Continental Army, General Washington oversaw the building of the first American army.

4 On the March

Union soldiers and artillery begin the long march south during the Civil War.

5 The Rebels

Prior to the battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate troops pass by their leaders.

6 The Decisive Battle – Gettysburg

Confederate troops storm Union positions on Cemetery Ridge during the battle of Gettysburg.

7 The Lion of Little Round Top

Colonel Joshua Chamberlain leads the 20th Maine regiment at Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg.

8 The High Water Mark

Pickett’s Charge was the climax of the battle of Gettysburg and the furthest north Confederate forces would advance.

9 Pickett’s Charge

Connecticut troops were among the Union forces that met Pickett’s Charge during the battle of Gettysburg.

10 The Forgotten Soldiers

Connecticut solders were among the troops that stormed Petersburg.

11 Thanksgiving Dinner

Union troops try to make dinner out of a stray turkey.

12 An Unpleasant Surprise

World War I saw great jumps in technology including the first use of tanks at the Battle of Cambrai.

13 Metal Monsters

German troops try to stop an American-manned French Renault FT tank.

14 Break Out from Anzio

U.S. troops advance from the Anzio beachhead towards Rome.

15 American Beauty

The crew of the B-24 Bomber “American Beauty” pose by the plane as its nose art is painted on.

16 Bits of Home

A U.S. Sherman tank advances in Italy past a religious service held by an Army chaplain.

17 Beginning of a Long Drive

Japanese troops attack Edson’s Ridge during the fighting on Guadalcanal.

18 Pointe Du Hoc, D-Day

U.S. Rangers prepare to climb the cliff at Pointe Du Hoc.

19 Airborne Invaders

As part of the Allied invasion of France, U.S. Paratroopers deploy from a landed glider prior to the seaborne attack.

20 First French Town Liberated

U.S. paratroopers and German troops engage in street fighting in Saine-Mere-Egliese.

21 Saving Lives in the Aftermath

In the days following the invasion of Normandy, medical personnel worked round the clock treating wounded at aid stations set up within the beach head.

22 The Red Ball Express

A Red Ball Express truck has a face off with a pig and her brood.

23 The Whistling Death – Vought Corsair

Mechanics prep a Navy Corsair for takeoff from an aircraft carrier deck.

24 Any Landing You Walk Away from is a Good One

A Marine-flown land-based Corsair after a crash landing on an island airstrip under construction.

25 Bagging a Tiger

U.S. Infantry prepare to ambush a German Tiger tank during the drive across France following the breakout from Normandy.

26 At Ease

U.S. mechanized troops enjoy a break at a French farm during their drive across that country.

27 Reaching the Boarder

U.S. troops and an M8 howitzer move past a knocked out German halftrack as they advance to the German border.

28 Field Repairs

A modified Sherman tank assists a standard Sherman with repairs as they cross the Siegfried Line into Germany.

29 The Aftermath of Aachen

U.S. troops in Aachen after the battle for the city.

30 Check Point – Battle of the Bulge

A Sherman tank equipped with a rocket launcher moves past a U.S. check point during the Battle of the Bulge.

31 The Battered Bastards of Bastogne

A Sherman tank enters the town of Bastogne, which was occupied by 101st Airborne troops to deny the German Army use of the road that ran through it.

32 The Cold War Gets Hot

U.S. Marines faced freezing temperatures during the withdraw from the Chosin Reservoir.

33 A Life-Saving Dragonfly

A “Dragonfly” helicopter is being used to evacuate a wounded Marine after the Inhttps://stfdveteransmuseum.org/download_file/view/324/198chon landings.

34 A New Year Surprise

U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting with Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces.

35 A Flying Crane

A CH-54 is shown here during the Vietnam War delivering an artillery piece to a fire base

36 Named for a Warrior

A Black Hawk provides support for combat troops during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

37 The All-Purpose Engineers

Members of the 192nd Engineer Battalion survey a destroyed bridge in Afghanistan.

#38 A Street in Fallujah

U.S. Marines combat Iraqi insurgents during the Second Battle of Fallujah.

#39 U.S. Special Forces on Horseback

U.S. Special Forces soldiers were the first troops to put American boots on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.