By Dan Shea

Evolution Cover:

Photographer: Michael Balasko
Art Director: Gracie Wingert

Location: The Mob Museum, Las Vegas, www.themobmuseum.org (special thanks to Brenda Hengel).

Background: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre wall at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

The Mob Museum

The Mob Museum is a world-class destination in downtown Las Vegas dedicated to the story of organized crime and law enforcement. True stories of Mob history are brought to life through interactive, high-tech exhibits and over 600 artifacts, the largest collection of Mob and law enforcement memorabilia under one roof.

Museum hours are Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. For more information, call (702) 229-2734 or visit www.themobmuseum.org. Connect on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themobmuseum and on Twitter: @TheMobMuseum.

The Museum has acquired some of the most iconic artifacts in Mob history including the barber chair Albert Anastasia was sitting in when murdered in New York City, and the brick wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929. The Museum opened on Valentine’s Day 2012, the 83rd anniversary of the Massacre where seven men affiliated with Bugs Moran’s gang were lined up along the wall, shot and killed by Al Capone’s South Side Italian gang.

Today’s Operator Josh Holzer: Today’s operator has a massive technical arsenal available to him for his close quarter battle and unusual needs. Gear from Operation: Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Sunglasses; WileyX. Hat; Voodoo Tactical. Machine Gun; POF USA P308-FA piston-driven select fire 7.62x51mm rifle with 16.5î barrel and Magpul P-Mag 20 round magazine. This system is augmented with a Trijicon TA11 optic with the 7.62 reticle and an ATN Mini-Thor Thermal weapon site. The Mini-Thor can be quickly installed or left off for straight daylight mission use. On the right side forward, the Vingtech VarioRay with visible laser aperture, non-visible IR laser aperture, non-visible IR illuminator and a powerful LED flashlight with strobe capabilities. The Trijicon RMR sight mounted on the VarioRay allows for a very, very fast target acquisition by simply rolling the rifle into the cheek and clearing the opto-electronics out of the way. All of this leads up to a whole lot of options for the modern operator to use at his choice.

Makeup: None. Our manly cover models refused even Chapstick.
Hair: None, but Josh combed his goatee.

Artifacts integrated throughout the Museum’s interactive exhibits provide an insider’s look into many of organized crime’s biggest names, including, Al Capone, Dion O’Bannion, George Moran, Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Ben Siegel, Sam Giancana, Joe Bonanno, Frank Rosenthal, Mickey Cohen, Tony Cornero, Whitey Bulger and John Gotti to name just a few. The Museum is located in what many consider the ultimate artifact, the former federal courthouse and United States Post Office. Completed in 1933 and listed on the Nevada and National Registers of Historic Places, it houses the courtroom where in 1950 one of 14 national Kefauver hearings was held to expose organized crime in America. Meticulously rehabilitated for The Mob Museum, the building is significant not only for its neo-classical architecture reminiscent of the period in which it was built, but also for the historic events that unfolded inside of it.

In addition, items and artifacts relating to law enforcement’s role in helping to eradicate and control the Mob, such as weapons, wiretapping tools and tactics and crime scene photos, are also shown.

The Museum has accumulated numerous accolades since opening in 2012, including being named one of “10 World Landmarks You Haven’t Seen – Yet” by NBC News, “20 Places Every American Should See” by Fox News and Budget Travel magazine, “Las Vegas’ Best New Attractions for 2012” by Travel + Leisure magazine, “9 Reasons to Visit Las Vegas” by CNNgo, a finalist for the “Best Wider World Project Award,” by the British Guild of Travel Writers and “Best Museum” by Nevada Magazine and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall

The Mob Museum has acquired some of the most iconic artifacts in Mob history including the brick wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929 in Chicago. Seven men affiliated with Bugs Moran’s gang were lined up against the wall and shot to death by Al Capone’s gang.

In 1967, the wall was torn down, and a Vancouver businessman bought the bricks which were still full of bullet holes from the massacre. Over the next 42 years, the bricks were featured in a traveling exhibit, housed in a short-lived crime museum and displayed in a nightclub restroom. They finally found a permanent home at The Mob Museum.

From their first sale in 1967 the bricks were lettered and numbered, allowing The Mob Museum to assemble and display the wall in a manner very close to the original. At some point, some of the bullet holes in the bricks were enhanced by red paint. (No, it’s not blood!)

Repeal Day celebration at The Mob Museum
Party Like It’s 1933

Party like it’s 1933 at the 3rd Annual Repeal Day Celebration from 6 p.m. to midnight as The Mob Museum marks the anniversary of the end of Prohibition (December 5, 1933).

Highlight of the evening will be the Boss of the Bars Competition. Guests also will be able to enjoy signature drinks, VIP Party, casino table games, Costume Contest, cabaret dancers and jazz swing band.

Toast Repeal Day with former Mayor Oscar Goodman 7 p.m. on the steps of The Mob Museum

$60 VIP Party 6-midnight

The Mob Museum’s Speakeasy Party will be a soiree for classy dames and stand-up fellas. Speakeasy tickets grant you entry to the VIP Party beginning at 6 p.m. Activities include 1920s Dance Lessons, Special Music from the age of crooners, a Commemorative Repeal Day Flask and two free drink tickets. VIP guests also will enjoy all the events of the Repeal Day celebration including the Boss of the Bars Competition, signature drinks, cigars, casino table games, Costume Contest, cabaret dancers and a jazz swing band.

