What Was the Enola Gay? | At the Smhsonian | Smhsonian Magaze

Contents:

• ENOLA GAY
• THE REAL MEANG BEHD THE NAME ENOLA GAY, THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB
• PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS FOR HIROSHIMA
• HERE’S WHY THE PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS ABOUT DROPPG THE FIRST ATOM BOMB
• THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON
• CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY
• WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE PLANE THAT WAS ENOLA GAY’S BACKUP?
• ENOLA GAY: PILOT’S-EYE VIEW
• THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY
• WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?
• ENOLA GAY: WHAT EXACTLY WAS IT AND WHO USED IT?
• PL TIBBETS: THE MAN WHO PILOTED THE ENOLA GAY
• ENOLA GAY
• ENOLA GAY: THE MEN, THE MISSN, THE ATOMIC BOMB

ENOLA GAY

Enola Gay, the B-29bomber that was ed by the Uned Stat on Augt 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the first time the explosive vice had been ed on an enemy target. ” The Enola Gay—Tibbets had a matenance man pat that name on the aircraft’s nose shortly before takeoff—was acpanied by var other plan.

Tibbets flew the Enola Gay back to Tian, where he was award the Distguished Service Cross. Three days later the Enola Gay nducted weather rennaissance the lead-up to the bombg of Nagasaki, Japan.

Japan officially surrenred on September 2, Enola Gay remaed service for several years before beg given to the Smhsonian Instutn on July 3, 1949.

THE REAL MEANG BEHD THE NAME ENOLA GAY, THE PLANE THAT DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB

In 2003 the fully rtored Enola Gay was put on display at the NASM’s Steven F.

However, several plane nam of the World War II-era are known exclively by their name, cludg the famo Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber that was ed to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan (via Branni). Yet the Enola Gay, another animate object, had a dark tentn — the vice was schled to drop an atomic bomb on an enemy target.

It's important to note that durg the war, not many plan which were mass-produced were given as much fanfare, so the Enola Gay stood out om the pack. Pilot Pl Tibbets nam Enola Gay.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB

On Augt 5, 1945, the 29-year-old Tibbets formally named his B-29 "Enola Gay" after his mother (née Haggard). The Enola Gay name liv on. In 1995, the Natnal Air and Space Mm hosted a ntroversial exhib of the Enola Gay to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII.

The fully reassembled Enola Gay is now on display permanent display at the Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F. After the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. The Enola Gay is a B-29 Superfortrs, which pilot Pl Tibbets named after his mother, and which had been stripped of everythg but the necsi, so as to be thoands of pounds lighter than an ordary plane of that make.

While did not drop the bomb on Nagasaki, the Enola Gay did take flight to get data on the weather the lead-up to the send strike on Japan. In the aftermath of World War II, the Army Air Forc flew the Enola Gay durg an atomic tt program the Pacific; was then livered to be stored an airfield Arizona before beg flown to Illois and transferred to the Smhsonian July 1949. But even unr the ctody of the mm, the Enola Gay remaed at an air force base Texas.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

The Commtee for the Rtoratn and Display of the Enola Gay now has 9, 000 signatur of prott. Adams, who is leavg his job after 10 relatively ntroversy-ee years, sent back a three-page answer stiffly turng down her requt for the Enola Gay.

PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS FOR HIROSHIMA

Demonstrators prott at the Enola Gay exhib at the the Smhsonian Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F. And as long as is on display, the qutns rais are likely to ntue — after all, they have been wh the Enola Gay sce first beme a hoehold name.

On Augt 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the cy of Hiroshima.

"Colonel Ferebee died Florida 2000, at the age of Air Force radar specialist Jab Ber was the only man who served on both the Enola Gay the Hiroshima bombg missn and the Bock's Car three days later when s crew bombed Nagasaki. "Stiborik died of a heart attack 1984 at age Jeppson was only 23 years old when he was assigned to acpany the atomic bomb on the Enola Gay. Richard Nelson was the youngt of the Enola Gay crew.

HERE’S WHY THE PILOT OF ENOLA GAY HAD NO REGRETS ABOUT DROPPG THE FIRST ATOM BOMB

"Nelson died om emphysema 2003 at age Gay tail gunner Bob Caron wrote a book about the missn lled Fire of a Thoand Suns. He was 75 years Duzenbury kept tabs on the Enola Gay's eng and other systems while others tend the bomb and the missn self.

"Duzenbury died 1992 at age Shumard assisted flight engeer Wyatt Duzenbury keepg the Enola Gay nng. He armed the first atomic bomb while the Enola Gay was airborne.

He was upset that manr Pl Tibbets had named his plane the Enola Gay.

THE ENOLA GAY'S HISTORY LIV ON

Enola Gay Pilot Pl Tibbets, 92, Di. Air Force B29 bomber, the Enola Gay, took off om the s base Tian, near Guam, and head for the cy of Hiroshima southern Japan.

So when Enola Gay approached at 8. The Enola Gay was 10 away when the blast went off, but still felt the shockwav.

