Photos by Jim Muchlinski Ron Fagen of Granite Falls founded the Fagen Fighters World War II Museum in 2012. Below, a display depicts the landing of Allied troops on D-Day.

GRANITE FALLS — A group of Marshall residents spent D-Day 2023 seeing a world class collection of World War II airplanes and memorabilia.

They toured the Fagen Fighters World War II Museum, located south of Granite Falls at the Lenzen Roe Fagen Memorial Airport. The museum includes three hangar buildings, a wartime briefing bunker and a control tower.

All planes are displayed with signs that give complete descriptions of their history. The planes are surrounded by colorful murals and cases filled with objects from the World War II era.

One plane, acquired last year, is a Japanese Zero that was rescued from the South Pacific. It was restored in Russia before being brought to the United States in 1997.

All of the planes have a combination of original parts and new components. The new features are needed to restore the planes to flying condition, a primary goal of vintage airplane collectors.

“They almost always have to be restored,” said museum guide Becky Benson, a greeter for the Marshall group. “We do some restoration work here. In other cases we hire restorers to bring them back to the best possible condition.”

The memorabila cases feature a wide range of topics, including sets of objects from Germany and Japan. Among the other examples are Native American code talkers, radio as a public information resource, and the formation of the United States Air Force as worldwide tensions mounted in the 1930s.

A special feature in the Bomber Hangar is a holocaust boxcar depicting a scene in which Nazi guards force Jews into a rail car.

The Fighter Hangar includes a display of the landing at Normandy on D-Day. Mannequins on the sand and in a landing craft are flanked by soldiers coming ashore in the bakground mural.

Museum founder Ron Fagen’s father, Ray, landed at Utah Beach 79 years ago on D-Day. The landing display includes sand that was taken from Utah Beach.

“Ray’s war experience was the reason the museum was started,” Benson said. “Ron wanted it because of his family connection to the war. He wanted something that would bring the history to life, that would keep it alive for future generations.”

Fagen started the museum in 2012 with two hangars. He acquires collection items whenever he sees a good opportunity to add something new.

“A lot of it is through word-of-mouth,” said Fagen in an interview. “We also watch the sales and auctions. A lot of what I’ve found comes directly from overseas.”

His most recent acquisition, which arrived several weeks ago, is a bulk fuel truck that was previously used as part of a British movie set.

He plans to open a fourth hangar building in August. He said there will be a special surpirse inside the hangar, which will be unveiled as part of the dedication ceremony.

His strategy for the museum over the past decade has been to aim for both quantity and quality. The displays collectively offer a window into the life of World War II airmen, soldiers and civilians.

“I’ve never thought about how big it should get,” Fagen said. “I’ve kept adding because I want a tribute to the Greatest Generation, one that will impress the people who visit us.”

Tuesday’s tour from Marshall was sponsored by the city’s Adult Community Center. Those who attended all said they were impressed by everything on display.

Mike and Jan Healy said they chose to join the tour because of what they’d heard about the museum and because of a personal connection. Jan’s father landed at Utah Beach on D-Day.

“We’ve been meaning to come here, and today was a good opportunity,” Mike said. “Everybody talks about it. I think it’s amazing.”

Tony Doom said he enjoyed seeing how much the Fagen museum has expanded since his last visit. His wife, Gerlinde, is from the eastern part of Germany. His mother-in-law used to tell stories of how American bomber planes dropped bombs on her city.

“This (the Fagen museum) serves an important purpose,” Doom said. “It’s important to remember of Greatest Generation. We need to keep recognizing what they did to preserve freedom.”

Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson, who visited for the first time on Tuesday, said the entire region benefits from the investments Fagen has made to create a World War II museum.

“It’s a great asset to our part of Minnesota,” Hanson said. “Having this much World War II history in our rural prairie region is pretty awesome.”