The V-1 flying bomb – or buzz bomb – is not the largest aircraft at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, but it was certainly one of the deadliest. For this resident of the Washington, D.C. metro area, seeing the bomb in one of the busiest museums on the National Mall was difficult, especially given the tortured history the bomb represents. And yet, to see it displayed in a museum, juxtaposed with NASA rockets and crowds of excited children, is fitting, because only here is this horrible bomb harmless. May we see a day when bombs like this are only found in museums.
-AS