But how did the explosn weigh wh the 12 men aboard the Enola Gay who dropped the bomb that day? On Augt 6, 1945, the crew of a modified Boeg B-29 Superfortrs named Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ed warfare, lled “Ltle Boy, ” on the cy of Hiroshima, Japan. As a new and adly weapon, an atomic bomber, Enola Gay facilated a turng pot human history as hered the dawn of the Atomic Age and the threat of nuclear war.

CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY

Tibbets and his crew took off om Tian  Enola Gay at 2:45 am on Augt 6, 1945. Upon visual lotn of Hiroshima, Tom Ferebee aimed for the cy center and Enola Gay dropped the “Ltle Boy” bomb om 31, 000 feet at 9:15 am. After “Ltle Boy” left the forward bomb bay, Enola Gay lurched upward, and Tibbets iated a high angle evasive manver to get as far away om Hiroshima as possible.

” Enola Gay land back at Tian 12 hours later at approximately 3 pm. Enola Gay tail gunner Bob Caron took this picture of the cloud of smoke billowg 20, 000 feet above Hiroshima after the explosn of the Ltle Boy atomic bomb on Augt 6, 1945. The history and memory of Enola Gay and s part the atomic attacks on Japan, and their effect on endg the war the Pacific and the nuclear tensns of the Cold War, reflects differg viewpots.

WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE PLANE THAT WAS ENOLA GAY’S BACKUP?

The Smhsonian has been at the center of bat over those differg perspectiv terms of the terpretatn and public display of Enola Gay. Air Force the late 1940s, Enola Gay remaed storage for s. Enola Gay was to be the central artifact a planned exhibn at the Mm examg the atomic bombgs durg the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

ENOLA GAY: PILOT’S-EYE VIEW

The Boeg B-29 Superfortrs Enola Gay is now on display at the Steven F. In a revised exhibn, Enola Gay’s forward felage and bomb bay, two eng, a propeller, and other ponents, cludg a activated Ltle Boy bomb, went on display the Natnal Mall Buildg om June 1995 to May 1998.

Udvar-Hazy Center opened December 2003, the fully-assembled Enola Gay went on permanent display the World War II Aviatn display area the Boeg Aviatn Hangar. The display of the Enola Gay has generated a variety of rpons rangg om public protts  1995 and 2003 to opposg pots of view exprsed  alternative exhibns, petns, and reports, and ntu to serve as a se study  prentg history the public sphere that is vigoroly discsed and bated to this day.

Enola Gay on display the Boeg Aviatn Hangar of the Steven F. The flight of the Enola Gay on Augt 6, 1945, signifi an end and a begng terms of our evolvg unrstandg of technology and warfare the twentieth century.

THE INLIBLE ENOLA GAY

Seventy-five years ago, the Uned Stat dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, brgg an end to a long and vastatg World War II and makg the Enola Gay, the B-29 that livered , one of the most famo history. The Enola Gay, known only as No.

WHERE IS THE ENOLA GAY TODAY?

He handpicked the plane the night before the missn, to the surprise of s crew, and had his mother’s name -- Enola Gay -- pated on s si. 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off for Hiroshima, an important Japane ary center.

It was a moment for which none of the Enola Gay’s crew -- away by then, but still rocked by the blast -- was que prepared.

What some don’t know is that the Enola Gay flew that missn, too.

ENOLA GAY: WHAT EXACTLY WAS IT AND WHO USED IT?

Some fly ahead to check the weather to see what ’s like at the actual target, and Enola Gay was part of that for Nagasaki, " Kney said. After the bombgs and the war’s quick end, the Enola Gay remaed wh the Army Air Forc, takg part the Biki Atoll atomic tts before beg shipped to the Smhsonian 1960.

PL TIBBETS: THE MAN WHO PILOTED THE ENOLA GAY

The origal patg of the words “Enola Gay” n still be seen on s si.

ENOLA GAY

While no members of the crew that flew the Enola Gay rema to tell s story, the aircraft liv on for visors. "Enola Gay is a regnized airplane of World War II, and people want to see , " Kney said. "They want to see the spachip Disvery, they want to see the [SR-71] Blackbird, and they want to see the Enola Gay.

Fifty years after the crew of the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, hasteng Japan's surrenr, The Amerin Legn honored Tibbets and his crew wh the Distguished Service Medal.

"There is no doubt my md that many of you who are here today would not be here if hadn't been for the urageo missn of the men of the Enola Gay, " Natnal Commanr William Detweiler told nventn legat. As Enola Gay's pilot, Tibbets said Pearl Harbor was the animatg force for his missn. Tibbets named the B-29 bomber Enola Gay, for his mother.

ENOLA GAY: THE MEN, THE MISSN, THE ATOMIC BOMB

Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb, "Ltle Boy, " was dropped at 8:15 a. For more on the Enola Gay, click here (). What was the name of the back up B-29 that flew to Iwo Jima and remaed on standby durg the Hiroshima missn the event that the Enola Gay had to abort and transfer Ltle Boy for pletn of the atomic bomb missn.

Lewis wrote shortly after the B-29 he was pilotg, the Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Not om Lewis’s historic missn clu shock wave lculatns (left) and a drawg of the approach and pe plans of Enola Gay and s two pann aircraft.