$40 Repeal Day Celebration 7-midnight

Admission includes Museum access, Boss of the Bars Competition, signature drinks, cigars, casino table games, Costume Contest, cabaret dancers and a jazz swing band. Roaring 20s costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded.

SAR realizes that one of the optics on the Operator’s machine gun needs to be raised. We apologize, the part we needed did not arrive in time for our photo shoot and we were out of duct tape.

(Editor’s note: Readers who are planning on attending this year’s Soldier of Fortune Convention in Las Vegas and have scheduled themselves a little sightseeing time will probably want to visit this museum. The historical cars are of great interest to many of us who cover small arms, as the leaders of the countries involved in many of the conflicts expressed much of their personality in their vehicles.)

While not a firearms museum, the over 750 antique, classic, special interest and military origin vehicles comprising the multi-million dollar Imperial Palace Hotel auto collection in Las Vegas, Nevada holds much of interest to small arms collectors and shooters.

Many gun aficionados started out early in collecting life by restoring old jalopies to running condition. While later moving on to firearms, many still retain an interest in automobiles. One of today’s premier firearms manufacturers, William B. Ruger, has an automotive interest as well, and maintains a large car collection. The collection will also be of interest to students of military history.

More than 200 vehicles spanning nearly 100 years of automotive history are on display at any given time in a plush, gallery-like setting comprising 65,000-square-feet on the fifth floor of the Imperial Palace’s parking facility. While the main focus is on civilian vehicles, there are a number of military origin pieces in the collection. These specimens run the gamut from motorcycles, to trucks, tractors and amphibious vehicles. There is the image of power and simplicity presented by a 1940 Dodge Command Car, to an American paratrooper’s lightweight bicycle, to one of the largest military personnel carriers ever built – the German Krausse Maffei.

Hitler’s Vehicle

The Leader’s Row section of the museum contains a 1939 Mercedes Benz, 770K, one of several bullet-resistant vehicles manufactured for Adolph Hitler. The Mercedes weighs 11,960 pounds and is 20-feet long, 7-feet wide and can carry up to 9 passengers. The car contained solid rubber, bullet-resistant tires as well as bullet-resistant wheels. All of its seven windows are bullet-resistant and two-inches thick. The floor is mine-resistant, while the doors (weighing 900-pounds each) contain one-and-a-half-inch thick armor plate, and the rear is protected by a large shield. While this car was being built, Hitler visited the factory to inspect its workmanship and personally tested the armor plating by firing two pistol rounds into the right rear quarter panel. While he had several armored vehicles, this particular car was the only one built from the ground up specifically for Hitler. This is the same vehicle used on June 18, 1940 that appeared in the famous photographs depicting Hitler and his Italian counterpart, Benito Mussolini, standing and riding in this automobile in Munich, Germany. Hitler also rode in this vehicle during the Berlin victory parade on July 6, 1940. While being a short man, Hitler’s front right seat could be folded back to allow him to stand at a higher elevation to appear as if he were much taller. There is also a compartment in front of Hitler’s seat where a pistol was stored.

Mussolini’s car

Along the same lines, the 1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 6C 2500S Berlinetta, formerly owned by the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, may be seen as well. This car was part of a convoy traveling from Milan in April 1945 when it was stopped by partisan forces just before the town of Dongo, on the western bank of Como Lake. Mussolini’s lover, Claretta Petacci, who had been given the car as a gift by Mussolini, was present, as was her brother Marcello, who was driving. Also riding in the vehicle were Zita Ritossa, Marcello’s companion, and their two children. Mussolini himself, was found hiding in another convoy vehicle, a German truck. He was wearing the overcoat and helmet of a German Luftwaffe Corporal.

Nearly all the members of the convoy were executed on the spot by the partisans. Marcello Petacci, who tried to flee, was shot at the edge of the lake. Mussolini and Claretta were taken to a small house and kept overnight. This was the first (and last) time they had spent the entire night together. For the next morning, the pair were taken outside and executed by Communist partisans. The identity of those who fired the rounds is still a mystery. After the executions, the two bodies were taken to Milan and exposed in Loreto Square, hanging by their heels.

The Alfa Romeo was kept in impoundment by the local Italian police until an American soldier brought it to the U.S.

Other historical vehicles in the collection include Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s 1935 Packard, the last Russian Czar Nicholas II’s 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, the former Argentine strongman Juan Peron’s 1939 Straight-8 Packard and former Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas’ armor-plated 1939 V-12 Packard. Al Capone’s 1930 V-16 Cadillac is one of the museum’s biggest attractions.

Contact Info.

To keep the collection interesting for repeat visitors, several vehicles are rotated from storage to the display area each month. Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., admission is $6.95 for adults and $3. for children. Nearly 50,000 visitors come in every year. For more information contact the 2,700-room Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino, 3535 Las Vegas Blvd.So., Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. Telephone: (702) 731-3311 or toll free (800) 634-6441.