WESTFIELD — A new exhibition will open at the Patterson Library’s Octagon Gallery on Aug. 10.

Entitled, “War in the Pacific,” it features more than 70 historically correct dioramas and museum quality scale models of the war in the Pacific during World War II, from its beginnings in China in the early 1930s through the Japanese surrender in 1945.

Among the exquisitely detailed dioramas are those showing individual U.S. Allied and Japanese military units and individuals in iconic places like Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal , Midway, Bougainville, the Burma Road, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, as well as less known, but significant actions, like the Rape of Nanking or The Battles of Khalkhin Gol–Russia Vs Japan. . Extensive research into U.S. and Japanese Naval camouflage has produced some outstanding ship models of submarines, destroyers, cruisers, battles hips and the U.S. aircraft carriers, Hornet -shown in the famous, Doolittle raid– the Enterprise, Saratoga, and Lexington, as well as Japanese carriers Atagi and Shokaku–two of the six carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor.

The flavor of the exhibit is educational as well as entertaining, as some examples of the thirty plus diorama titles show: “Submarines in the Pacific-The Unreported Campaign,” “Japan’s Fatally Flawed Air Force” , “Amphibious Invasions-the Way of War in the Pacific,” “The Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal”, “Unsung Heroes of the Burma Road,” “The Stalingrad of the East,” “The Japanese Plan to Bomb The Panama Canal,” “The Last plane shot down in World War II.”

Included are photos and memorabilia from Westfield natives who served in the Pacific during World War II.

The Patterson Library Octagon Gallery will be open for tje exhibit beginning with the opening reception and gallery talk Thursday, Aug. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. and the exhibit will remain open until Sept. 8. Films and film talks will be Aug. 15 and Aug. 29 at 6 p.m.

The gallery is at 40 S. Portage St., Westfield. Information and hours can be had by calling 716-326-2154, or visiting pattersonlib.org.