Volunteers and members of the Fort Miles Museum and Historical Society will be unloading thousands of pounds of World War II-era equipment in preparation for Delaware National Defense Day, which will be held this Saturday, April 20th, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and equipment are being moved to Cape Henlopen State Park.
This fort, which protected the Delaware coastline and country from the Axis allies including Germany, Italy and Japan during World War II, offers World War II reenactments, tours of military vehicles and campsites, and hands-on A demonstration will be held. Temporary camps are encampments for equipment and supplies.
“This event honors Fort Miles' home front defenders,” said volunteer Donald Hattier. “These are the people who defended the Delaware coast during World War II. This event will feature firing demonstrations, guest speakers, live music, and, of course, great food.”
World War Tunes will be played for the public.
“This Saturday's Fort Miles Open and Delaware Defense Day will draw between 2,000 and 2,500 visitors and friends,” Hattier said. “He's bringing four trailers, and he has two trucks to pull them. That's a lot of equipment.”
“This year we will have 30 exhibits and armored vehicles, and we will also have the Delaware National Guard and Air National Guard,” he said. “We also have some Browning automatics.”
Volunteers from Cape Henlopen State Park's Fort Miles Museum and Historic District gather at Tower 3 in the park to celebrate Delaware National Defense Day. The event will be held on Saturday, April 20th.
During World War II, a total of 18 enemy ships were sunk on the grounds of land fortifications, and as many as 14 submarines and U-2 boats were sunk off the coast of New Jersey.
This event honors Fort Miles' home front garrisons who defended the Delaware coast during World War II. There will be firing demonstrations, guest speakers, live music, family-friendly events and more.
“We sell military release items. Children may want souvenirs for a few dollars,” Hattier said.
“We were able to respond to a variety of cannons. Miles could fire 44 miles. We were trying to defend Delaware Bay. We had a Philadelphia Naval Base to defend. , and there were refineries and energy production in Delaware and New Jersey,” said Hattier, the historian.
“U-858 was one of the last submarines to surrender after the war, and it will be surrendered,” Hattier said of the planned reenactment of the German submarine, which entered service in 1943.
“We'll have horse patrols like the ones the Coast Guard used on the coast and armored vehicles of the time,” Hattier said. “This year we have a complete medical unit for this era.”
“Originally, it was U-boats that posed the greatest threat to our homeland, but then it became submarines,” Hattier said. “We thought Hitler would try to bomb us in these strategic locations.”
“New Jersey had forts to defend, and Philadelphia had Fort Pillsbury,” he said.
Fort Miles was originally known as Camp Miles and was born around 1939.
“You could shoot accurately from here to Cape May. It was all line-of-sight, and you had to know what was out there before you fired.” He said the distance was up to 47 miles.
“You can throw bombs with incredible precision,” Hattier said.
“ft. Miles was listening underwater using an underwater microphone and was mainly concerned about the submarine,” said Hattier, a volunteer. “They're still functioning today. They're a series of them, and their wiring is left over from the Spanish-American War.”
“All these sound systems are filled with lead and asbestos, so they're built to last.”
“Radar was a British invention that changed warfare, and we developed it further at MIT. Miles itself was never 100% complete. They shut down the facility in 1943 and developed it further. The planes are now more accurate and able to carry out bombing raids.
ft. Miles was originally a top secret base. The plans are still preserved in the Delaware State Archives, and the documentation is incredible. World War II documents show that Ft. Miles had its own air force base.
“The site of today's nature center on Cape Henlopen was once a brig,” Hattier said. “Now we just keep the animals in there.”
“We had a chapel and an officers' club, with a 30-foot-tall stone fireplace, all in good condition.”
“We are using the portion in front of Tower 3, which remains in its World War II form and is open to the public. This weekend, six or seven buildings will be converted back into military garrisons. We have a medical center. We have barracks with cots. We also have a barracks for women.”
“We had the ability to communicate from Ft. Miles,” Hattier said.
“About 30 boats sunk off both the Delaware and New Jersey coasts,” he said. “The tower will be restored internally to its 1942 condition, as all towers were during the war.”
“People have forgotten what Fort Miles meant during the war before the era of radar,” he added.
“We have some photos and 16mm film from that time. We have some teachers here who will be teaching the children coloring and giving instructions.”
“We have period music, period radio news, a complete open-air post office, photo exhibits, and even someone who has a period switchboard connected to their cell phone.” for viewing.
“We also have small arms displays and a 3-inch cannon firing.”
“I'm free today doing some landscaping work at the Fort. This raises a lot of money for the Fort Miles Museum and is one of the largest programs run by the park. The museum is a 35,000 sq. It is based on a smaller battery of approximately 25,000 square feet, as opposed to a larger battery of 1.5 ft.
“It's definitely worth a look,” Hattier said.
Southern Bethany Historical Society plans defense day trip
The Southern Bethany Historical Society (SBHS) is planning a day trip to the Fort Miles Museum and Historic District in Cape Henlopen State Park to celebrate Delaware National Defense Day on Saturday, April 20th.
This event honors Fort Miles' home front garrisons who defended the Delaware coast during World War II. The event will feature firing demonstrations, insightful guest speakers, live music, and more. For the complete schedule, please visit https://mms.southbethanypoa.com/ct.php?lid=275674325&mm=227508323007.
“South Bethany residents are invited to participate in this historic annual event,” said Kathy Peck, president of the South Bethany Historical Society. “We will be there and we hope you will join us for this fun family day. On behalf of the members of the Southern Bethany Historical Society, we would like to thank all the residents of Southern Bethany I wanted to remind you of Delaware National Defense Day.